Davie Plans Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Acquisition
Davie, an international builder of icebreakers and other specialized ships, announced June 11 that it intends to acquire shipbuilding assets in Galveston and Port Arthur from Texas-based Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corporation, a provider of ship repair, construction and marine services.
The transaction is still subject to financial, legal and regulatory closing conditions, as well as land lease negotiations with the Galveston Wharves Board of Trustees. Davie expects to finalize the acquisition later this summer.
“We share a vision with Gulf Copper to make Texas a world-class hub for American icebreaker and complex ship production,” said James Davies, president and CEO of Davie. “Texas is ready to lead a new Golden Age of American shipbuilding—backed by our commitment to delivering ships on time, on budget and in service of national security priorities.”
Gulf Copper CEO Steve Hale said a successful deal will open a new chapter for the company.
“For the first time in decades, complex shipbuilding could return to Galveston and Port Arthur—this time backed by one of the world’s fastest-growing specialized shipbuilders,” Hale said. “Davie brings a bold vision: to make Texas the cornerstone of their U.S. expansion. That means opportunity for our employees, our partners and our communities.”
The planned acquisition would fulfill the commitment Davie made in July 2024 to explore a permanent presence in America. The company said it also would support national priorities such as the U.S. Maritime Action Plan and the Ships for America Act. It would also align with the U.S. Coast Guard Arctic Security Cutter (ASC) program, which aims to rapidly deliver new Arctic-ready icebreakers while supporting the revitalization of U.S. shipbuilding.
Davie already has operations in Québec, Canada, and Helsinki, Finland. The latter has built around 50 percent of the world’s icebreaker fleet. The company said that adding an American shipyard would make Davie uniquely positioned in the trilateral Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE Pact) to deliver advanced icebreakers at speed, scale and competitive cost—countering adversaries’ heavily subsidized programs. It noted that Russia operates a fleet of nearly 50 Arctic-ready icebreakers.
With only three Arctic-ready icebreakers currently in service, the U.S. government has made the U.S. icebreaker program a top priority.
Davie said the company already possesses commercially viable, production-ready icebreaker designs that meet U.S. mission requirements, providing faster delivery and greater cost efficiency for American taxpayers.
Once the transaction is complete and contracts are secured, Davie plans to invest $1 billion to upgrade and expand capacity in Galveston and Port Arthur. The project could generate approximately 4,000 American jobs—around 2,000 directly at Gulf Copper and 2,000 more throughout the supply chain, the company estimated.
To ensure the rapid closure of the transaction, Davie is working closely with organizations and stakeholders in Galveston and Port Arthur, as well as the state of Texas. The company said the acquisition has also received strong support in Washington, D.C.
Founded in 1825, Davie is part of the Inocea Group, a privately owned international marine industrial group that is Canada’s largest shipbuilder and a partner in the country’s National Shipbuilding Strategy. In Finland, Helsinki Shipyard is a global leader in icebreaker and ice-class vessel construction. Together, these facilities design, build and sustain icebreakers, warships and ferries for governments and commercial customers.
Gulf Copper & Manufacturing, headquartered in Texas, has been in business for more than 75 years. The company delivers ship repair, offshore services and marine infrastructure solutions. Gulf Copper supports the oil and gas, marine transportation, petrochemical and government sectors through its shipyards, dry docks and fabrication facilities across the Gulf Coast.
Featured image caption: An illustration of a Canadian polar icebreaker. (Courtesy of Davie shipyard).
