Arlington Capital Partners announced the launch of Highwater, a naval services platform focused on vessel preservation, repair, and specialist services for U.S., Australian, and allied fleets. Highwater combines Arlington portfolio company Eptec Defence with AMP United, a U.S. provider of naval preservation, structural, and scaffolding services.
The platform brings together two complementary naval preservation businesses with expertise across complex U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Navy programs. These programs include submarines, carriers, and surface ships.
Highwater will serve as a foundation for future growth, including the addition of adjacent marine capabilities. The company is focused on supporting government and prime contractor customers across mission-critical naval sustainment needs.
The launch comes as the U.S., Australia, and allied navies deepen cooperation through security partnerships such as AUKUS. Highwater has more than 600 employees across locations including Norfolk, San Diego, Honolulu, Sydney, Adelaide, and Perth.
Naval preservation is a complex segment of the maritime sustainment market. The work includes surface preparation, coatings, containment, abatement, scaffolding, structural support, and related services that help accelerate repair cycles and extend the service life of ships and submarines.
Highwater was formed to help address fleet readiness challenges as U.S., Australian, and allied fleets work to complete maintenance availabilities and return vessels to active service more quickly. The company is designed to bring broader lifecycle capabilities at scale under one brand.
As part of the launch, Highwater appointed Vice Admiral William Galinis to its board of directors. Galinis previously served as commander of Naval Sea Systems Command, where he oversaw the U.S. Navy’s shipbuilding and maintenance programs across submarines, carriers, and surface ships.
Arlington Capital Partners is a Washington, D.C.-area private investment firm focused on government-regulated industries. The firm has invested in more than 200 companies since 1999 and is currently investing out of its $6 billion Fund VII.
KEY QUOTES:
“I am excited to continue our partnership with Arlington as we launch Highwater and bring together global teams with deep experience in naval preservation. Our customers need a partner that can move with urgency, operate safely in complex shipyard environments and deliver repeatable quality at scale across ports. Highwater’s U.S. and Australian footprint and past performance are uniquely suited to service nuclear-powered vessels and surface ships that address Indo-Pacific threats.”
Steve Zogas, CEO of Highwater
“Today is validation of the key foundations of operational excellence and culture that we have worked to build and maintain. We are immensely grateful for Arlington’s support and look forward to continuing to deliver on future strategic initiatives with our new partners at Highwater, Eptec Defence and Arlington.”
Peter Lignos, CEO of AMP United
“Highwater reflects Arlington’s approach to building market-leading platforms in sectors essential to national security. As geopolitical competition intensifies and naval fleets face growing operational demands, naval modernization and preservation is essential to fleet readiness. This market remains highly fragmented, and Arlington is excited to invest in infrastructure and human capital that is required to drive high quality results for our prime contractor and government customers.”
Peter Manos, Managing Partner at Arlington Capital Partners
