Lake Union Drydock Company

What Lake Union Drydock Company does

Lake Union Drydock Company (LUDD) is a privately-held ship repair yard founded in 1919 and headquartered on a freshwater site at 1515 Fairview Ave E, Seattle, WA. The firm provides ship repair, retrofits, conversions, and maintenance services to commercial and government vessel owners, with capabilities spanning drydockings, steel repairs, propulsion overhauls, electrical upgrades, piping systems, hydraulics, machinery, preservation, industrial rigging, custom metalwork, and interior joiner installations. It also delivers modernization services including EPA Tier 4 engine repowers, hybrid propulsion installations, and clean fuel / LNG-readiness retrofits, often in collaboration with system integrators. Its physical footprint comprises two drydocks (Drydock #8 at 6,000 LT / 420 ft and Drydock #9 at 1,200 LT / 200 ft), 8+ acres of over-water warehouse and shop space, 2,000+ linear feet of pier-side space, 800+ linear feet of freshwater moorage, and 20-ton crane capacity.

The business runs nine in-house craft shops (shipfitters/welders, machinists, pipefitters, sheet metal workers, electricians, riggers, laborers, painters, and shipwrights) staffed primarily by certified Journeymen working two shifts. Revenue is generated through project-based, custom-quoted professional services with multi-year contracts, sourced via direct enterprise field sales to vessel owners in the West Coast and Pacific Northwest. Customers include US Coast Guard, US Navy, US Army, NOAA Research, commercial fishing operators, tug & barge operators, ferries, passenger vessels, and superyachts. The firm does not offer software products or APIs; all services are delivered through on-site physical operations. The company is privately held, independently owned, with no disclosed parent, investors, or funding history, and currently employs between 11 and 50 people.

Name

Lake Union Drydock Company

Legal name

Lake Union Drydock Company

Website

https://ludd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lake Union Drydock Company is a Seattle-based ship repair yard founded in 1919, operating two drydocks and nine in-house craft shops to provide vessel repair, retrofits, conversions, and maintenance services to US government agencies and commercial maritime customers across the West Coast.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ship Repair Services

NAICS

Ship Building and Repairing (336611)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Ship Repair & Drydocking (TLAKAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dry Docking & Dockyard Operations (Graving/Floating Docks, Docking Services) (TLAHAMAA), Dry Docks & Floating Docks (Graving, Floating, Syncrolift) (IMAJALAA), Dry Docking & Hull Steelwork Repair (IMAJAFAA), Heavy Lifting & Material Handling Infrastructure (Goliath Cranes, Jib Cranes, Hoists) (IMAJALAD), Quay & Waterfront Civil Works (Piers, Quays, Seawalls, Dredging, Revetments) (IMAJALAF)

Keywords

• Ship repair services
• Vessel drydocking
• Marine retrofitting
• Shipyard maintenance
• Vessel modernization

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ship Repair Services: Professional services revenue from drydocking, steel repairs, propulsion overhauls, electrical upgrades, piping systems, hydraulics, machinery, preservation, rigging, and interior joiner installations. Project-based pricing with timely cost reporting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lake Union Drydock Company is a Seattle-based shipyard providing ship repair, retrofits, conversion, and maintenance services for commercial and government vessels. The company operates two drydocks (Drydock #8 with 6,000 LT capacity and Drydock #9 with 1,200 LT capacity) supported by nine in-house craft shops covering shipfitting, welding, machining, pipefitting, sheet metal, electrical, rigging, painting, and shipwright disciplines working two shifts.

Product overview

Lake Union Drydock Company operates as a traditional shipyard offering a unified suite of vessel repair, retrofit, conversion, and maintenance services. The core offering centers on dry docking operations using two facilities (Drydock #8 with 6,000 LT capacity and Drydock #9 with 1,200 LT capacity), supported by nine in-house craft shops providing steel repairs, propulsion overhauls, electrical upgrades, piping systems, hydraulics, preservation, rigging, and custom metal fabrication. Specialized modernization services include Tier 4 engine repowers, hybrid propulsion installations, and clean fuel system conversions for decarbonization. Project management services bundle estimation, cost reporting, scheduling, and delivery into a coordinated offering. All services are delivered through physical on-site operations rather than software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dry Dockings

Quantifiable outcome

• Quality unmatched on the West Coast
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Vigor Industrial: Largest Seattle-based shipyard operator, providing commercial and government vessel repair, fabrication, and conversion across multiple West Coast facilities. Directly competes with LUDD for the same regional and government customers and offers a broader scale of services.
• Todd Pacific Shipyards: Seattle-based shipyard specializing in ship repair, overhaul, and conversion for government and commercial customers in the Pacific Northwest. Directly overlaps with LUDD in vessel types served (USCG, US Navy, ferries, commercial) and service capabilities.
• Bay Ship & Yacht Co. Alameda, California shipyard providing commercial ship repair, drydocking, and newbuild services for West Coast customers. Highly comparable to LUDD in service mix, customer segments (commercial fishing, tugs, government), and mid-market scale.
• Continental Maritime of San Diego: San Diego-based ship repair yard serving U.S. Navy, Military Sealift Command, and commercial customers. Directly comparable to LUDD's government vessel repair focus and West Coast positioning, with overlap in drydocking, steel, and mechanical work.
• Mare Island Dry Dock: Vallejo, California dry dock repair yard serving commercial and government vessels on San Francisco Bay. Closely comparable to LUDD in mid-sized repair-yard positioning and West Coast Pacific geographic footprint.
• Detyens Shipyard: Charleston, South Carolina commercial ship repair yard focused on government and commercial vessel drydocking, modernization, and repair. Highly comparable in mid-size, multi-craft, project-based ship repair business model.
• Colonna's Shipyard: Norfolk, Virginia commercial and government ship repair yard with multiple piers and drydocks serving U.S. Navy and commercial customers. Closely mirrors LUDD's mid-size, multi-craft, drydock-and-pier-based service model.
• Nichols Brothers Boat Builders: Pacific Northwest boatbuilder and ship repair provider serving commercial and government customers. Comparable to LUDD in West Coast regional footprint, vessel-type focus (small-to-medium commercial/government), and craft-driven service model.

Broad incumbents

• General Dynamics NASSCO: San Diego-based shipbuilder and major Navy ship repair contractor. Overlaps with LUDD in West Coast Navy vessel repair but operates at a much larger scale and as part of a national defense platform.

Regional players

• Aker Philadelphia Shipyard: Philadelphia-based shipyard with both newbuild and repair capabilities for government and commercial vessels. Comparable in commercial/government ship repair service mix but operates exclusively on the U.S. East Coast, not directly competing in LUDD's geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@LakeUnionDrydockCompany
• Instagraminstagram.com/lakeuniondrydockcompany

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Lake Union Drydock Company