Highwater
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersBethesda, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
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.
Highwater firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Highwater industry classification
Industry- 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
Where Highwater is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bethesda
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Highwater business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- 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
Highwater product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use Highwater
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Highwater technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Highwater partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Eptec DefencecorePortfolio 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 UnitedcoreAcquired 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.)flagshipFormer 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
Highwater competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
Highwater social profiles
Digital presenceHighwater financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Highwater leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Highwater subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Highwater funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Highwater M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Highwater
What does Highwater do?
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.
Is Highwater a public or private company?
Highwater is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Highwater founded?
Highwater was founded in 1997. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Highwater based?
Highwater is headquartered in Bethesda, United States, in the North America region.
How does Highwater make money?
One revenue line is on record: naval Fleet Maintenance Services.
Who are Highwater's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Babcock International, Austal, Pacific Shipyards International, General Dynamics NASSCO, Continental Maritime of San Diego, Epsilon Systems Solutions and Vigor Industrial. Broad incumbents are Thales, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and BAE Systems.
Does Highwater have an API?
No public API is recorded for Highwater.
What industry is Highwater in?
Highwater's product category is Naval Fleet Maintenance and Preservation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAJAFAJ, Underwater Inspection, Maintenance & Repair (UWILD, Diving/ROV, In-water Cleaning). Its NAICS code is 336611 and its SIC code is 3730.