Atlantic Towing

What Atlantic Towing does

Atlantic Towing Limited is a Canadian marine services company headquartered in Saint John, New Brunswick, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of J.D. Irving, Limited, operating within the conglomerate's Transportation and Logistics Division. Founded in 1961 and employing 501-1,000 people, the company specializes in port and terminal tug services, coastal towing, emergency towing, and offshore oil and gas exploration-and-production support. Operations span the North Atlantic Ocean, Western Canada, the Caribbean, the Arctic, and the North Sea, with regional offices in Saint John, Dartmouth, St. John's, Victoria, and Point Fortin, Trinidad.

The company's core offerings are delivered through a diversified fleet of specialized marine assets totaling more than 30 vessels. This includes multi-functional Platform Supply Vessels and Inspection, Maintenance, and Repair (IMR) vessels such as the Paul A. Sacuta (built 2017, 4,200 mt deadweight); Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) vessels with bollard pull up to 230 mt; Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) terminal and harbour tugs with bollard pull ranging from 30-85 mt, designed by Robert Allan Ltd. and Damen; flat-deck project cargo barges; and conventional workboats. Service capabilities span anchor handling, offshore towing, ice management using specialized ice ropes and nets, subsea intervention, ROV operations, fire-fighting, oil-spill response, personnel transfer, harbour and terminal berthage, and salvage and rescue towing.

Atlantic Towing generates revenue primarily through long-term charter contracts and service agreements with enterprise and government clients. Revenue streams include marine chartering (time and voyage charters of offshore vessels, tugs, and barges to energy companies), port and terminal towage contracts with port authorities and shipping lines, and Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) standing-availability contracts with the Canadian Coast Guard — for which Atlantic Towing is the first and only provider. The company holds Green Marine environmental certification and maintains educational partnerships with four Canadian maritime institutes (Nautical Institute Nova Scotia, The Marine Institute Newfoundland, Georgian College Ontario, Camosun College BC) to staff a cadet-to-Master Mariner pipeline.

Name

Atlantic Towing

Legal name

Atlantic Towing Limited

Website

https://atlantictowing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Atlantic Towing Limited is a Canadian marine services company and wholly-owned subsidiary of J.D. Irving, Limited that provides offshore vessel support, harbour and terminal towage, ice management, emergency towing, and barge transport to energy companies, port authorities, and the Canadian Coast Guard across North Atlantic, Western Canada, Caribbean, Arctic, and North Sea regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Towage and Offshore Support Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Harbor Towage (Ship Assist & Berthing/Unberthing) (TLAHAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Emergency Towage & Rescue (Disabled Vessel Assistance) (TLAHAIAA), Coastal/Sea Towage (Long-Distance Towing of Vessels/Barges) (TLAHAHAE), Salvage Support Towage (Refloating/Wreck Removal Assistance) (TLAHAHAH)

Keywords

• Offshore marine support
• Harbour towage services
• Anchor handling vessels
• Emergency towing services
• Ice management operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint John

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Marine Chartering Services: Long-term charter contracts for offshore support vessels, tugs, and barges to energy companies, ports, and terminal operators. Revenue generated through vessel charter rates, which may be time-charter or voyage-charter based on contract terms.
2. Port and Terminal Towage Services: Berthage and towage services provided to vessels at ports and terminals. Revenue generated through service contracts with port authorities and shipping lines.
3. Emergency Towing Services: Emergency towing vessel services as the Canadian Coast Guard's first and only ETV provider. Revenue from standing availability contracts and emergency response service fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Atlantic Towing is a marine services company that provides offshore oil and gas support, ice management, harbour and terminal berthage and towage, coastal towing and barge transportation, and salvage and rescue towing. The company operates a diversified fleet of ASD tugs, AHTS vessels, multi-functional PSV/IMR vessels, flat-deck barges, and workboats deployed through long-term charter and service contracts across Eastern and Western Canada, the Caribbean, the Arctic, and the North Sea.

