Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company

What Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company does

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company (GLDD) is the largest provider of dredging services in the United States and the only U.S. dredging contractor with a meaningful history of significant international projects. Founded in 1890 and headquartered in Houston, Texas, the company operates a fleet of approximately 200 specialized vessels across three primary dredge classes — trailing suction hopper dredges (six hulls including the newbuild Amelia Island and the 14,800 yd³ Ellis Island), cutter suction dredges (five hulls), and mechanical clamshell dredges — plus support tugs, workboats, multicats, and hydrographic survey vessels. In 2026 the company took delivery of the Acadia, the first Jones Act-compliant subsea rock installation vessel in the U.S., designed to deliver scour and cable protection for offshore wind foundations.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through project-based contracts awarded via competitive bidding. The core go-to-market is government contracting with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and state/local port authorities for channel maintenance, capital dredging, beach nourishment, coastal protection, and inland waterway work; the company also pursues enterprise offshore energy contracts (subsea rock installation for wind farms such as Equinor's Empire Wind 1 and Ørsted's Sunrise Wind) and LNG infrastructure dredging for developers including Port Arthur LNG, Next Decade, and Woodside Energy. Geographic reach covers all U.S. coastlines and inland waterways, plus offices in the U.K., Bahrain (Middle East division), and active bid pursuits in Argentina.

The business model is capital-intensive and project-cyclical: large multi-year contracts (often nine-figure values such as the $235M Sabine-Neches Contract 6) are won through a combination of regulatory access (Jones Act compliance restricts U.S. coastwise work to domestic operators), fleet scale that no competitor matches, and a 130+ year execution track record with no completed-project failures. Following the April 2026 take-private acquisition by Saltchuk Resources for approximately $1.5 billion, GLDD continues operating as a standalone business unit within Saltchuk's portfolio of transportation, marine services, and energy distribution companies. FY2025 revenue was a record $888.3 million, with $73.5M in net income and a record $171.3M in adjusted EBITDA, against a year-end backlog of $888.1M.

Name

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company

Legal name

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, LLC

Website

https://gldd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1890

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company is the largest U.S. dredging contractor, operating ~200 specialized vessels to deliver channel deepening, port maintenance, coastal protection, and offshore wind subsea rock installation for government agencies and energy developers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Dredging and Construction Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883), Marine Cargo Handling (48832), Ship Building and Repairing (336611)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730), Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Dredging & Channel Deepening (Capital & Maintenance) (IMAFAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Port & Harbor Construction (Quays, Wharves, Berths) (IMAFAJAA), Subsea & Nearshore Civil Works (Trenching, Rock Placement, Mattressing) (IMAFAJAI), Marine Terminals & Cargo Handling Infrastructure (RoRo, Bulk, Container) (IMAFAJAF)

Keywords

• Marine dredging services
• Port channel deepening
• Coastal protection restoration
• Offshore wind subsea rock installation
• Land reclamation dredging

Headquarters

HQ city

Oak Brook

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dredging Services: Provides dredging services for channel deepening, port maintenance, coastal protection, land reclamation, and river/lake projects. Revenue derived from large-scale infrastructure contracts with government agencies and private clients. Mix of capital projects (port deepening), maintenance work, and coastal protection contracts.
2. Offshore Energy Infrastructure: Subsea rock installation services for offshore wind projects, cable protection, and seabed stabilization for renewable energy infrastructure
3. International Projects: International dredging and marine construction projects including Middle East, Latin America, and other global markets - only U.S. dredging company with significant international operations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company is the largest U.S. provider of marine dredging and construction services, executing channel deepening, port maintenance and expansion, coastal protection and beach nourishment, land reclamation, and inland waterway dredging. The company also delivers specialized offshore services—including subsea rock installation and cable protection for U.S. offshore wind developers—through its 200-vessel fleet that includes hopper, cutter suction, mechanical clamshell dredges, support vessels, and the Jones Act-compliant Acadia subsea rock installation vessel.

