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Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services in the US Industry Data and Analysis
The industry has seen substantial revenue expansion driven by aging fleet maintenance requirements and compliance investments. As vessels age beyond 20 years, they require maintenance cycles every two to three years rather than every five years, boosting dry dock demand and raising maintenance costs. Environmental regulations such as International Maritime Organization (IMO) sulfur limits and ballast water treatment mandates have generated substantial retrofit activity as ship operators invest in scrubbers and treatment systems during dry dock visits. Heightened tariff enforcement has also expanded cargo inspection workloads, with customs authorities collecting over $27.0 billion as of August 2025 in additional duties through enhanced verification programs. Profit margin rose from 18.3% in 2020 to 21.9% in 2025, reflecting premium service pricing and capacity constraints. Over the past five years, the industry grew at a 5.1% CAGR and achieved revenue of $2.9 billion in 2025, with 0.1% growth in 2025.
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What's included in this industry analysis
IBISWorld's research coverage on the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States includes market sizing, forecasting, data and analysis from 2015-2030. The most recent publication was released September 2025.
About this industry
What's this industry report about?
The Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States operates under the NAICS industry code 48839. This industry provides support services to water transportation industries including ship maintenance and repair, towing, cargo inspection and surveying. Shipbuilding and other manufacturing activities are not included in this industry. Related terms covered in the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States include graving dry dock, floating dry dock, twenty-foot equivalent unit (teu), ultra large container vessel (ulcv), scaling and ballast.
What's included in this industry?
Products and services covered in Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States include Repairs from floating dry docks, Repairs from graving dry docks and Transportation and towing services.
What companies are included in this industry?
Companies covered in the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States include General Dynamics Corporation, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. and Bae Systems Plc.
Performance
What's included in the Performance chapter?
The Performance chapter covers detailed analysis, datasets, detailed current performance, sources of volatility and an outlook with forecasts for the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States.
Questions answered in this chapter include what's driving current industry performance, what influences industry volatility, how do successful businesses overcome volatility, what's driving the industry outlook. This analysis is supported with data and statistics on industry revenues, costs, profits, businesses and employees.
Products & Markets
What's included in the Products and Markets chapter?
The Products and Markets chapter covers detailed products and service segmentation and analysis of major markets for the for the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States.
Questions answered in this chapter include how are the industry's products and services performing, what are innovations in industry products and services, what products or services do successful businesses offer and what's influencing demand from the industry's markets. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by product and service segmentation and major markets.
Geographic Breakdown
What's included in the Geographic Breakdown chapter?
The Geographic Breakdown chapter covers detailed analysis and datasets on regional performance of the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States.
Questions answered in this chapter include where are industry businesses located and how do businesses use location to their advantage. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by location.
Competitive Forces
What's included in the Competitive Forces chapter?
The Competitive Forces chapter covers the concentration, barriers to entry and supplier and buyer profiles in the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States. This includes data and statistics on industry market share concentration, barriers to entry, substitute products and buyer & supplier power.
Questions answered in this chapter include what impacts the industry's market share concentration, how do successful businesses handle concentration, what challenges do potential industry entrants face, how can potential entrants overcome barriers to entry, what are substitutes for industry services, how do successful businesses compete with substitutes and what power do buyers and suppliers have over the industry and how do successful businesses manage buyer & supplier power.
Companies
What's included in the Companies chapter?
The Companies chapter covers Key Takeaways, Market Share and Companies in the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States. This includes data and analysis on companies operating in the industry that hold a market share greater than 5%.
Questions answered in this chapter include what companies have a meaningful market share and how each company is performing.
External Environment
What's included in the External Environment chapter?
The External Environment chapter covers Key Takeaways, External Drivers, Regulation & Policy and Assistance in the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States. This includes data and statistics on factors impacting industry revenue such as economic indicators, regulation, policy and assistance programs.
Questions answered in this chapter include what demographic and macroeconomic factors impact the industry, what regulations impact the industry, what assistance is available to this industry.
Financial Benchmarks
What's included in the Financial Benchmarks chapter?
The Financial Benchmarks chapter covers Key Takeaways, Cost Structure, Financial Ratios, Valuation Multiples and Key Ratios in the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States. This includes financial data and statistics on industry performance including key cost inputs, profitability, key financial ratios and enterprise value multiples.
Questions answered in this chapter include what trends impact industry costs and how financial ratios have changed overtime.
Industry Data
What's included in the Industry Data chapter?
The Industry Data chapter includes 10 years of historical data with 5 years of forecast data covering statistics like revenue, industry value add, establishments, enterprises, employment and wages in the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the market size of the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States in 2026?
The market size of the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States is $2.9bn in 2026.
How many businesses are there in the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States in 2025?
There are 653 businesses in the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States, which has declined at a CAGR of 0.2 % between 2020 and 2025.
How may import tariffs affect the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States?
The Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States is unlikely to be materially impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
How may export tariffs affect the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States?
The Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States is unlikely to be materially impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
Has the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States grown or declined over the past 5 years?
The market size of the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States has been growing at a CAGR of 5.1 % between 2020 and 2025.
What is the forecast growth of the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States over the next 5 years?
Over the next five years, the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States is expected to grow.
What are the biggest companies in the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States?
The biggest companies operating in the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States are General Dynamics Corporation, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. and Bae Systems Plc
What does the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States include?
Ship repair and maintenance and Marine cargo checks and surveys are part of the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States.
Which companies have the highest market share in the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States?
The company holding the most market share in the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States is General Dynamics Corporation.
How competitive is the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States?
The level of competition is moderate and steady in the Dry Docks & Cargo Inspection Services industry in the United States.
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