Ocean

What Ocean does

Groupe Océan is a privately held Canadian integrated maritime services company founded in 1972 and headquartered in Quebec City. Operating through subsidiaries including Ocean Industries, Ocean Towing, Ocean Dredging, Ocean Navigation, Ocean Works, and Techsol Marine, the company delivers harbour towing, shipbuilding and repair, dredging, barge and workboat rental, maritime salvage, and oversized marine transport to government agencies, shipping companies, ports, and industrial clients. Its infrastructure comprises a fleet of more than 100 vessels—including tugboats (Ocean Taiga, Ocean Tundra, Ocean Serge Genois, Ocean Henry Bain, Ocean Pierre Julien), the Ocean Traverse Nord suction dredger, and a 7,000-tonne floating dry dock designed and built at its Bas-Caraquet, New Brunswick shipyard—and production shipyards at Quebec City, Isle-aux-Coudres, and Les Méchins.

The company's revenue model is contract-driven and B2B: long-term service contracts for harbour towing (including a 10-year concession at the Port of Kingston, Jamaica), negotiated shipbuilding and repair agreements with federal and provincial government clients such as the Canadian Coast Guard, National Defence, and Société des Traversiers du Québec, and project-based dredging and oversized marine transport for industrial and infrastructure customers (e.g., Valero Energy, Hebron Project, Fednav, CSL Group). Operations span Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, Jamaica, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and broader Caribbean markets, supported by approximately 1,000-1,044 employees across Canada and Jamaica.

The company has been backed since 2018 by institutional investors La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and Fonds de solidarité FTQ, with a follow-on capital infusion of approximately CA$106.6M in 2025 from La Caisse, the Government of Quebec, and Investissement Québec, alongside a 2024 international joint venture (TugNetwork Team with Brazil's SulNorte and CPT). It is led by President and CEO Jacques Tanguay and Board Chair Claude Lafleur, with founder Gordon Bain continuing as Chairman Emeritus; the group announced an evolution of its shareholder structure in August 2025 to accelerate growth.

Name

Ocean

Legal name

9215-7064 Québec Inc.

Website

https://groupocean.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Groupe Océan is a privately held Canadian integrated maritime services company founded in 1972, providing harbour towing, shipbuilding and repair, dredging, barge rental, and oversized marine transport to government agencies, ports, and industrial clients across Canada, the Caribbean, and Latin America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883), Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Ship and Boat Building (33661)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730), Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Coastal/Sea Towage (Long-Distance Towing of Vessels/Barges) (TLAHAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Landing Craft & Amphibious Workboats (LCM/LCT-style, Beaching Craft) (IMAJADAK), Marine Service Provider Coordination (Diving, Inspection, Class/Survey Support) (TLAHAJAI), Marine Terminals & Cargo Handling Infrastructure (RoRo, Bulk, Container) (IMAFAJAF)

Keywords

• Harbour towing services
• Shipbuilding and repair
• Marine dredging services
• Barge and workboat rental
• Oversized marine transport

Headquarters

HQ city

Quebec

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Harbour Towing Services: Port and harbour towing services for commercial vessels, tankers, and ferries across Canada (Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia) and Jamaica. Revenue generated through service contracts with shipping companies, refineries, and port authorities.
2. Shipbuilding and Repair: Construction and repair of vessels including ferries, tugboats, barges, and dredgers. Operates shipyards in Isle-aux-Coudres, Bas-Caraquet (NB), and Quebec City. Customers include government agencies and private shipping companies.
3. Dredging Services: Mechanical and suction dredging services for ports, shipping channels, and marine construction projects. International operations in Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Caribbean.
4. Barge and Workboat Rental: Rental of barges, workboats, and associated maritime equipment for construction, transport, and industrial projects.
5. Oversized Marine Transportation: Specialized transport of oversized cargo by marine barge, including bridge components, industrial equipment, and large-scale infrastructure elements.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Groupe Océan provides integrated maritime services to government, port, shipping, and industrial clients. Its core offerings are harbour and port towing, shipbuilding and repair (at multiple Canadian shipyards), dredging (mechanical and suction), barge and workboat rental, maritime salvage, and oversized marine cargo transport. Services are delivered via a 100+ vessel fleet, shipyard infrastructure, and a mobile ~7,000-tonne floating dry dock.

