Portland shipbuilder Vigor Industrial will build a new class of U.S. Army landing craft in Vancouver, a 10-year, $1 billion project that could create 300 new jobs.

Vigor confirmed the news Friday. The company said it will move aluminum-based operations in Seattle and Clackamas to the Christensen Shipyards site just east of downtown Vancouver.

Vigor said it eventually expects to employ 400 at the site. It plans to begin some production there in May and start building a prototype of the Army craft sometime this summer.

Vigor had been deliberating for several months over whether it would build the ships in Portland or Seattle, with both communities offering unspecified financial incentives to lure the company.

Ultimately, though, Vigor passed over both cities. The company said it saw a chance to consolidate its aluminum operations in a single location. It chose Vancouver because of its proximity to existing Vigor operations in Oregon and because the Christensen facility was especially suitable for shipbuilding.

“While we’ve had operations in Vancouver since 1980, this move represents a substantial increase in the number of Vigor employees who will be living and working here,” Vigor chief executive Frank Foti said in a written statement.

Vigor said it will buy the Christensen site but declined to disclose the purchase price. Christensen, a luxury yachtbuilder, entered receivership in 2015 and shut down. Operations subsequently resumed there under a new company, Christensen Shipyards, but Vigor said the current occupant will vacate the property later this year.

Vigor has 2,300 employees in several locations, including its Portland headquarters and a 60-acre shipyard on Swan Island.

Vigor said 50 to 60 jobs will move from Clackamas to Vancouver – the two sites are 18 miles apart. More than 400 other Clackamas employees will continue working at that site. Additionally, Vigor will move 25 jobs currently in Vancouver to its main facility on Swan Island.

Additionally, Vigor said it will ask 50 employees working in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood to relocate to Vancouver. The company said those unwilling to move will have opportunities with Vigor’s Harbor Island facility, just south of downtown Seattle.

“Our team worked intently with Vigor to find a competitive solution to keep these jobs in Washington,” Gov. Jay Inslee said in a written statement. “I’m glad to see the continued success of one of our great corporate citizens contributing to our economy by creating living wage jobs in Vancouver.”

Past correspondence with the city of Portland indicated Vigor was seeking training for aluminum welders, permitting assistance and financial incentives.

Vancouver said Friday it offered no specific incentives but said Vigor had indicated it may want a city dock at the site extended in the future and the city said it is open to doing that. Additionally, the Christensen site is in a federal opportunity zone, which could provide tax savings.

Washington’s state Commerce Department said it is still talking about possible incentives for Vigor. One option, the department said, could be a grant from an economic development fund the governor administrers.

Vigor’s Army contract calls for building a “"tribow monohull” landing craft to improve maneuverability and stability in high seas. Vigor is to build at least 36 of the landing craft over at least a decade of work.

Clark County has historically trailed the rest of the Portland metro area in economic activity, but long-awaited commercial and residential development of its riverfront could change that. And, like the rest of the region, employment has surged during the long economic expansion.

Clark County’s jobless rate was 5.0 percent in December, near the lowest point since the 1990s. The December unemployment rate across the metro area was 3.8 percent.

This article has been updated with Vigor’s confirmation of its plan and additional detail. It has also been corrected to note that only Vigor’s aluminum operations are closing in Clackamas. Other operations will continue there.

-- Mike Rogoway | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699