What Young Brothers does

Young Brothers, founded in 1900 and headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, is the only regularly scheduled common carrier authorized by the State of Hawaii to transport goods by water between islands. The company operates a hub-and-spoke interisland barge network from its Port of Honolulu hub to six neighbor island ports (Kauai, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Hilo, and Kawaihae on Hawaii Island), running 12 weekly roundtrip sailings with overnight delivery using a fleet of eight barges and supporting tugs with over 60,000 tons of combined capacity. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Foss Maritime, itself part of the privately held Saltchuk Resources diversified transportation group (consolidated annual revenue ~$2.75 billion across ~6,000 employees).

The company offers containerized freight (dry and refrigerated, including LCL and FCL), vehicle shipping (automobiles, RVs, heavy equipment via roll-on/roll-off), livestock and hazardous materials transport, vessel charter services, container/equipment rental, and marine cargo insurance. Its core technology is the barge transportation system itself, augmented by a Safety Management System certified by the American Bureau of Shipping under the International Safety Management Code and the AWO Responsible Carrier Program, ISO 9001 quality management certification, and a Clean Energy Plan aligned with Hawaii's 100% renewable mandate by 2045 (including on-site solar PV). A web-based Online Customer Portal launched in June 2022 handles reservations, tracking, and rate quotes.

Revenue is generated primarily through regulated freight tariffs (Tariff 5-A) approved by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, with charges based on cargo type, weight, measurements, and destination, plus quarterly fuel price adjustments. Customer segments are diverse: individuals and households shipping personal goods, commercial businesses moving containerized retail and construction inventory on a "Just-In-Time" basis, and agricultural producers receiving a 32–37% discount on locally grown products. Rates are paid-as-you-go per shipment, with volume, agricultural, non-profit, and employee discounts layered on the regulated rate card. Marketing is sales-led and direct, relying on port drop-off/pickup, the website, customer portal, email updates, and community engagement via the Saltchuk Hawaii Giving Committee.

Name

Young Brothers

Legal name

Young Brothers, Inc.

Website

https://htbyb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Young Brothers is Hawaii's only authorized regularly scheduled interisland water carrier, operating a fleet of eight barges from Honolulu to six neighbor island ports with over 60,000 tons of capacity. It serves individuals, businesses, and farmers through regulated freight, vehicle, container, and charter services under PUC oversight.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Interisland Freight Transportation: Primary revenue from transporting goods and vehicles between Hawaiian islands via barge. Charges are based on cargo type, weight, measurements, and destination per Tariff 5-A. The company operates as a regulated water carrier with rates subject to Hawaii Public Utilities Commission approval.
2. Container and Equipment Rental: Revenue from providing shipping equipment including dry containers, refrigerated containers, flatracks, platforms, and chassis to customers.
3. Vessel Charter Services: Charter of whole vessels (barges and tugs) for larger jobs and bulk cargo shipments within Hawaii and other Pacific destinations.
4. Marine Cargo Insurance: Cargo insurance included in freight charges through Tariff 5-A, an insured tariff. Claims are handled through AON as third-party claims administrator.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Young Brothers is the only regularly scheduled common carrier authorized by the State of Hawaii to provide interisland water transport, operating a fleet of eight barges and supporting tugs with over 60,000 tons combined capacity. The company ships containers, vehicles, refrigerated cargo, hazardous materials, livestock, and bulk goods on 12 weekly roundtrip sailings from a Port of Honolulu hub to six neighbor island ports (Kauai, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, and Hawaii Island) with overnight delivery. Supporting offerings include vessel charter, container and equipment rental, marine cargo insurance, hazardous materials transport, and a self-serve customer portal for reservations and tracking.

