Mills Marine & Ship Repair

What Mills Marine & Ship Repair does

Mills Marine & Ship Repair, LLC is a Veteran-Owned, HUBZone-certified, SBA 8(a)-participating ship repair and engineering support contractor headquartered in Suffolk, Virginia. Founded in 2009 by Donald G. Mills—a 25-year veteran of Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding—and his wife Ernestine P. Mills (VP of Finance), the company provides five integrated service lines: General Ship Maintenance & Repair, Engineering & Technical Services (HM&E analysis, combat support systems testing, production control, workload forecasting), Manufacturing & Fabrications, Logistics & Kitting, and Touch Labor & Professional Services. Supporting capabilities include Mobile Welding Services (SMAW, GTAW, FCAW) and a 57,000-square-foot Training & Production facility in Portsmouth, VA offering MARMC/NAVSEA, ABS, and AWS-approved welding qualifications.

The business model is built on direct federal contracting under GSA Multiple Award Schedule (Contract No. 47QSMS24D001U, awarded January 2024) and Other Transaction Authority vehicles, supplemented by strategic teaming partnerships with larger shipbuilders. Revenue streams are professional-services in nature—priced via quote-based government procurement rather than disclosed commercial rates. Primary customers include the U.S. Navy (DDG-51, DDG-62, DDG-1000, LCS, CVN classes), U.S. Coast Guard, Military Sealift Command, U.S. Army, NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center, MARMC, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, NSWC Philadelphia, and Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding (fire watch on CVN 74 and CVN 75 refueling/complex overhaul). Notable competitive advantages are NAVSEA-approved welding procedures, ISO 9001:2015 quality certification, and small-disadvantaged-business set-aside eligibility.

Name

Mills Marine & Ship Repair

Legal name

Mills Marine & Ship Repair, LLC

Website

https://millsmarineshiprepair.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mills Marine & Ship Repair is a Veteran-Owned, HUBZone-certified federal contractor providing ship repair, engineering, fabrication, logistics, and touch-labor services to the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, Military Sealift Command, and other DoD customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ship Repair and Maritime Services

NAICS

Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance (81131)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Naval & Government Vessel Maintenance & Modernization (TLAKAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hull & Structural Repair (Steel/Aluminum, Plate Renewal, Coatings Prep) (TLAHAMAB), Engine & Mechanical Overhaul (Main/Aux Engines, Pumps, Valves, Compressors) (TLAHAMAD), Mechanical Systems Repair (Engines, Propulsion, Pumps) (TLAKAKAF), Piping, HVAC & Auxiliary Systems Repair (TLAKAKAH), Dry Docking & Hull Steelwork Repair (IMAJAFAA)

Keywords

• Ship repair services
• Maritime engineering support
• Vessel maintenance services
• Naval welding fabrication
• Shipboard logistics staffing

Headquarters

HQ city

Suffolk

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts - Fire Watch Support: Providing fire watch personnel for ship repair and overhaul projects including CVN 74 and CVN 75 refueling and complex overhaul at Huntington Ingalls Shipyard
2. GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS): GSA Contract No. 47QSMS24D001U awarded January 17, 2024 providing access to federal government procurement
3. Ship Maintenance & Repair Services: General ship maintenance, structural repairs, mechanical support, shipboard alterations for Navy, Coast Guard, and commercial vessels
4. Engineering & Technical Services: Hull Mechanical and Electrical engineering, combat support systems testing, production control, workload forecasting, and administrative support
5. Logistics & Warehousing: Material requisition management, storage, distribution, kitting, and issuance services for government contracts
6. Touch Labor & Staffing: Skilled and general labor staffing including welders, pipefitters, electricians, machinists, insulators, and painters

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Mills Marine & Ship Repair provides ship repair, maintenance, engineering and technical services, manufacturing/fabrication, and logistics support for U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, Military Sealift Command, U.S. Army, and large-hulled commercial vessels. The company delivers structural repairs, mechanical and electrical support, shipboard alterations, hull mechanical and electrical (HM&E) engineering, combat support systems testing, mobile welding, and skilled touch-labor staffing across CONUS facilities.