Product overview

Atlantic Towing is a marine services company offering a diverse fleet of offshore vessels, barges, tugs, and workboats, along with comprehensive marine services. The fleet includes multi-functional PSV/IMR vessels (Paul A. Sacuta, Atlantic Shrike, Heron, Griffon), AHTS vessels (Atlantic Merlin with 230 mt bollard pull, Atlantic Eagle, Raven, Kingfisher), flat-deck project cargo transport barges (Atlantic Swordfish, Marlin, Sea Lion, Irving Beaver), and a range of ASD terminal and harbour tugs (Atlantic Ash, Maple, Beaver, Bear, Spitfire III, Fir, Cedar, Oak, Larch, Hemlock, Willow, Spruce, Kairi, Guapo Warrior, Legacy, Manatee, Elm, Beech) plus workboats (Irving Hazelnut, Belle D). Services span offshore support and supply, ice management, towing and barge transportation, harbour and terminal towage, and salvage and rescue towing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Offshore Support & Supply Services Offshore marine services delivered to energy companies, including anchor handling, offshore towing, offshore installation resupply, subsea intervention, ROV operations, fire-fighting, oil-spill response, and personnel transfer using multi-functional PSV/IMR and AHTS vessels.
• Ice Management Services Ice management operations for offshore and Arctic environments using specialized ice ropes, nets, and trained crews to keep icebergs and flows away from client operations.
• Towing & Barge Transportation Services Coastal towing using tugs offering 5 to 230 mt of bollard pull, paired with a fleet of flat-deck project cargo transport and construction support barges for cargo and logistics movements.
• Harbour & Terminal Berthage & Towage Services Harbour and terminal berthage and towage services delivered to port authorities, terminal operators, and shipping lines using Robert Allan Ltd. and Damen-designed ASD tugs capable of handling the world's largest vessels.
• Salvage & Rescue Towing Services Emergency salvage and rescue towing services with assets stationed across Eastern and Western Canada, the Caribbean, and the North Sea; Atlantic Towing is the Canadian Coast Guard's first and only Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) provider.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Nautical Institute (Nova Scotia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership providing cadets with sea term opportunities. Nautical Institute in Nova Scotia works with Atlantic Towing to provide practical maritime training for students.
• The Marine Institute (Newfoundland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with The Marine Institute in Newfoundland for cadet training and sea term programs. Many seafarers including vessel Masters began as cadets through this program.
• Georgian College (Ontario)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership providing cadets with long and short sea terms to meet program requirements at Georgian College in Ontario.
• Camosun College (British Columbia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Camosun College in British Columbia for cadet training programs. Supports maritime education across Canada's western coast.
• J.D. Irving, LimitedflagshipOthersAtlantic Towing is a member of the J.D. Irving, Limited family of companies, part of the Transportation and Logistics Division containing one of the widest arrays of logistical service providers in the global market.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tidewater Inc. Largest pure-play global operator of offshore support vessels, including AHTS and PSV classes that directly overlap Atlantic Towing's offshore E&P service line. Most directly comparable peer by vessel mix and customer base.
• Bourbon Corporation: French offshore marine services provider with a fleet of AHTS and PSV vessels serving oil and gas customers globally, comparable to Atlantic Towing's offshore support segment.
• Saam S.A. Chilean-based port towage and offshore services operator with strong Americas presence, directly comparable to Atlantic Towing's harbour towage and Caribbean operations.
• Svitzer: Maersk-owned global towage operator with the world's largest harbour towage fleet, the most direct global competitor to Atlantic Towing's harbour and terminal berthage business.
• Smit Lamnalco: Joint venture between Svitzer and Boskalis providing terminal towage and shuttle tanker escort services to oil, gas, and mining terminals—comparable in service scope and customer type to Atlantic Towing's terminal operations.
• Fairmount Marine: Dutch offshore towage specialist with a fleet of high-bollard-pull anchor-handling and platform-supply tugs serving the offshore energy market, comparable to Atlantic Towing's AHTS offerings.
• The Great Lakes Towing Company: US-based harbour tug operator serving the Great Lakes and major US ports; a smaller-scale but directly comparable harbour-towage peer.

Broad incumbents

• Boskalis Westminster: Large Dutch maritime services group with activities in towage, salvage, dredging, and offshore energy; broader portfolio but overlaps Atlantic Towing's salvage, towage, and offshore support capabilities.

Regional players

• Bukser og Berging: Norwegian harbour towage and offshore services company serving Scandinavian and North Sea ports, comparable in service mix but operating in a different geography than Atlantic Towing.
• Oceanex Inc. Canadian marine transportation company specializing in coastal container and project cargo services between Newfoundland and the mainland; shares Atlantic Towing's Atlantic Canada operating region and barge transportation segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Atlantic Towing