Product overview

Groupe Océan is a Canadian leader in integrated maritime services operating a diversified portfolio of marine businesses across Canada and internationally. The company offers harbor towing (port assistance, docking, ship maneuvering), shipbuilding and repair (at shipyards in Isle-aux-Coudres, Les Méchins, and Quebec City), barge and workboat rental, dredging (suction and mechanical), maritime salvage and rescue, and oversized cargo transport services. The fleet includes named tugboats such as Ocean Taiga, Ocean Tundra, Ocean Serge Genois, Ocean Henry Bain, and Ocean Pierre Julien, along with the Ocean Traverse Nord suction dredger. Key infrastructure includes a 7,000-ton floating drydock for vessel repair. The company operates sustainable HVO fuel operations in Vancouver and uses proprietary fuel monitoring software (opdak). Operations span the St. Lawrence River, British Columbia, Jamaica, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ocean Industries: Shipbuilding and repair division operating from Quebec and New Brunswick shipyards
• Ocean Towing
• Ocean Dredging
• Ocean Navigation
• Ocean Works
• Techsol Marine

Products and services

• Harbour Towing and Ship Assistance Port and harbour towing services including ship assistance, docking, berthing, and vessel maneuvering operations for commercial vessels, tankers, container ships, and ferries across Canada and internationally including Jamaica.
• Shipbuilding and Repair Construction and repair of ferries, tugboats, barges, dredgers, Coast Guard icebreakers, and naval vessels, plus dry-docking services at shipyards in Isle-aux-Coudres, Les Méchins, Quebec City, Bas-Caraquet (New Brunswick), and via a mobile floating dry dock.
• Barge and Workboat Rental Rental of barges, workboats, and associated maritime equipment for marine construction projects, transport operations, and industrial support contracts including offshore oil platform construction.
• Oversized Maritime Transport Transportation of oversized and irregular cargo via specialized marine barges and lifting vessels for major infrastructure and industrial projects.
• Dredging Services Mechanical and suction dredging services for ports, shipping channels, marine construction projects, and infrastructure developments across Canada, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and the Caribbean.
• Maritime Salvage and Rescue Ship rescue, salvage operations, and maritime emergency response services delivered through International Salvage Union membership, supporting commercial vessels in distress.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18% reduction in GHG emissions (lifecycle) from Vancouver towing operations after switching to HVO fuel
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TugNetwork Team (with SulNorte and CPT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024Groupe Océan, SulNorte (Brazilian maritime company), and CPT (Companhia de Portos e Navegação) announced the creation of TugNetwork Team in May 2024, a strategic partnership to provide integrated tugboat and maritime services across multiple regions, combining the respective fleet capabilities and regional presence of each partner.
• Fondation du CHU de QuébecminorOthers · 1 January 2023Charitable partnership for the RESPIRE fundraising campaign. Groupe Océan organized a major fundraiser raising $300,000 for the renewal of the neonatal intensive care unit respirator fleet at CHU de Québec, in collaboration with the Foundation and the broader Quebec business community.
• Port of Kingston (Jamaica)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 201810-year contract awarded in 2018 for the provision of harbour towing services at the Port of Kingston, Jamaica. Ocean Group operates its fleet tugs at the port to provide docking and assistance services to vessels.
• Alliance Verte (Green Marine)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroupe Océan is a founding member of the Alliance Verte environmental certification program, which is the principal environmental certification program for the North American maritime industry. The company helps shape and advance environmental practices for the entire maritime sector through its founding role.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Jan De Nul Group: Belgian dredging, marine construction, and offshore services contractor. Comparable to Ocean Dredging DS and oversized marine transport on large international marine infrastructure tenders.
• Svitzer AS: Global harbour towage and salvage operator (formerly Maersk subsidiary) operating in 30+ countries. Comparable as a towage incumbent whose fleet Ocean previously acquired tugs from in 2017, and which competes in many of the same port-towing markets.
• SAAM S.A. Major South American port towage and logistics operator based in Chile. Comparable as a public port-towage incumbent across Latin America; Ocean's TugNetwork JV partner CPT is its Brazilian unit, evidencing direct overlap.
• Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. Global dredging and maritime services giant. Comparable as the dominant international dredging player whose services compete with Ocean Dredging DS for ports and marine construction projects worldwide.
• Irving Shipbuilding Inc. Major Canadian shipbuilder operating the Halifax Shipyard under the National Shipbuilding Strategy. Comparable as a federally-aligned shipbuilding competitor for naval and coast guard vessel programs where Ocean also participates.

Direct peers

• McKeil Marine Limited: Canadian marine services company offering vessel chartering, tug and barge services, and marine construction across the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence. Directly comparable as a diversified Canadian maritime services competitor in towing and barge operations.
• Logistec Corporation: Canadian port-handling and marine services provider operating terminals and cargo handling across Eastern Canada. Comparable as a fellow Quebec-based integrated port services competitor with overlapping terminal handling and maritime services.
• Atlantic Towing Limited: Canadian tug and marine services operator active on the East Coast. Directly comparable as a domestic harbour towage peer serving Atlantic Canadian ports and offshore oil customers.

Regional players

• Henderson Maritime Inc. Privately-held Canadian marine transportation and tug/barge operator on the West Coast. Comparable as a regional towing and barge rental peer competing in British Columbia waters alongside Ocean B.C. Towing.

Others

• Tidewater Inc. Global offshore vessel operator serving the oil & gas sector. Adjacent peer given Ocean's service of offshore projects like Hebron via barge rental and oversized marine transport.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/groupoceanTV
• Facebookfacebook.com/groupeocean
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groupeocean
• Instagraminstagram.com/groupeocean
• Xx.com/groupe_ocean

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ocean