Maritime Partners
Maritime Partners is the largest U.S. marine equipment lessor, providing bareboat charters, sale-leaseback, construction financing, and portfolio acquisitions to Jones Act maritime operators across U.S. inland waterways and coastal trade routes.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersMetairie, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Maritime Partners does
Maritime Partners, LLC is a privately held U.S. maritime leasing and financing company founded in 2015 and headquartered in Metairie, Louisiana. The company provides bareboat charters, sale-leaseback transactions, vessel construction financing, portfolio acquisitions, and custom liquidity solutions primarily to Jones Act maritime operators transporting agricultural products, chemicals, aggregates, crude oil, and refined petroleum across U.S. inland waterways and coastal trade routes. Following the December 2021 acquisition of the J. Russell Flowers portfolio (more than 1,000 vessels), Maritime Partners became the largest lessor of marine equipment in the United States, with a current fleet exceeding 1,900 vessels representing over 220,000 combined towboat horsepower and more than 9 million barrels of tank barge capacity.
The company's underlying platform combines a proprietary vessel asset-backed securitization (ABS) program — whose inaugural $235.3 million issuance in May 2023 was the first composed entirely of inland marine vessels — with proprietary methanol-to-hydrogen generation technology acquired through e1 Marine in July 2024 and deployed on the M/V Hydrogen One towboat under a U.S. Coast Guard Design Basis Agreement. Revenue is generated through long-term bareboat charter subscriptions, one-time sale-leaseback transactions, recurring vessel construction financing at 100% loan-to-value with no covenants, portfolio acquisition fees, and custom liquidity solutions, with structured debt facilities from ATLAS SP Partners, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, and Bank of America funding fleet growth. Customer segments span Jones Act commercial operators (Kirby Corporation, Overseas Shipholding Group, Keystone Shipping, Florida Marine Transporters, Martin Marine, Enterprise Product Partners), U.S. government maritime contractors (Military Sealift Command, Tanker Security Program), and ferry operators pursuing zero-emission propulsion. Vertical integration has expanded through subsidiaries including M/G Transport Services (inland barging), USMMI (military sealift), Centerline Logistics (coastal liquid petroleum barging), West Gulf Marine (shipbuilding), and e1 Marine (hydrogen generation).
Maritime Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Maritime Partners
- Legal name
- Maritime Partners, LLC
- Website
- https://maritimepartnersllc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Maritime Partners is the largest U.S. marine equipment lessor, providing bareboat charters, sale-leaseback, construction financing, and portfolio acquisitions to Jones Act maritime operators across U.S. inland waterways and coastal trade routes.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Maritime Partners industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Maritime Leasing and Vessel Financing
- NAICS
- Ship and Boat Building (3366), Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Other Support Activities for Water Transportation (48839), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)
- SIC
- Finance Lessors (6172), Water Transportation (4400), Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Marine & Boat Finance (FSAKADAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Boat & Marine Leasing (FSAKANAH), Dredging Support & Utility Workboats (Dredge Tenders, Barges, Utility Boats) (IMAJADAJ)
Keywords
Where Maritime Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Metairie
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Maritime Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Bareboat Charters: Maritime Partners leases its fleet of vessels (towboats, tank barges, hopper barges, deck barges, and Jones Act blue water vessels) to maritime operators through long-term bareboat charters. Operators pay fixed lease rates while gaining exclusive use of vessels without ownership burdens.
- Sale-Leaseback Transactions: Operators sell existing vessels to Maritime Partners and immediately lease them back, freeing up capital while continuing operations. This provides upfront liquidity to operators while generating ongoing lease revenue.
- Vessel Construction Financing: Maritime Partners provides 100% loan-to-value fixed-rate financing during vessel construction with no capital outlays or loan covenants. Upon delivery, operators can pay in full or convert to traditional mortgage-style financing.
- Portfolio Acquisition Services: Maritime Partners acquires vessel portfolios from operators looking to divest non-strategic assets, providing capital that sellers can allocate toward organizational growth or balance sheet management.
- Custom Liquidity Solutions: Tailored financing solutions designed to meet unique business goals, including capital for growth, expansion, or strengthening financial foundations.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Maritime Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Maritime Partners is the largest lessor of marine equipment in the United States, providing bareboat charters of a 1,900+ vessel fleet (towboats, tank barges, hopper barges, deck barges, and Jones Act blue water vessels) to maritime operators. In addition to long-term vessel leasing, the company offers sale-leaseback transactions, 100% loan-to-value vessel construction financing, vessel portfolio acquisitions, and custom liquidity solutions tailored to Jones Act trade operators. Its services are delivered through capital markets instruments including vessel asset-backed securitizations and warehouse credit facilities totaling more than $1.7 billion.
Product overview
Maritime Partners is a maritime leasing and financing company offering a platform of complementary services including bareboat charters of a 1,900+ vessel fleet, sale-leaseback transactions, vessel construction financing, portfolio acquisitions, and custom liquidity solutions. The company primarily serves the Jones Act trade and U.S.-flag maritime sector, providing financing solutions and vessel leasing to maritime operators. The core offering consists of bareboat charters (the primary vessel access product), supported by financing products (sale-leaseback, construction financing, portfolio acquisition) that enable operators to acquire, expand, or divest vessel assets.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Bareboat Charters Long-term bareboat chartering of Maritime Partners' 1,900+ vessel fleet, including towboats, tank barges (30k bbl and 10k bbl), bunker barges, covered hopper barges, open hopper barges, deck barges, and U.S.-flag and Jones Act blue water vessels. Operators pay fixed lease rates for exclusive use of vessels without ownership burdens, serving Jones Act trade customers on the U.S. Gulf Coast, Mississippi River, inland waterways, and coastal waters.
