Gulf Copper News

Sabine Surveyors, Ltd. has announced organizational changes aimed at strengthening its position in the marine services industry. Effective December 1, 2025, our parent company has transitioned from Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corp. to Sabine Marine Group.In addition, Gulf Copper Government Services has officially become Sabine Ship Repair, Inc., aligning our operations under a unified brand that reflects our core values and strategic vision.As part of this transition, we are proud…

Davie Defense Inc. gives a first glimpse today of the “American Icebreaker Factory” – a planned $1 billion transformation of the historic Gulf Copper shipyard in Galveston, Texas.The American Icebreaker Factory concept was created in collaboration with Florida-based Pearlson, which has led major projects for leading American shipbuilders, including BAE Systems, Austal USA and Fincantieri Marinette.The American Icebreaker Factory project embodies the Trump Administration’s priorities…

The military and Coast Guard budgets are established that will benefit the U.S. ship building and repair sector, but what will stimulate the commercial yards?This author has been scratching his head of late, after a thrilling dive into July’s U.S. Big Beautiful Bill Act, and has asked several colleagues where the funding for support commercial shipbuilding can be found? To answer that, we need to look elsewhere and to future programs.Setting the SceneMany column inches have been dedicated to the decline U.S. shipbuilding, whether signaled by the relatively small presence of a U.S.

President Donald Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' earmarks more than $8.6 billion to increase the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker fleet in the Arctic, where Washington hopes to counter rising Russian and Chinese dominance.The funding includes $4.3 billion for up to three new heavy Coast Guard Polar Security Cutters, $3.5 billion for medium Arctic Security Cutters, and $816 million for procurement of additional light and medium icebreaking cutters.President Trump has been pushing to revive U.S. shipbuilding to counter China's growing strength in maritime manufacturing and naval dominance.

Davie, a leader in icebreaker and specialized vessel construction, announced plans to acquire shipbuilding assets in Galveston and Port Arthur from Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corporation — marking a major step toward revitalizing large-scale shipbuilding of icebreakers in the United States. The move underscores growing momentum behind domestic production of ice-capable vessels and aligns with U.S. maritime security and industrial revitalization goals.The deal, expected to close in summer 2025…

One of the most powerful heavy-lift vessels ever built is entering a new chapter under U.S. ownership, reconditioned for major offshore work in the Gulf of America. Renamed the TX-10000, this twin-gantry catamaran is at the center of Xenos Marine's mission to expand domestic heavy-lift and decommissioning capabilities, following a major refit at Gulf Copper Ship Repair. The TX-10000, previously known as the VB-10000, has a storied history.Originally commissioned in 2010 by Versabar as a next-generation evolution of the pioneering Bottom Feeder…

Xenos Marine recently acquired the VB-10,000 Heavy Lift Vessel which is currently in dry dock in Galveston, Texas. The asset will be renamed TX-10,000 at a christening ceremony in Galveston on March 23, 2025. TX-10,000 is the largest US Flagged and Jones Act compliant Heavy Lift Vessel; a twin-gantry catamaran heavy lift vessel with a 7,500-tonlifting capacity. It is currently undergoing maintenance at the Gulf Copper Shipyard in Galveston, Texas, preparing for her next working season in the Gulf of America.

Gulf Copper and Manufacturing Corporation has appointed Jonathan Whitworth as a member to its board of directors.Whitworth, a graduate of Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG), brings his extensive working history and experience back to Texas. He holds an MBA in Finance with a focus on marine business and currently serves as vice chairman of the TAMUG Board of Visitors.“I feel very fortunate to have retired and moved back to Galveston Island, a city which has a rich maritime history and a place with great memories for both me and my wife,” said Whitworth.

Gulf Copper and Manufacturing has been awarded a firm-fixed contract for a value is $7.49 million, including options, from Military Sealift Command for the mid-term availability repair on the hospital ship USNS Comfort.The work will be performed pier side in Norfolk, Va. commencing in February 2021.USNS Comfort (T-AH-20) is an 894-foot U.S. Navy Mercy class hospital ship used to provide on-site emergency and medical care for American combat forces as well as for disaster and humanitarian relief efforts.

American shipyards form an important economic engine, supporting nearly 400,000 jobs, $25.1 billion of labor income and $37.3 billion in gross domestic product (GDP), according to figures from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD).It’s a good thing, then, that U.S. shipyards were deemed essential businesses amid COVID-19 and have remained up and running throughout the pandemic. And it’s even better that most yards have been able to keep their workers employed despite less than stable market conditions…

Texas-based Gulf Copper and Manufacturing said it has been awarded a $3.9 million dry docking and refurbishment of the NOAA research vessel Henry B. Bigelow. The work will be performed at Gulf Copper's Galveston yard.Commissioned in 2007 and homeported in Newport, R.I., Henry B. Bigelow is a fisheries survey vessel that studies a wide range of marine life and ocean conditions along the U.S. East Coast, primarily from Maine to North Carolina. The ship's main mission is to study and monitor fish stocks…

