Gulf Copper and Manufacturing

What Gulf Copper and Manufacturing does

Gulf Copper and Manufacturing Corporation is a U.S. ship repair, fabrication, and marine services company headquartered at 2920 Todd Road, Galveston, Texas, with a secondary facility in Port Arthur. Founded in 1948–1951 and historically focused on Gulf Coast vessel repair and refurbishment for commercial and government operators, the company is being repositioned as the U.S. manufacturing base for Chantier Davie Canada Inc. (operating as Davie Defense) following a December 2025 acquisition of its shipbuilding assets.

The company's core capabilities are organized around three service lines: new construction, metal fabrication, and repair and refurbishment. Under Davie Defense ownership, Gulf Copper is executing an approximately $1 billion modernization of its Galveston and Port Arthur shipyards to produce Arctic Security Cutters for the U.S. Coast Guard under a $3.5 billion, five-vessel contract (three cutters at Gulf Copper, two at affiliate Helsinki Shipyard in Finland), with first delivery targeted for 2028. Additional shipbuilding work flows in through HII's distributed shipbuilding network across 11 states and 25 locations.

Commercially, Gulf Copper earns revenue from long-cycle federal shipbuilding contracts (Coast Guard, Navy), time-and-materials or fixed-price ship repair work for commercial and government vessels in the Gulf Coast region, and offshore wind supply-chain contributions. Customers are concentrated in U.S. federal defense and maritime agencies, supplemented by regional commercial marine operators. The company has positioned itself as the "American Icebreaker Factory," with workforce development (apprenticeship program with Lamar State College Port Arthur, backed by U.S. Department of Labor funding) and a Texas Enterprise Fund grant of $21.7 million supporting the modernization program.

Name

Gulf Copper and Manufacturing

Legal name

Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corporation

Website

https://gulfcopper.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Gulf Copper and Manufacturing is a U.S. ship repair, fabrication, and shipbuilding company based in Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas, serving the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, and Gulf Coast commercial vessel operators under Davie Defense ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Shipbuilding and Marine Services

NAICS

Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Ship and Boat Building (33661), Ship and Boat Building (3366)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Ship Repair & Drydocking (TLAKAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hull & Structural Repair (Steel/Aluminum, Plate Renewal, Coatings Prep) (TLAHAMAB), Steel Fabrication & Marine Engineering (Custom Fabrication, Modifications, Conversions) (TLAHAMAH), Hull, Structure & Steelwork Repair (TLAKAKAE), Surface Combatants (Destroyers, Frigates, Corvettes) (IMAJABAA)

Keywords

• Ship repair services
• Marine fabrication
• Arctic Security Cutters
• Shipbuilding construction
• Vessel refurbishment

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations

Revenue model

1. Defense Shipbuilding Contracts: Government contracts for construction of U.S. Coast Guard Arctic Security Cutters. Part of $3.5 billion contract for five vessels, with $1 billion in U.S. shipbuilding infrastructure investment.
2. Ship Repair and Marine Services: Traditional ship repair, refurbishment, and marine services for commercial and government vessels operating in Gulf Coast region. Core business for over 75 years.
3. Offshore Wind Supply Chain: Supply chain contributions to offshore wind sector including vessel construction and services for wind farm development projects

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Gulf Copper and Manufacturing provides ship repair, marine fabrication, and new vessel construction services from facilities in Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas. The company is repositioning its traditional ship repair business into large-scale icebreaker construction, building three of five U.S. Coast Guard Arctic Security Cutters under a $3.5 billion federal contract via its parent Davie Defense.

Product overview

Gulf Copper is a ship repair and marine services company with over 75 years of industry experience, now expanding into new ship construction. The company operates facilities in Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas, and is transitioning from its traditional ship repair and fabrication services to become a builder of U.S. Coast Guard Arctic Security Cutters. The product portfolio centers on New Construction (Arctic Security Cutters), Fabrication, and Repair & Refurbishment services, all integrated under the Davie Defense partnership to enable complex shipbuilding on the Texas Gulf Coast for the first time in decades.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• New Construction

Quantifiable outcome

• First Arctic Security Cutter delivery expected in 2028
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Helsinki ShipyardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026Davie Defense affiliate Helsinki Shipyard in Finland will construct two Arctic Security Cutters while Gulf Copper's Texas facilities will build three, enabling technology transfer and expertise sharing for arctic shipbuilding capabilities. First vessels built in Finland before construction shifts to Texas facilities.
• HII (Huntington Ingalls Industries)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 20 April 2026Gulf Copper is part of HII's distributed shipbuilding strategy, receiving outsourced shipbuilding work through partner network across 11 states and 25 locations. HII plans to outsource more than 2.5 million hours of shipbuilding work in 2026 through partners including Gulf Copper.
• Lamar State College Port ArthurcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 December 2025Partnership to launch shipbuilding apprenticeship program training students in pipe fitting, plate fitting, and welding. Program combines classroom instruction and on-the-job experience, funded by U.S. Department of Labor at no cost to students. Aims to address nationwide shortage of 25,000 skilled craft workers.
• Davie DefensecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 December 2025Davie Defense acquired Gulf Copper's shipbuilding assets in Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas, completing the transaction on December 2, 2025 after CFIUS clearance. The acquisition positions Gulf Copper as the U.S. manufacturing base for Davie Defense's icebreaker production, with Gulf Copper facilities building three Arctic Security Cutters under the $3.5 billion Coast Guard contract.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/gulf-copper-manufacturing-corporation-200915679922058
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gulf-copper

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gulf Copper and Manufacturing