- Sale-Leaseback Transaction in which a maritime operator sells an existing vessel to Maritime Partners and immediately leases it back, freeing up capital while continuing operations. Allows operators to convert owned vessels into off-balance-sheet leases that improve credit metrics and generate upfront liquidity.
- Vessel Construction Financing Fixed-rate construction financing on new vessels at 100% loan-to-value with no capital outlays and no loan covenants during the build period. Upon delivery, operators can pay the balance in full or convert to traditional mortgage-style financing, enabling fleet growth without tying up capital.
- Portfolio Acquisition Acquisition of vessel portfolios of any type and size, providing customized transaction structures tailored to sellers' tax considerations, transaction pace, and capital requirements. Capital released can be redirected to organizational growth or balance sheet management.
- Custom Liquidity Solutions Tailored liquidity solutions designed around unique operator business goals, providing capital for growth, expansion, or balance sheet strengthening. Structures draw on decades of maritime industry experience to address specific operator requirements.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduces CO2 emissions by minimum 25% using methanol-to-hydrogen technology
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Maritime Partners
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Maritime Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Maritime Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- e1 MarinecoreMaritime Partners completed acquisition of e1 Marine on July 1, 2024. e1 Marine specializes in methanol-to-hydrogen generation products for marine vessels. The acquisition supports development of cleaner fuel sources and is part of Maritime Partners' commitment to environmental responsibility and innovation in the maritime industry.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Maritime Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Seaspan Corporation: One of the largest independent containership lessors globally, operating a publicly listed vehicle that owns and leases vessels to shipping lines. Highly comparable business model to Maritime Partners' bareboat charter and lease-to-finance platform, with similar capital markets-driven growth.
- Costamare Inc. Internationally active containership lessor with a fleet of ~70 vessels leased on bareboat/time charter terms. Closely mirrors Maritime Partners' asset-light leasing model, securitization experience, and operator-customer base.
- Danaos Corporation: Public containership lessor with long-term time charters to major liner operators. Comparable vessel leasing and structured financing model to Maritime Partners' bareboat charter business.
- Kirby Corporation: Largest U.S. inland tank barge operator with a fleet of over 1,000 barges and 300+ towboats, transporting petrochemicals, refined products, and agricultural goods on the U.S. inland waterway system. Directly comparable to Maritime Partners' core inland barge portfolio and Centerline Logistics operations, though Kirby is operator-owned rather than a lessor.
- Overseas Shipholding Group: Major Jones Act-qualified tanker operator and existing bareboat charter customer of Maritime Partners (handysize products tankers). Direct comparable as both a competitor for Jones Act tonnage and as a lessee customer of Maritime Partners.
Broad incumbents
- Crowley Maritime Corporation: Privately held, large diversified U.S. maritime operator with Jones Act logistics, government/military contracts (including Tanker Security Program), vessel construction, and energy services. Overlapping with Maritime Partners across government chartering, vessel operations, and Jones Act exposure but operating at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
- Watco Companies: Privately held transportation services company operating short-line railroads, marine terminals, and inland barge terminals across the U.S. Comparable in inland waterway exposure and B2B industrial customer base, though marine is one segment of a broader multi-modal portfolio.
- BOC Aviation: One of the world's largest aircraft lessors, owned by Bank of China. Comparable as a large-scale institutional lessor executing asset-backed financing in a regulated transportation asset class — analogous business model to Maritime Partners' marine vessel leasing, though in aviation rather than maritime.
Emerging players
- Tidewater Inc. Public offshore vessel operator serving the global energy industry with a large fleet of OSVs. Comparable vessel-leasing economics and operator structure but in a different end-market (offshore energy vs. Jones Act inland/coastal) and not a direct U.S. Jones Act competitor.
Others
- American Industrial Partners: Private equity firm with maritime/industrial track record and former employer of Maritime Partners' CFO Stephen J. Bordes. Adjacent rather than competitive — relevant as a capital partner comparable for industrial/maritime platforms, not as an operating peer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Maritime Partners social profiles
Digital presenceMaritime Partners compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Maritime Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Maritime Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Maritime Partners subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries6 records
Maritime Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Maritime Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A4 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Maritime Partners
What does Maritime Partners do?
Maritime Partners is the largest lessor of marine equipment in the United States, providing bareboat charters of a 1,900+ vessel fleet (towboats, tank barges, hopper barges, deck barges, and Jones Act blue water vessels) to maritime operators. In addition to long-term vessel leasing, the company offers sale-leaseback transactions, 100% loan-to-value vessel construction financing, vessel portfolio acquisitions, and custom liquidity solutions tailored to Jones Act trade operators. Its services are delivered through capital markets instruments including vessel asset-backed securitizations and warehouse credit facilities totaling more than $1.7 billion.
Is Maritime Partners a public or private company?
Maritime Partners is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Maritime Partners founded?
Maritime Partners was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Maritime Partners based?
Maritime Partners is headquartered in Metairie, United States, in the North America region.
How does Maritime Partners make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Bareboat Charters are the primary driver. The others are sale-Leaseback Transactions, vessel Construction Financing, portfolio Acquisition Services and custom Liquidity Solutions.
Who are Maritime Partners's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Seaspan Corporation, Costamare Inc., Danaos Corporation, Kirby Corporation and Overseas Shipholding Group. Broad incumbents are Crowley Maritime Corporation, Watco Companies and BOC Aviation. Tidewater Inc. is listed as an emerging player. American Industrial Partners is listed as an others.
Does Maritime Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for Maritime Partners.
What industry is Maritime Partners in?
Maritime Partners's product category is Maritime Leasing and Vessel Financing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAKADAH, Marine & Boat Finance, with a secondary code of FSAKANAH, Boat & Marine Leasing. Its NAICS code is 3366 and its SIC code is 6172.