Sam Lagrone of USNI News reports that Canadian shipbuilder Davie plans to acquire Gulf Copper & Manufacturing, a Texas-based shipyard with facilities in Port Arthur and Galveston, to position itself for U.S. contracts, particularly the U.S. Coast Guard’s Arctic Security Cutter program. Leveraging its icebreaking expertise and recent acquisition of Finland’s Helsinki Shipyard, Davie aims to support the trilateral ICE Pact between the U.S., Canada, and Finland. The $1 billion investment could create up to 2,000 jobs and revive complex shipbuilding on the Texas Gulf Coast. The move aligns with growing U.S. interest in building a new fleet of Arctic-ready icebreakers. Lagrone writes:
A Canadian shipbuilder intends to buy a Texas Gulf Coast shipyard to compete for U.S. business including the planned U.S. Coast Guard Arctic Security Cutter, the company announced this week.
Montreal-based Davie intends to buy Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corporation with facilities in Port Arthur and Galveston, according to a Wednesday release.In the statement, Davie highlighted the company’s icebreaking experience and opportunities for future Coast Guard work. The purchase “would also align with the U.S. Coast Guard Arctic Security Cutter program, which aims to rapidly deliver new Arctic-ready icebreakers while supporting the revitalization of U.S. shipbuilding,” reads the statement.
Davie has facilities in Canada and bought icebreaker builder Helsinki Shipyard in Finland in 2023. In March, the company won a contract to build a Polar-class icebreaker for the Canadian Coast Guard. Last year, the U.S., Canada and Finland entered into an icebreaking technology collaboration agreement.
“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,” reads a statement from Davie.
The plan would start a $1 billion refresh of the Texas facilities and could add up to 2,000 jobs in Port Arthur and Galveston, according to Davie.
“A successful deal will open a new chapter for Gulf Copper,” said CEO Steve Hale. “For the first time in decades, complex shipbuilding could return to Galveston and Port Arthur.”
Davie’s proposed purchase of the yard comes as the Trump administration has put procurement of new icebreakers high on its shipbuilding priority list. President Trump has called for up to 40 icebreakers and indicated he was open to building the ships in Finland as well as the U.S. following a meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb
“President Stubb and I look forward to strengthening the partnership between the United States and Finland, and that includes the purchase and development of a large number of badly needed icebreakers for the U.S.,” he wrote on March 29.
In April, the Coast Guard issued an international and domestic call for Arctic Security Cutter designs in April. The icebreaker needs to be able to break three feet of ice, have a range of 6,500 nautical miles at 12 knots and operate for more than 60 days. It also would have a flight deck and hangar to accommodate one HH-60 helicopter.
The pending reconciliation bill includes a total of $14.6 billion in spending for new cutters including $5.03 billion for at least three Arctic Security Cutters and an unspecified number of Great Lakes icebreakers.
The bill is currently under consideration in the Senate.
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