Davie Defense enters US market with Gulf Coast acquisition
Gulf Copper in action (Source: Davie Defense)
Davie Defense has acquired Gulf Copper & Manufacturing’s shipbuilding assets in Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas, following review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The acquisition gives Davie Defense, part of the British Inocea Group, a permanent US presence alongside its operations in Canada and Finland. The yard employs over 350 staff and operates two dry docks with berths measuring approximately 1,219m and 305m.
CEO Kai Skvarla will lead the US operation, with Gulf Copper’s CEO Steve Hale remaining as adviser. The facilities will continue ship repair and construction, including work on Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyers. Davie Defense aims to use the site to deliver five Arctic security icebreakers for the US Coast Guard, based on Finnish polar icebreaker technology. A planned investment of USD 1 billion, the “American Icebreaker Factory” will include six new assembly workshops and a dockyard built on reclaimed land, replacing four existing finger piers with two new ship elevators.
James Davies, co-founder of Inocea, said the acquisition “marks a milestone moment in the company’s development” and establishes Davie Defense as a transatlantic operator. The move positions the company as a potential builder of three of the seven icebreakers planned for US yards under the US–Canada-Finland icebreaker programme.
