Highwater

What Highwater does

Highwater is a naval services company founded in 1997 that provides preservation, repair, maintenance, and sustainment services to naval fleets. The company was relaunched in July 2026 as a consolidated platform combining Eptec Defence and AMP United, and is backed by Arlington Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on defense and government services. Highwater operates with 600+ employees across six strategic locations: Bethesda, Maryland (corporate headquarters); Norfolk, San Diego, and Honolulu on the U.S. side; and Sydney, Adelaide, and Perth on the Australian side. This footprint is deliberately aligned with major U.S. and Royal Australian Navy bases, shipyards, and the AUKUS trilateral security framework.

The company serves a concentrated customer base that includes the U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Navy as primary end customers, plus a roster of major naval shipbuilders and defense primes that channel sustainment work, including ASC, Babcock, Newport News Shipbuilding, BAE Systems, Austal, HII, Thales, Civmec, General Dynamics NASSCO, Vigor, and Norsta. Highwater's service model is built around long-term sustainment contracts and a cleared, specialized industrial workforce capable of executing work inside active shipyard environments. The board includes retired Vice Admiral William Galinis (USN), signaling alignment with senior U.S. Navy leadership priorities.

Highwater generates revenue through contracted maintenance, preservation, repair, and sustainment services billed primarily to allied-government defense customers and to tier-one shipbuilders. The business model relies on multi-year program contracts, security clearances, and physical presence at naval ports. With operations on both sides of the Pacific and a presence in multiple AUKUS-relevant geographies, the platform is positioned as a trans-Pacific naval sustainment provider.

Name

Highwater

Legal name

Highwater

Website

https://highwater.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Highwater is a naval services company providing preservation, repair, maintenance, and sustainment services to the U.S. Navy, Royal Australian Navy, and major naval primes, operating across six locations in the U.S. and Australia with 600+ employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Naval Fleet Maintenance and Preservation Services

NAICS

Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Underwater Inspection, Maintenance & Repair (UWILD, Diving/ROV, In-water Cleaning) (IMAJAFAJ)

Keywords

• Naval preservation services
• Blast and coat
• Corrosion mitigation
• Submarine maintenance
• Fleet sustainment

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethesda

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Naval Fleet Maintenance Services: Professional services revenue from vessel preservation, repair, blast and coat, corrosion mitigation, structural services, scaffolding, and containment services for naval fleets. Long-term maintenance contracts with government defense customers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Highwater is a naval services company that delivers vessel preservation, repair, maintenance, and sustainment services for U.S., Australian, and allied naval fleets. Its six core capabilities are Marine Preservation (blast and protective coating), Corrosion Mitigation, Structural Services, Scaffolding, Staging and Containment, and Submarine SHT Tile installation and repair. Services are performed by more than 600 employees across operations in the United States and Australia under long-term defense contracts.

Product overview

Highwater is a naval services platform providing vessel preservation, repair, and specialist services for U.S., Australian, and allied naval fleets. The platform operates as a unified parent company over two acquired/portfolio companies: Eptec Defence and AMP United. Core services include Marine Preservation (blast, paint, and protective coatings), Corrosion Mitigation, Structural Services, Scaffolding, Staging & Containment, and Submarine SHT Tiles. Services are delivered by more than 600 employees across locations in Norfolk, San Diego, Honolulu, Sydney, Adelaide, and Perth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marine Preservation (Blast and Coat)

Quantifiable outcome

• Fleet readiness improvement through comprehensive preservation programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 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

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Eptec DefencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortfolio company of Arlington Capital Partners that was combined with AMP United to form Highwater. Serves as a subsidiary/global parent entity of Highwater focused on naval preservation services.
• AMP UnitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired by Arlington Capital Partners and combined with Eptec Defence to form Highwater. Serves as a subsidiary/global parent entity of Highwater focused on naval preservation services.
• Vice Admiral William Galinis (Ret.)flagshipOthersFormer commander of Naval Sea Systems Command appointed to Highwater's board as part of the launch. Provides strategic guidance and defense industry expertise to the platform.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Babcock International: U.K.-headquartered defense and naval services company with Australian operations supporting the Royal Australian Navy, providing similar preservation, sustainment, and integrated support services.
• Austal: Australian-headquartered naval shipbuilder and sustainment provider operating in Henderson, WA — directly supporting the Royal Australian Navy with vessel preservation and maintenance services overlapping Highwater's Australian footprint.
• Pacific Shipyards International: Honolulu-based ship repair and conversion yard serving the U.S. Pacific Fleet, providing competing naval preservation, structural, and maintenance services in Highwater's Pacific theater.
• General Dynamics NASSCO: Shipbuilder and repair operator on the U.S. West Coast that performs naval preservation, structural, and coating services, overlapping with Highwater's portfolio across surface combatants and auxiliaries.
• Continental Maritime of San Diego: San Diego-based naval ship repair yard providing preservation, blasting, and coating services to the U.S. Pacific Fleet — operating in the same San Diego harbor as Highwater's West Coast operations.
• Epsilon Systems Solutions: U.S. defense services firm providing marine preservation, coating, structural, and sustainment services to the U.S. Navy and allied fleets — a directly comparable specialized peer.
• Vigor Industrial: U.S. ship repair, MRO, and marine industrial services provider operating multiple yards on both coasts, directly competing with Highwater in naval preservation, blasting, and coating work.

Broad incumbents

• Thales: Global defense prime with Australian naval sustainment operations, including sonar and combat systems integration support that pulls through preservation and MRO work for allied naval customers.
• Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII): Largest U.S. military shipbuilder with extensive MRO and preservation capabilities across Newport News and Ingalls Shipbuilding — both a customer of Highwater and a competing provider of naval preservation services.
• BAE Systems: Global defense prime with significant U.S. and Australian naval ship repair and modernization operations, directly competing for allied naval preservation and sustainment work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/highwater-defense

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 Highwater