Davie moves to acquire Gulf Copper’s Galveston and Port Arthur shipyards

Could icebreakers like the Davie Polar Max soon get a "Made in Texas" label?

Canada’s Davie Shipbuilding, today announced its intention to acquire shipbuilding assets in Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas, from Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corporation. The transaction is still subject to financial, legal, and regulatory closing conditions, as well as land lease negotiations with the Galveston Wharves Board of Trustees, but, when these complete, Davie expects to finalize the acquisition in summer 2025.

Once the transaction is complete and contracts are secured, Davie plans to invest $1 billion to upgrade and expand capacity in Galveston and Port Arthur. It says the project could generate approximately 4,000 American jobs—around 2,000 directly at Gulf Copper and 2,000 more throughout the supply chain.

To ensure the rapid closure of the transaction, Davie is working closely with organizations and stakeholders in Galveston and Port Arthur, as well as the State of Texas. The deal has also received strong support in Washington, D.C.

James Davies, president and CEO of Davie, said: “We share a vision with Gulf Copper to make Texas a world-class hub for American icebreaker and complex ship production,” said president and CEO James Davies. “Texas is ready to lead a new Golden Age of American shipbuilding—backed by our commitment to delivering ships on time, on budget, and in service of national security priorities.”

“A successful deal will open a new chapter for Gulf Copper,” said Gulf Copper CEO Steve Hale. “For the first time in decades, complex shipbuilding could return to Galveston and Port Arthur—this time backed by one of the world’s fastest-growing specialized shipbuilders. Davie brings a bold vision: to make Texas the cornerstone of their U.S. expansion. That means opportunity for our employees, our partners, and our communities.”

Davie says the planned acquisition would fulfill the commitment it made in July 2024 to explore a permanent presence in the U.S. It would support national priorities such as the U.S. Maritime Action Plan and the Ships for America Act. It would also align with the U.S. Coast Guard Arctic Security Cutter (ASC) program, which aims to rapidly deliver new Arctic-ready icebreakers while supporting the revitalization of U.S. shipbuilding.

Davie already has operations in Québec and Helsinki, Finland, where its Helsinki Shipyard has built around 50% of the world’s icebreaker fleet. Adding an American shipyard would make Davie uniquely positioned in the trilateral Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE Pact) to deliver advanced icebreakers at speed, scale, and competitive cost—countering adversaries’ heavily subsidized programs — Russia operates a fleet of nearly 50 Arctic-ready icebreakers.

With only three Arctic-ready icebreakers currently in service, the U.S. government has made closing this urgent national security gap a top priority.

Davie notes that it possesses commercially viable, production-ready icebreaker designs that meet U.S. mission requirements, providing faster delivery and greater cost efficiency for American taxpayers.

Founded in 1825, Davie is part of the Inocea Group, a privately owned international marine industrial group with operations in Canada and Finland. Davie is Canada’s largest and most flexible shipbuilder and a key partner in the country’s National Shipbuilding Strategy. In Finland, Helsinki Shipyard is a global leader in icebreaker and ice-class vessel construction.

Gulf Copper & Manufacturing has been serving the marine and offshore industries for over 75 years. The company delivers high-quality ship repair, offshore services, and marine infrastructure solutions, supporting the oil and gas, marine transportation, petrochemical, and government sectors through its strategically located shipyards, dry docks, and fabrication facilities across the Gulf Coast.T