Product overview

Mills Marine & Ship Repair is a Veteran-Owned Small Business providing quality and safety-driven ship repair and maintenance services. The company operates as a unified service provider combining five core service lines: General Ship Maintenance & Repair, Engineering & Technical Services, Manufacturing & Fabrications, Logistics & Kitting, and Touch Labor & Professional Services. Supporting these core services are a Mobile Welding Services module and a Training & Production Facility that provides welding qualifications, safety training, and trades certification. The company also offers specialized subcontractor services through its Q.E.D. Systems partnership for availability planning on DDG/CG, LPD/LSD, and LHA/LHD ship classes. The company primarily serves U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, Military Sealift Command, U.S. Army, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Ship Maintenance & Repair Comprehensive ship repair services including structural fabrication and repairs, mechanical support, shipboard alterations, habitability improvements, electrical removal and installation, sheet metal fabrication, piping installation, ventilation and duct-work fabrication, insulation, and PCMS tile work for naval and commercial vessels.
• Engineering & Technical Services Hull Mechanical and Electrical (HM&E) engineering, combat support systems onboard testing, breathing air and vacuum dust collection system maintenance, production control and workload forecasting, administrative management support, database optimization, corrosion control assessment, and marine gas turbine on-site technical assistance for government ship programs.
• Manufacturing & Fabrications In-house fabrication capabilities including ship alt/mach alt support, shipboard insulation services, shipfitting, sheet metal work, non-nuclear welding, pump repair, outside electrical, electronic test, repair and alignment, and pipefitting delivered from the 57,000 square-foot Portsmouth, Virginia facility.
• Logistics & Kitting Logistics, tracking, and delivery of equipment in climate-controlled facilities including material requisition management, material storage and distribution, material kitting and issuance, and material return (excess/unused) for government maritime contracts.
• Touch Labor & Professional Services Staffing positions for skilled and general laborers including fire watch, general laborers, cable pullers, assemblers, tank cleaners, sheetmetal mechanics, pipe welders, pipe fitters, structural welders, structural fitters, shipfitters, riggers, machinists, electricians, electronic technicians, insulators, sprayers, painters, forklift operators, and warehouse personnel, plus program managers, project managers, supervisors, and engineers.
• Mobile Welding Services On-site welding solutions providing SMAW (Stick), GTAW (TIG), and FCAW (Flux Core) welding processes for steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and CuNi, including on-site welding repairs, structural welding, pipe welding, custom fabrication, and maintenance welding.

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Strategic Teaming Partners (unnamed)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey strategic teaming partners with highest reputation in shipbuilding industry and proven record of excellent performance with federal government. Together they pursue synergistic business opportunities and collaborate on solutions for specific customer requirements.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tecnico Corporation: Chesapeake, VA-based marine services firm providing ship repair, fabrication, and logistics support to Navy and commercial customers in Hampton Roads. Directly comparable small-business peer competing for similar regional Navy and Military Sealift Command work.
• East Coast Repair & Fabrication: Hampton Roads-based marine fabrication and ship repair contractor serving Navy, Coast Guard, and commercial customers. Directly comparable in scope (structural, mechanical, fabrication) and customer base, and competes for similar small-business set-aside awards in the same region.
• Marine Hydraulics International: Norfolk-based ship repair company providing welding, fabrication, and topside services to Navy and commercial customers in Hampton Roads. Similar labor-intensive repair scope and dependence on the same regional customer set.
• Colonna's Shipyard: Norfolk, VA-based commercial and government ship repair yard with similar Navy, Military Sealift Command, and commercial customer mix. Comparable scope across structural, mechanical, and topside repairs on mid-sized vessels, and a direct small-business competitor in Hampton Roads.
• Q.E.D. Systems Inc. Norfolk-based marine engineering and technical services firm supporting Navy ship classes (DDG/CG, LPD/LSD, LHA/LHD). Mills Marine lists Q.E.D. as both a customer and a teaming partner, and the two firms overlap directly on ship repair engineering and availability planning work for the U.S. Navy.

Broad incumbents

• BAE Systems Ship Repair: Operates Norfolk and other East Coast shipyards performing Navy and commercial ship repair, maintenance, and modernization. Competes with Mills Marine for Navy availabilities but at materially greater scale and with much broader capability.
• General Dynamics NASSCO: West Coast-based shipbuilder and repair yard serving the U.S. Navy, Military Sealift Command, and commercial customers. Broad incumbent competitor in the same Navy ship repair and conversion market, though geographically distant.
• AMSEC LLC: Subsidiary of Huntington Ingalls Industries providing marine engineering, technical, and logistics support services to the U.S. Navy. Overlaps directly with Mills Marine's Engineering & Technical Services and Logistics & Kitting offerings, but at significantly larger scale as part of HII's broader portfolio.
• Huntington Ingalls Industries: Parent of Newport News Shipbuilding — Mills Marine's largest named customer (CVN 74/75 RCO work) and the dominant private-sector Navy shipbuilder. Engages Mills Marine as a subcontractor/teaming partner on government contracts.

Regional players

• Vigor Industrial: Pacific Northwest-based ship repair, conversion, and fabrication company serving Navy, Coast Guard, and commercial customers. Operates a similar small-to-mid-sized contractor model in a different geography, making it a useful operational peer but not a direct competitor for the same contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MillsMarineVa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCjyk4yXtOuekdNKHV5YiNiA
• Facebookfacebook.com/millsmarineshiprepairva
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/mills-marine-6359a91b9
• Instagraminstagram.com/millsmarine_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Mills Marine & Ship Repair