Product overview

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company (GLDD) operates the largest and most diverse dredging fleet in the United States with approximately 200 specialized vessels. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of marine dredging and construction services organized around six vessel/product categories: Trailing Suction Hopper Dredges (including Ellis Island, Galveston Island, Amelia Island, Liberty Island, Dodge Island, and Padre Island), Cutter Suction Dredges (Texas, Ohio, Carolina, Illinois, Alaska), Mechanical Clamshell Dredges (New York, G.L. 54, No. 58), the Acadia Subsea Rock Installation Vessel for offshore wind support, and various support vessels including tugs, workboats, and hydrographic survey vessels. These vessel capabilities are deployed through six service offerings: Channel & Port Maintenance, Channel Deepening & Port Expansion, Coastal Protection & Restoration, Land Reclamation, Rivers/Lakes/Reservoirs services, and Offshore Energy Subsea Services. The company, acquired by Saltchuk Resources in April 2026, is the only U.S. dredging contractor with significant international project history, and maintains operations across all domestic coastlines, inland waterways, and international markets including the Middle East, Latin America, and Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Land Reclamation Services Large-scale land creation through dredging and reclamation for ports, urban developments, and industrial platforms, including containment dike construction and perimeter rock revetments. Notable historical projects include the Øresund Fixed Link (220-hectare island), Durrat Al Bahrain, and Pier 400. Sold to government authorities and developers under large project contracts.
• Rivers, Lakes and Reservoirs Dredging Services Inland waterway dredging for flood control, reservoir capacity restoration, and river hydraulic improvement, including post-hurricane emergency work such as the San Jacinto River Phase 1 project (post-Hurricane Harvey) and reservoir maintenance at Lake Decatur and John Redmond. Sold to U.S. federal, state, and local government clients.
• Acadia Subsea Rock Installation Vessel Specialized Jones Act-compliant vessel for subsea rock installation and cable protection services for U.S. offshore wind farms, providing scour protection for offshore wind turbine foundations and subsea cable protection. Sold under vessel reservation agreements and project contracts to U.S. offshore wind developers such as Equinor and Ørsted.
• Trailing Suction Hopper Dredging Services (Fleet: Ellis Island, Galveston Island, Amelia Island, Liberty Island, Dodge Island, Padre Island) Self-propelled, self-loading hopper dredging services excavating and transporting seabed material to disposal sites via six purpose-built vessels. Used for channel deepening, beach nourishment, and capital dredging for port authorities and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects.
• Cutter Suction Dredging Services (Fleet: Texas, Ohio, Carolina, Illinois, Alaska) Cutter suction dredging with rotating cutter heads and pipeline discharge, certified for offshore, near-shore, and inland waterways. Sold to government and enterprise clients for large capital dredging and channel expansion projects.
• Mechanical Clamshell Dredging Services (Fleet: New York, G.L. 54, No. 58) Three of the largest mechanical clamshell dredges in the U.S., including a barge-mounted Liebherr 996 hydraulic excavator, deployed on large load line-certified spud barges for navigation improvements, maintenance dredging, demolition, pipeline excavation/burial, and slope revetment works. Sold to government and enterprise clients.
• Channel and Port Maintenance Services Maintenance dredging to maintain authorized depths in busy navigation channels and open ocean borrow areas using hopper, mechanical, and cutter suction dredges for ports, harbors, and inland navigation channels. Sold under multi-year contracts to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and port authorities.
• Channel Deepening and Port Expansion Services Capital improvement dredging for port modernization, deepening channels to accommodate larger vessels including Megamax-class ships, expanding turning basins, and executing major projects such as the Sabine-Neches, Corpus Christi, and Jacksonville deepening programs. Sold to federal agencies, port authorities, and LNG/energy developers.
• Coastal Protection and Restoration Services Beach nourishment and coastal resilience projects using offshore sand borrow areas to rebuild dunes and restore shorelines eroded by storms and sea level rise, including barrier island restoration, marsh creation, and environmental habitat enhancement. Sold to federal, state, and local agencies.
• Support Vessel Services (Tugs, Workboats, Multicats, Hydrographic Survey) Multi-purpose support vessels including tugs for towing and tending services, workboats with high-capacity knuckleboom cranes and winches for pipeline and anchor deployment, and hydrographic survey vessels equipped with multibeam systems and real-time seabed monitoring. Used in support of GLDD's dredging and offshore energy projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Won 33% of record $2.9 billion 2024 bid market
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered strategic and core.

