Heddle Shipyards

What Heddle Shipyards does

Heddle Shipyards, operating under the legal name Ontario Shipyards, is the largest ship repair and construction company on the Canadian Great Lakes. Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Hamilton, Ontario, the company is 100% Canadian-owned and operates three shipyards across Hamilton, Port Weller (St. Catharines), and Thunder Bay, totaling 316,000 m2 of shipyard area, 26,000 m2 of fabrication shops, and 1,300 m of service quays. Its facilities have built and launched Seawaymax-class vessels (225.55 m x 23.77 m), the largest vessels that can transit the St. Lawrence Seaway.

The company's core offerings are organized into three service lines: Vessel Life Cycle Services (new builds, ship repair, maintenance, overhauls, conversions, and vessel recycling), Industrial Fabrication Services (offshore, marine construction, and civil infrastructure), and Project Support Services (terminal operations and outfitting). Since 2012, it has executed more than 100 dry-docking and alongside refit projects on Canadian Coast Guard vessels and is a partner in Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy. In 2023, the company formed the Team Vigilance consortium with Vard Marine, Thales Canada, SH Defence, and Fincantieri at CANSEC 2023 to compete for the Vigilance Class Offshore Patrol Vessel under the Canadian Multi-Mission Corvette program.

Revenue is generated exclusively through project-based contracts negotiated primarily via federal government procurement with the Canadian Coast Guard and Department of National Defence. There is no publicly disclosed pricing; the company sells through direct enterprise sales into government procurement channels and serves no disclosed commercial shipping or offshore customer base. Leadership is held by President and CEO Shaun Padulo, and the company employs between 251 and 500 people across its Ontario operations.

Name

Heddle Shipyards

Legal name

Ontario Shipyards

Website

https://heddleshipyards.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Heddle Shipyards is a 100% Canadian-owned, private shipbuilder operating three Great Lakes shipyards that delivers vessel new builds, repair, refit, industrial fabrication, and naval defense construction primarily to the Canadian Coast Guard and Government of Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Shipbuilding and Ship Repair

NAICS

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

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Dry Docks & Floating Docks (Graving, Floating, Syncrolift) (IMAJALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Commercial Ship Repair & Drydocking (TLAKAKAA), Yard Layout & Production Facilities (Assembly Bays, Block Fabrication Shops, Warehouses) (IMAJALAG), Quay & Waterfront Civil Works (Piers, Quays, Seawalls, Dredging, Revetments) (IMAJALAF)

Keywords

• Shipbuilding services
• Ship repair maintenance
• Vessel construction
• Industrial marine fabrication
• Naval vessel building

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamilton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Vessel Life Cycle Services: Comprehensive vessel services including new builds, ship repair, maintenance, overhauls, conversions, and vessel recycling. Revenue generated through project-based contracts with government and commercial clients.
2. Industrial Fabrication Services: Fabrication services for offshore, marine construction, and civil infrastructure projects. Generates revenue through contracted fabrication and construction projects.
3. Project Support Services: Terminal operations and outfitting services supporting vessel projects. Revenue from service contracts and project-based engagements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Heddle Shipyards (operating as Ontario Shipyards) operates three shipyards on the Canadian Great Lakes providing vessel life cycle services including new builds, ship repair, maintenance, overhauls, conversions, and vessel recycling. The company also delivers heavy industrial fabrication services for offshore, marine construction, and civil infrastructure projects, plus terminal operations and outfitting support. Its facilities have the capacity to build and launch full Seawaymax-class vessels measuring 225.55 meters by 23.77 meters.

Product overview

Ontario Shipyards operates as a shipbuilding and repair company offering vessel life cycle services (new builds, repair, maintenance, overhauls, conversions, vessel recycling), industrial fabrication services (offshore, marine construction, civil infrastructure), and project support services (terminal operations, outfitting). The company is also involved in the Team Vigilance initiative for naval vessel construction, specifically developing the Vigilance Class Offshore Patrol Vessel as part of Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy. The company operates three shipyard facilities with capacity to build Seawaymax-class vessels (225.55m x 23.77m).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 dry-docking and alongside refit projects completed on Canadian Coast Guard vessels since 2012

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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.

• Vard MarinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023VARD Marine is a key partner in Team Vigilance, the consortium developing Canada's next-generation Multi-Mission Corvette. VARD brings naval architecture and ship design expertise to the partnership for the Vigilance Class Offshore Patrol Vessel program.
• Thales CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Thales Canada participates in Team Vigilance, providing systems integration and technology capabilities for the Canadian Multi-Mission Corvette program. The partnership combines Thales's defense technology expertise with Ontario Shipyards' construction capabilities.
• SH DefencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023SH Defence is a member of Team Vigilance, collaborating on the development and construction of Canada's next-generation naval vessels. The partnership leverages international defense industry expertise for the Canadian naval program.
• FincantiericoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Fincantieri is a key partner in Team Vigilance, contributing shipbuilding expertise and technology to the Canadian Multi-Mission Corvette program. The partnership combines international naval construction experience with Ontario Shipyards' domestic capabilities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bollinger Shipyards: U.S.-based shipbuilder specializing in coastal and inland vessels for the U.S. Coast Guard, Army, and commercial operators. Directly comparable in focus on small-to-medium government and commercial vessels and dry-dock repair work.
• Vard Marine: Canada-based naval architecture and ship design firm (part of Fincantieri) and Team Vigilance partner. Comparable through its involvement in the Canadian Multi-Mission Corvette program and ship design services for similar vessel classes.
• Irving Shipbuilding: Halifax Shipyard operator and National Shipbuilding Strategy partner, currently building the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels and selected for the Canadian Surface Combatant program. Direct competitor for large federal naval contracts.
• Seaspan Shipyards (Vancouver Shipyards): West Coast National Shipbuilding Strategy partner building non-combat vessels including the Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel and Polar Icebreaker. Directly comparable as a federally designated Canadian shipyard competing for the same pool of government work.
• Davie Shipbuilding: Major Canadian shipyard and National Shipbuilding Strategy partner based in Lévis, Quebec. Competes directly with Ontario Shipyards for federal vessel construction, repair, and refit contracts, particularly for Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy programs.
• Eastern Shipbuilding Group: Florida-based U.S. shipbuilder constructing vessels for the U.S. Coast Guard, Army, and commercial operators. Comparable in size, customer mix (government-led), and focus on small-to-medium naval and commercial vessels.

Others

• Thales Canada: Defense technology integrator and Team Vigilance partner providing systems integration for the Canadian Multi-Mission Corvette program. Not a direct competitor but a strategic consortium partner with deep overlap on the same federal defense procurement opportunity.

Broad incumbents

• Damen Shipyards: Dutch global shipbuilder with a broad portfolio including naval, offshore, and workboat vessels. Comparable as a broader incumbent that competes for naval patrol vessel and refit contracts in international markets relevant to Ontario Shipyards' Team Vigilance ambitions.
• Fincantieri: One of the world's largest shipbuilders and a Team Vigilance partner alongside Ontario Shipyards. While a global incumbent, it is explicitly comparable through its partnership role in the Canadian Multi-Mission Corvette program and its commercial naval construction expertise.
• General Dynamics NASSCO: U.S. shipyard building auxiliary and support ships for the U.S. Navy and commercial tankers. Comparable as a broader incumbent offering shipbuilding, ship repair, and overhaul services, though operating at a larger scale than Ontario Shipyards.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/HShipyards
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@OntarioShipyards
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/8307609
• Instagraminstagram.com/heddleshipyards

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Heddle Shipyards