Gunderson Marine & Iron

Name

Gunderson Marine & Iron

Legal name

Gunderson Marine LLC

Website

https://giwx.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Shipbuilding and Marine Fabrication

NAICS

Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Boat Building (336612)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Harbor & Terminal Tugs (ASD/Voith, Escort Tugs) (IMAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dredging Support & Utility Workboats (Dredge Tenders, Barges, Utility Boats) (IMAJADAJ), Specialized Cargo Vessels (Cement/Asphalt/Woodchip/Live-Animal) Shipbuilding (IMAJAAAL)

Keywords

• Marine vessel construction
• Shipbuilding services
• Complex steel fabrication
• Barge construction
• Marine repair services

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marine Vessel Construction: Custom shipbuilding and vessel construction services including tugs, barges, and ocean-going vessels built to client specifications. Revenue is project-based, generated through fixed-price contracts for vessel construction with delivery milestones.
2. Complex Fabrication: Fabrication of bridges, offshore energy structures, hydro-electric power components, and complex building structures. Project-based contracts typically involving multi-month fabrication projects with engineering, manufacturing, and delivery components.
3. Dry Dock and Marine Services: Construction of dry docks and specialized marine infrastructure for defense and commercial applications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gunderson Marine & Iron designs, engineers, fabricates, and launches custom marine vessels and complex steel structures from its 58-acre deep-water shipyard in Portland, Oregon. Core deliverables include Jones Act compliant barges, tugboats, articulated tug barges (ATBs), ferries, defense vessels, dry docks, and large-scale steel fabrication for bridges, offshore energy platforms, and hydro-electric infrastructure.

Product overview

Gunderson Marine & Iron is a deep-water shipyard offering a portfolio of marine vessels and complex fabrication services. The company operates the largest side-launch shipyard on the West Coast and builds various Jones Act compliant vessels including barges (deck, cargo, dump, fuel, liquid refined product, split-hull, hopper), articulated tug barges (ATBs), tugboats, and dry docks. The company also provides complex fabrication for infrastructure including bridges and offshore energy platforms. Supporting services include steel fabrication, burning and forming, laser cutting, and a paid training program for developing skilled welders and shipbuilders. The Vessels & Barges product line forms the core marine offering, Complex Fabrication addresses infrastructure and energy sector needs, and the Training Center develops the workforce pipeline for these services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Marine Vessel Construction Custom shipbuilding of ocean-going ships, tugboats, deck barges, dump scows, fuel barges, and specialized barge configurations. Projects are contracted on a build-to-spec basis for enterprise maritime customers.
• Jones Act Compliant Vessels (including ATBs) Articulated tug barges (ATBs) and other U.S.-built, U.S.-owned, and U.S.-crewed vessels built to Jones Act standards for coastwise trade. Built at the largest side-launch shipyard on the West Coast.
• Liquid Refined Product Barges State-of-the-art liquid refined product barges built for inland operations on the Columbia Snake River System. Each barge measures 272 feet long, 42 feet wide, 18 feet 6 inches deep, with 20,000 barrel capacity and OPA 90 compliant design.
• McMurdo Docking Barge Docking barge constructed for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the U.S. Antarctic Program. Features a raked hull designed to ride atop sea ice and engineered for extreme Antarctic conditions, providing reliable mooring infrastructure.
• U.S. Navy Mobile Ship Target (MST) Target vessel designed and built for the U.S. Navy to support training exercises and operational readiness, used as a target for missile testing and training purposes.
• Dry Docks Custom dry dock construction for defense and commercial applications, including the PISHA Dry Dock designed for moving 4,500-ton pre-cast units at the Pearl Harbor graving dock.
• Tugboat Construction (Rapport 2500 and Heather) Custom tugboat hull construction including the Rapport 2500 Ship Handling Tug (82 feet, twin 7000HP engines, 100-ton bollard pull, 12 knots) and the Heather tugboat for Diversified Marine / Shaver Transportation.
• Complex Steel Fabrication Specialized fabrication services for offshore energy platforms, bridges, hydro-electric power infrastructure, and wind platforms for clean energy generation. Project-based contracts for public and private infrastructure clients.
• Bridge Steel Components Fabricated bridge girders and support steel for state DOT infrastructure projects, including over 4.5 million pounds of steel supplied for the Abernathy Bridge expansion.
• GM&I Training Center Paid workforce training program offering hands-on instruction in metals fitting and welding techniques (FCAW, SAW, SMAW) with industrial safety training, preparing participants for careers as welders and shipbuilders.
• Marine Launch Services Sideways launch capabilities from the longest sideways launch facilities on the West Coast, supporting vessels up to 750 feet long with unlimited width, backed by a 1,200-foot outfitting dock and two 200-ton whirly cranes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Launching capabilities for vessels with unlimited width and up to 750 feet long
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and major.

