PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) – Months after shipyard workers braced for possible unemployment, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is talking about expanding its work force.

Shipyard commander Capt. Jonathan Iverson said the current work force must grow by 300 people a year to be able to handle the submarine overhaul and maintenance projects that are scheduled.

“For the next four years, we’re chock-a-block full of work,” he said. “With the increased workload, we’re looking to bring more people on.”

The shipyard has about 4,400 workers and contributes about $650 million annually to the local economy, Iverson said. In addition, the shipyard spends $30 million with area businesses for services like landscaping services and waste removal.

All those jobs were in jeopardy after the Pentagon recommended the shipyard be closed as part of plans to close and realign bases all over the country. A federal commission rejected that recommendation in August.

Iverson spoke Thursday for the first time since then about the future of the shipyard. His public comments came at the Greater Seacoast Business Expo at Pease International Tradeport.

Also speaking at the luncheon was Maine State Economist Catherine Reilly, who said the efforts of New Hampshire and Maine to save the shipyard feature the benefits of an effective partnership with a common goal.

“The recent threat to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard revealed the irrelevance of borders,” she said. “The economic ripple effects of that closure wouldn’t have stopped at the state line.”

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