Highwater and Taylor Bros Unite to Advance Australia's Sovereign Naval Capability

Bringing together Australia's leading marine preservation, engineering, outfitting, and habitability specialists

HOBART, Australia & PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Highwater, a leading provider of naval services to the U.S., Australian, and Allied navies, today announced the acquisition of Taylor Bros Marine Pty Ltd (“Taylor Bros” or the “Company”), the leading naval outfitting and habitability company in Australia. Highwater is a portfolio company of Arlington Capital Partners, a Washington, D.C.-area private investment firm specializing in defense and government-regulated industries. Taylor Bros' leadership team will continue to lead the Company, and the Taylor family will become shareholders in Highwater. This transaction follows Highwater’s acquisition of Eptec Defence, the leading Australian provider of naval preservation services, and AMP United, a U.S.-based provider of naval preservation and repair services.

Based in Hobart, Tasmania, Taylor Bros is a fourth-generation family-owned business that provides end-to-end design, engineering, prefabrication, and installation for complex marine habitability modules across Australia. This Friday, the Company celebrates 90 years of serving Australian shipbuilders and defense primes. The addition of Taylor Bros’ engineering and marine outfitting expertise to Highwater’s preservation capabilities further cements the company’s standing as a leading global partner for the U.S., Australian, and Allied navies.

“Taylor Bros has built an exceptional reputation over four generations. We are excited to invest in that legacy,” said Steve Zogas, CEO of Highwater. “Together, Taylor Bros and Highwater create a leading Australian provider of sovereign naval sustainment capabilities, combining marine preservation, engineering, outfitting, and habitability expertise. This expands our ability to support customers across the full naval lifecycle while accelerating delivery and improving program execution. With over 700 employees across Australia and the U.S., Highwater will continue investing in our people, capabilities, and infrastructure to support the growing requirements of our customers throughout the Indo-Pacific.”

“We joined with Highwater because they share our values and our belief in building sovereign Australian capability,” said Phillip Taylor, Director of Taylor Bros. “Just as importantly, they respect the culture and people that have made Taylor Bros successful for the last 90 years. We’ve worked 23 years alongside Highwater’s constituent organizations across Australia, and we are excited to be in a position to serve the Royal Australian Navy and Allied fleets at a greater scale.”

“This partnership expands the career opportunities available to our highly skilled employees and ensures their future is part of a business committed to long-term investment,” said Greg Taylor, Director of Taylor Bros. “We have great confidence in the continued momentum of the business as part of Highwater, carrying forward our legacy as a trusted sovereign partner to our customers for over 90 years.”

Moelis Australia acted as financial advisor and Johnson Winter Slattery served as legal advisor to Highwater and Arlington Capital Partners. Equion acted as financial advisor and Keypoint Law provided legal counsel to Taylor Bros.

About Taylor Bros
Taylor Bros is a fourth-generation family-owned and operated engineering company established in 1936 in Hobart, Tasmania. Taylor Bros’ capabilities include project management, engineering, design, fabrication, electrical, mechanical, and logistic support services. As a comprehensive marine engineering company, these capabilities allow Taylor Bros to provide a wide range of services to the defence industry and other key customers throughout Australia. For more information, visit Taylor Bros’ website at www.taylorbros.com.au.

About Highwater
Highwater is a leading global naval services company supporting Allied Naval readiness across the U.S. and Australia. For more than 25 years, Highwater has delivered maintenance, repair, and modernization services that keep fleets mission ready and on schedule. With dedicated presence across key naval hubs in the U.S. and Australia, Highwater supports submarines, carriers, surface combatants, and support vessels with trusted and proven defense-focused expertise. For more information, visit Highwater’s website at www.Highwater.com.

About Arlington Capital Partners
Arlington Capital Partners is a Washington, D.C.-area private investment firm specializing in government-regulated industries. Focused on the aerospace and defense, government services and technology, and healthcare sectors, the Firm partners with founders and entrepreneurs to build platforms of strategic importance to national priorities. Operating in markets with high barriers to entry, Arlington looks to partner with organizations within these industries that save lives, improve effectiveness, and reduce costs. Since inception in 1999, Arlington has invested in over 200 companies and raised over $14 billion in committed capital. The Firm is currently investing out of its $6 billion Fund VII. For more information, visit Arlington’s website at www.arlingtoncap.com and follow Arlington on LinkedIn.