• Tidewater Transportation and TerminalscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025Tidewater, the leading inland tug and barge company west of the Mississippi River, contracted Gunderson Marine to build four state-of-the-art liquid refined product barges (272 feet, 20,000 barrel capacity). Strategic partnership for fleet modernization with deliveries scheduled through February 2027. Tidewater operates five terminals along the Columbia Snake River System.
• TradeWinds Towing LLCsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025TradeWinds Towing LLC towed the McMurdo Docking Pier 9,159 nautical miles over 69 days across the Pacific Ocean and Southern Ocean to Antarctica, including route adjustments to avoid weather systems and seas up to 30 feet.
• Lynden/Aloha Marine LinesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024Longstanding partnership for construction of cargo deck barges for Alaska freight operations. Gunderson constructed and launched Makani Loa deck cargo barge and continues building vessels including Cordova Provider II for Lynden's freight operations.
• Diversified Marine / Shaver TransportationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Construction of tugboat hulls for Portland-based maritime company. Built the 'Heather' tugboat and Rapport 2500 Ship Handling Tug (82 feet, twin 7000HP engines, 100-ton bollard pull) for final outfitting by Diversified Marine.
• GlostensupportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Engineering design firm partnered with Gunderson Marine for the McMurdo Docking Barge project. Glosten provided the design for the raked hull vessel engineered to withstand extreme Antarctic conditions.
• Advanced American ConstructionsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Related company under Dee Burch's leadership. Created the Schweiger Memorial Scholarship Fund that has provided over $1M in scholarships for civil and mechanical engineering students at local universities and community colleges.
• U.S. Army Corps of EngineerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Federal agency contracted Gunderson Marine to design and construct the McMurdo Docking Barge for Antarctica research station. The 6,000-mile journey to McMurdo Station represents a major defense/infrastructure project. Gunderson designed the vessel with Glosten; TradeWinds Towing handled transport.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Eastern Shipbuilding Group: Panama City, Florida shipyard building Jones Act commercial vessels, patrol boats, and government/defense craft. Comparable mid-sized shipbuilder with overlapping Jones Act vessel portfolio and federal contract exposure.
• Conrad Industries: Louisiana-based shipbuilder producing tugboats, barges, and Jones Act vessels for the inland and offshore markets. Highly comparable product set to Gunderson with similar customer base of commercial maritime operators.
• Vigor Industrial: Portland, Oregon-based shipyard and complex fabrication company with overlapping capabilities in vessel construction, repair, and large steel fabrication. Closest geographic and product-line competitor to Gunderson on the West Coast, operating similar Jones Act vessel and government/defense work.
• Bollinger Shipyards: Lockport, Louisiana-based shipyard specializing in Jones Act vessels including tugs, barges, ATBs, and government patrol craft. Comparable in scope, product mix, and reliance on Jones Act and government/defense customers.
• Austal USA: Mobile, Alabama-based shipbuilder producing Jones Act commercial and defense vessels (aluminum and steel). Comparable capability set for government and high-speed vessel contracts, though larger scale than Gunderson.
• Bay Ship & Yacht: Alameda, California shipyard operating on the U.S. West Coast with vessel construction, repair, and complex steel fabrication capabilities. Closely comparable West Coast peer with similar Jones Act and infrastructure fabrication focus.
• Halter Marine: U.S. shipbuilder with strong tugboat and barge construction capabilities serving Jones Act and government markets. Directly comparable to Gunderson's tug and barge product lines with similar customer mix of inland waterway operators and federal agencies.

Broad incumbents

• Huntington Ingalls Industries: Largest U.S. military shipbuilder with shipyards across the country producing Navy combatants and auxiliary vessels. Operates in adjacent shipbuilding space but at vastly larger scale and primarily defense-focused.
• General Dynamics NASSCO: San Diego-based shipyard (division of General Dynamics) constructing U.S. Navy auxiliary ships and commercial tankers/barges. Larger, broader shipbuilder with overlapping Jones Act vessel and government/defense work.
• Fincantieri Marine Group: U.S. arm of Italian shipbuilding giant Fincantieri, operating shipyards producing commercial and government vessels. Broader portfolio and larger scale than Gunderson, but overlapping in U.S. shipbuilding and Jones Act-eligible work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Gunderson Marine & Iron