• Dredging Environmental & Marine Engineering NV (DEME)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Partnership with Belgium-based DEME for Argentina's Paraná River dredging concession bid. Great Lakes and DEME submitted formal bid competing against Jan de Nul NV group for Milei's signature infrastructure project.
• Odyssey Marine ExplorationstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 November 2025Collaboration agreement for U.S. offshore critical mineral exploration. Great Lakes, as nation's largest dredging contractor, supports Odyssey's lease request for offshore mineral rights including titanium, zirconium, rare earth elements, and phosphate extraction using shallow-water dredging.
• Van OordcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2022Joint venture with Van Oord for Empire Wind 1 offshore wind project (810 MW). GLDD and Van Oord executing rock installation activities, mobilizing subsea rock installation vessels Nordness and Bravenes, with Acadia to perform additional work as project advances.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Weeks Marine: Weeks Marine is one of the largest U.S.-based dredging and marine construction contractors and a direct competitor on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hopper and clamshell contracts along the East Coast and Gulf. Both firms participate heavily in the same competitive bid market for port deepening projects.
• Manson Construction: Manson Construction is a U.S. dredging and marine construction contractor operating trailing suction hopper dredges, cutter suction dredges, and clamshell dredges. It directly competes with GLDD for U.S. federal channel maintenance and capital dredging awards.
• Jan De Nul: Jan De Nul is a Belgian dredging and marine construction firm with global hopper dredge and cutter suction fleet, currently competing against the GLDD-DEME consortium for Argentina's Paraná River concession. The two firms regularly compete on international capital dredging and offshore wind projects.
• DEME Group: DEME is a Belgium-based dredging, marine engineering, and offshore energy contractor and is GLDD's JV partner for the Argentina Paraná River concession bid. DEME operates one of the world's largest hopper dredge fleets alongside specialized offshore wind installation vessels, making it a direct global peer.
• Orion Group Holdings: Orion Group Holdings (formerly Orion Marine Group) is a U.S. specialty marine construction firm offering dredging, marine piling, and submarine pipeline installation services. It competes with GLDD on marine construction scopes adjacent to or overlapping with dredging projects.
• Royal Boskalis Westminster: Royal Boskalis Westminster is the world's largest dredging and marine contractor, headquartered in the Netherlands. It operates a global fleet of trailing suction hopper dredges, cutter suction dredges, and specialized offshore vessels, competing head-to-head with GLDD on international capital and maintenance dredging projects.
• Van Oord: Van Oord is a Dutch marine contractor that, together with GLDD, is currently executing rock installation on Equinor's Empire Wind 1 offshore wind project. Van Oord operates its own subsea rock installation vessels (Nordness, Bravenes) and competes directly in both dredging and offshore wind subsea services.
• Cashman Dredging & Marine Contracting: Cashman Dredging is a U.S. East Coast-based dredging and marine construction firm operating its own hopper and mechanical dredges and is a frequent competitor on USACE and port authority contracts in the same geographies as GLDD.

Broad incumbents

• Tidewater Inc. Tidewater is one of the largest offshore support vessel (OSV) operators globally with a fleet serving the oil & gas and offshore wind industries. While not a dredging peer, it operates in the adjacent marine services space relevant to GLDD's offshore energy subsea rock installation business.

Others

• Orsted (Ørsted): Ørsted is a Danish offshore wind developer and a GLDD customer (Sunrise Wind subsea rock installation). Although Ørsted is a customer rather than competitor, it is materially relevant context for understanding GLDD's offshore wind revenue dependency and trajectory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GreatLakesDD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/great-lakes-dredge-and-dock-company-llc
• Instagraminstagram.com/greatlakesdredge

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors4 records

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 Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company