Dolgo: shipyard skills gap “cliff edge” averted with AI training

Florida-based maritime start-up Dolgo has unveiled an AI software platform designed to help shipyards retain critical skills as large parts of the workforce approach retirement. The company, spun out of the NOAA Ocean Enterprise Accelerator, says the platform addresses what it describes as a looming “cliff edge” caused by an ageing labour force and rising demand for shipyard capacity.
Dolgo is trialling a prototype large language model with the University of South Florida College of Marine Science, ahead of a planned market launch in February 2026 at the Blue Innovation Symposium in Rhode Island. The system allows shipyards to build private AI platforms that capture and continuously update proprietary knowledge from experienced workers. Engineers can seek advice through the platform, with the AI learning from real-world problem solving.
In the US, the average age of the 146,500-strong shipyard workforce is 55, while demand for shipyard output is expected to more than double over the next decade. Attrition among younger workers remains high, with reported turnover of around 20%.
Dolgo founder Nithesh Wazenn said: “It is well established that one of the biggest challenges facing the shipyard industry is the looming cliff edge of large numbers of workers retiring and taking their expertise with them.”