Ship repair and marine services firm Gulf Copper & Manufacturing has hired Robert “Bob” Irelan as Director, Federal Business Development.In his new role, Irelan will leverage his experience doing business with the federal government to head up Gulf Copper's government services business development, focusing primarily on the federal market. Ireland previously served as a Naval Officer for over 25 years, including the command of three different U.S. Navy vessels. He brings a broad experience of federal government contracting together with the Navy’s maintenance planning…

More than $20 million in grant funding has been awarded to support capital improvement projects at 29 small shipyards in 22 states across the U.S.The funding, awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) Small Shipyard Grant Program, supports capital improvements that foster increased efficiency and economic growth.“These grants are an investment in our country’s small shipyards and will help create good jobs for America’s workers,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L.

Offshore Inland Marine & Oilfield Services, Inc. (OIMO), a company in topside and riding crew repair services, announced the appointment of a new executive to the company’s leadership team – Nick Fuller, Director, Business Development. In this role, Fuller will be leading the sales and marketing teams to create growth and sustainability to OIMO and reporting to Jack Berglund, Sr. VP Commercial. He will also hold a contributing role on the senior management team. Fuller brings…

Gulf Copper Vice President and USMMA grad (’71) Dennis Buffo has more than four decades of maritime experience. Here he shares 40+ years in five minutes with Maritime Reporter. Can you tell us a bit about your background. I graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 1971 and began work at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard. Over the next  44 years in the Marine business I was employed both for large  vessel operators as Engineering Manager and VP, and as VP-Operations of several Shipyards in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. I have seen both sides of the business.

Gulf Copper’s Port Arthur facility earlier this year completed a unique 10-month project to build the three massive buoys for SOFEC, buoys which will be used to offload liquid product such as diesel or gasoline in places lacking deepwater ports. In total Gulf Copper received two separate contracts to build a total of five CALM buoys (3 and 2), for SOFEC. The order is of particular interest from the yard’s view as it is a new line of business for the company. The massive buoys pictured here are Catenary Anchor Leg Mooring System…

On January 18 Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corp. completed the refurbishment and re-naming of its newest dry dock, the Mr. Morris. "This dry dock gives us access to a market that has not been served recently in Port Arthur," said Steve Hale, CEO, Gulf Copper & Manufacturing. Now in service, the Mr. Morris adds a valuable asset to Gulf Copper's dry dock capabilities, enabling the ship repair yard to accommodate a range of larger vessels in its Port Arthur South Yard. After a recent naming ceremony…

Gulf Copper Ship Repair*, Corpus Christi, Texas (N55236-10-D-0001); JCI Metal Products, Inc.*, Lemon Grove, Calif. (N55236-10-D-0002); Marine and Restaurant Fabricators*, San Diego, Calif. (N55236-10-D-0006); Miller Marine, Inc., National City, Calif. (N55236-10-D-0003); Pacific Ship Repair and Fabrication, Inc.*, San Diego, Calif. (N55236-10-D-0004); and Tecnico Corporation*, Chesapeake, Va. (N55236-10-D-0005), are each being awarded an firm-fixed-price  multiple award five-year term contract. The total maximum ceiling amount value for all six contracts combined is $202,000,000. Contract will provide for sheet metal repair and fabrication services onboard Navy ships and other government vessels within a 50-mile radius of San Diego, Calif.

The Department of Transportation has announced 70 grants totaling $98m in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds that will be used to improve small shipyards throughout the United States. The funds, awarded through the Maritime Administration’s Assistance to Small Shipyards program, will help create and preserve jobs, provide valuable employment training and make much needed improvements to shipyards across the country. The Small Shipyards Grant program provides up to 75 percent in ARRA funds for a project and requires the remainder be matched by the shipyard. A detailed list of the grantees is as follows. •    Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Inc.,  Philadelphia, PA: $2,312,614, for the first year of training program.

Gulf Copper has been awarded a contract for the modification of ENSCO 83, a jackup rig owned by a subsidiary of Ensco International (NYSE:ESV). The fifth Ensco rig to enter Gulf Copper’s Galveston shipyard since Hurricane Ike, the ENSCO 83 is undergoing upgrades and refurbishment before it mobilizes from the U.S. Gulf of Mexico to work for PEMEX in Mexico. “Ensco International has played a major role in the post‐Ike restoration of the Galveston economy,” stated Steve Hale, President of Gulf Copper.

Overloaded dry docks are not a pretty picture. They crack, buckle, flood, sink, damage the ships they are trying to lift - and sometimes even cause accidental deaths. Dry dock accidents are not common, but they do happen, usually resulting in dramatic photographs and disastrous physical and financial consequences. With past docking failures in mind, prudent dry dock operators strive to avoid overloading, normally through a set of manual calculations, but in certain cases through more sophisticated methods. A case in point is the AFDL-23 ADEPT, a rigid, one-piece, welded steel, floating dry dock that was built during WWII. Throughout the last 50 years…