INTERVIEW: Taylor Marine Construction

Pile Buck’s interview with Taylor Marine Construction, Inc., a Texas-based general contractor specializing in marine construction, pile driving, heavy civil work, steel fabrication, barges, shipyard services, and complex waterfront projects.

Pile Buck (PB): Taylor Marine Construction describes itself as a contractor that solves problems for marine terminals. What does that work include?

Taylor Marine Construction (TMC): We provide construction project design, management, and execution for marine terminals. Our work includes construction and repair of marine piers and associated structures such as bulkheads, dolphins, and fendering.

We also have experience with loading and unloading mechanical, piping, and structural systems used at marine terminals and process plants. Our services extend across marine construction, pile driving, heavy civil work, steel fabrication, barges, mechanical dredging, cargo loading, barge haul-out, and shipyard work.

PB: Marine terminal work often involves several different structural and operational systems. How does Taylor Marine support that range of work?

TMC: We maintain company-owned marine equipment that includes crane barges, tug boats, pile hammers, earth-moving equipment, and push boats. This equipment supports a wide range of marine construction projects.

Our capabilities also include marine piers, bulkheads, dolphins, fender systems, steel work, piling, concrete work, cargo handling, barge services, and vessel repair. We have Professional Engineers on staff in Texas and North Carolina, along with AWS and ABS-qualified welders.

PB: Pile driving is a major part of the company’s capabilities. What types of piling work do you perform?

TMC: We specialize in both marine and land-based pile driving. Our experience includes sheet pile, steel pipe pile, large steel monopiles, prestressed concrete pile, spun-cast cylinder pile, and battered pile.

We perform impact and vibratory pile driving, including templating and driving inclined pile. We also have experience with silent pile pressing in environments that require minimal vibrational input into the soils, including work adjacent to vibration-sensitive structures.

PB: Taylor Marine also performs sheet-pile and retaining-structure work. What systems are included in that scope?

TMC: We have experience with sheet-pile installation, tieback systems, grouted earth anchors, and combi-wall systems. We also offer limited in-house sheet-piling design options.

Our heavy civil work includes the design and installation of sheet-pile cofferdams, including the bracing required for supported excavation. We have also designed, built, and used a large cofferdam for shell-plating replacement work on the Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington, North Carolina.

PB: How does heavy civil work fit into Taylor Marine’s marine-construction services?

TMC: Heavy civil work allows us to support projects that require more than pile installation. We perform concrete work on land and over water, including permanent crane platforms and pile-supported foundation slab structures.

We also have experience forming and placing mooring-dolphin structures over water, making over-water concrete repairs to damaged structures, and installing, repairing, and maintaining bridge fender systems and related structures.

PB: Steel fabrication and repair are also important to Taylor Marine. What does that side of the business involve?

TMC: We perform structural steel design, fabrication, erection, and repair. Our team is experienced in steel erection both on land and over water, as well as around-the-clock emergent response and repair of steel structures.

We maintain portable welding machines, plasma cutters, gas torches, steel band saws, drill presses, and other fabrication equipment. Our in-house Professional Engineers can support structural design projects, including projects completed at refineries, plants, and state ports.

PB: Your equipment fleet includes crane barges and a large crawler crane. What capabilities does that provide?

TMC: We operate crane barges ranging from a 65-ton crane on a 40-foot by 80-foot barge to a 275-ton crane on a 60-foot by 140-foot barge. We also own sectional barges for crane-barge setups off navigable waters.

Our fleet includes a 2018 Liebherr LR-1250 275-ton crawler crane on a heavy barge. Taylor Marine has used this crane-barge setup to support critical terminal-facility lifts, including installation of heavy marine loading arms on an active refinery dock.

PB: Tell us about your San Leon marine yard and what it allows Taylor Marine to support.

TMC: Our marine yard is located on deep water in San Leon, Texas, approximately 6.5 miles off the Houston Ship Channel. The yard includes a heavy loading bulkhead, a 270-foot slip, and a drive-on ramp.

We use the yard for marine construction support, cargo loading, barge work, vessel repair, crane assembly, and project staging. Taylor Marine also provides more than five acres of private fleeting area on Dickinson Bayou.

PB: How do barge services and cargo loading fit into the company’s work?

TMC: We provide cargo transport using sectional barges that can be configured to accommodate different cargo requirements. Our yard has a heavy loading bulkhead to support loading and unloading barges.

We also perform barge repair, post-charter deck cleaning, ballast-tank cleaning, and other barge-related work. These services can be performed at a client location or at our San Leon yard.

PB: Taylor Marine has expanded into shipyard and vessel-related work. What services do you provide?

TMC: We specialize in topside barge repair, vessel repair, and other marine repair tasks. We have a Shipyard Competent Person on staff and maintain experience performing hot work in confined spaces.

We have also started a shipyard at our main yard location. Our shipyard capabilities include a completely refurbished 660-ton Marine Travelift that will go into service in late September 2026 and will be capable of hauling out up to 660 tons, including barges and tug boats up to 54 feet wide. We also have a launch-bag system capable of hauling out barges up to 60 feet wide and 180 feet long.

PB: Mechanical dredging is another service offered by Taylor Marine. What does that work involve?

TMC: Taylor Marine provides mechanical dredging services as part of its marine-construction offering. This capability supports work requiring marine access, earth-moving equipment, crane-barge support, and related waterfront construction services.

PB: Taylor Marine highlights safety as a core part of its operations. What does that include?

TMC: Safety is our top priority. Our published safety program includes company-wide random drug and alcohol testing through DISA, weekly safety meetings, jobsite safety walk-throughs, daily job hazard analyses, a current company safety manual, and continuing safety education through the Houston Area Safety Council and the Safety Council of Texas City.

We are members of ISNetworld and Avetta. Taylor Marine reports a 2025 EMR of 0.76 and an OSHA record of zero recordable cases and injuries. We were also recognized with a 2024 Texas Mutual award of safety excellence.

PB: What types of projects does Taylor Marine Construction continue to pursue?

TMC: Taylor Marine Construction is always looking forward to uniquely challenging projects that require engineering expertise and time-tested ingenuity. Our experience includes overwater power-transmission-line demolition and construction, jet-sledding underwater pipelines, jack-up-barge pile driving, confined-space ship repair, cofferdams, marine terminal work, and heavy lifting.

PB: How can people reach Taylor Marine Construction?

TMC: To discuss marine construction, piling, fabrication, repair, dredging, cargo loading, barge, or shipyard needs, contact Taylor Marine Construction at (713) 560-0140 or julius.taylor@taylormarineus.com. Our physical address is 2701 Avenue S, San Leon, Texas 77539.