Product overview

Young Brothers operates as a single unified interisland freight transportation service—the only regularly scheduled common carrier authorized by the State of Hawaii for water transport between islands. The core offering is barge-based freight shipping with a fleet of eight barges and supporting tugs having over 60,000 tons combined capacity. The product portfolio centers on the main Interisland Barge Freight Service, which encompasses Container Shipping (dry and refrigerated), Vehicle Shipping (automobiles and roll-on/roll-off cargo), Livestock Shipping, and Hazardous Materials Shipping. Supporting services include Vessel Charter for bulk cargo, YB Equipment Rental (containers, platforms, chassis), Marine Cargo Insurance (included in tariff), and an Online Customer Portal for reservations and tracking. Tariff 5A governs all regulated shipments with associated rate schedules and rules. The company also offers specialized programs like the Island Agricultural Product Discount supporting local farmers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Interisland Barge Freight Service Scheduled barge transportation of freight between Hawaiian Islands, serving Oahu, Maui, Hawaii Island, Kauai, Molokai, and Lanai with over 60,000 tons combined capacity across eight barges on 12 weekly roundtrip sailings from the Port of Honolulu hub.
• Container Shipping Full and less-than-container load (LCL) shipping using 20-foot and 40-foot dry containers, refrigerated containers, flatracks, and platforms for oversized cargo, targeted at commercial businesses moving palletized and unpalletized goods.
• Vehicle Shipping Transport of wheeled vehicles including automobiles under 6,500 lbs, motorcycles, trailers, modular homes, heavy construction equipment, farm vehicles, buses, and recreational vehicles via roll-on/roll-off or platform methods, targeted at individuals and commercial vehicle owners.
• Vessel Charter Charter of whole barges (286 to 340 feet in length) and tugs for larger jobs and bulk cargo shipments within Hawaii and other Pacific destinations, targeted at enterprise customers with bulk or oversized cargo needs.
• YB Equipment Rental Rental of 20-foot and 40-foot dry containers, refrigerated containers (temperature range -18°C to 20°C), flatracks, platforms, and chassis for use during shipping, targeted at customers needing equipment as part of their freight shipments.
• Marine Cargo Insurance Cargo insurance included in freight charges through Tariff 5-A (insured tariff), covering loss or damage with automatic coverage up to $5,000 per shipment and additional declared-value coverage available; claims administered by AON.
• Hazardous Materials Shipping Transportation of hazardous materials regulated under 49 CFR 100-185 including explosives, compressed gases, flammable liquids, oxidizers, poisons, radioactive materials, and corrosive materials, requiring hazardous materials shipping certification and special documentation.
• Livestock Shipping Specialized interisland livestock transport with requirements for proper shipping devices, Department of Agriculture certificates, and compliance with Clean Water Act and EPA regulations, targeted at animal handlers and livestock producers.
• Online Customer Portal Web-based self-service portal enabling customers to make reservations for frequently booked cargo, track cargo status, and obtain rate quotes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports over 80% of Hawaii's goods through interisland shipping
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered parent company, industry association and minor.

• Foss Maritimeparent companyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Young Brothers is an independent subsidiary of Foss Maritime, part of the Saltchuk Marine family. Foss provides comprehensive marine transportation and logistical services from local harbor services throughout North America and Hawaiian islands, to ocean towing and project support in extreme environments worldwide.
• Hawaii Harbors Users Groupindustry associationStrategic or Co-development PartnerYoung Brothers is represented by the Hawaii Harbors Users Group, which represents shipping carriers Matson, Pasha Hawaii, and Young Brothers. The group advocates for the Jones Act and domestic shipping interests.
• AMNAV Maritime ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTug and marine transportation company offering ship assist and offshore towing on U.S. West coast. Part of Saltchuk Marine family of companies.
• Cook Inlet Tug & BargeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides ship assist services at Port of Anchorage, construction support, offshore rig and other support. Part of Saltchuk Marine family.
• TOTE Maritime AlaskaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremier provider of ocean transportation between Anchorage, Alaska and Tacoma, Washington. Part of Saltchuk.
• TOTE Maritime Puerto RicominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommon carrier service from U.S. mainland to Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands, operating first LNG-powered containerships in the world. Part of Saltchuk.
• Hawaii Petroleum & Minit StopminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarketing and distribution of petroleum products and convenience stores through subsidiaries. Part of Saltchuk Hawaii Regional Giving Committee.
• Aloha Air CargominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperates Boeing 737 fleet carrying diverse products throughout Hawaii. Part of Saltchuk Aviation and Saltchuk Hawaii Regional Giving Committee.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Crowley Maritime Corporation: Crowley is a major US marine solutions provider with ship assist, harbor services, and energy logistics operations in Hawaii. It is comparable as a large diversified maritime operator with Hawaii exposure and overlapping harbor services, though it is not a scheduled interisland freight competitor.
• Foss Maritime: Foss Maritime is Young Brothers' sister company under Saltchuk, providing harbor services, ship assist, and ocean towing across North America. It is comparable as a Saltchuk marine platform with shared corporate strategy, capital allocation, and operational standards, though it serves different geographies.
• Watco Companies: Watco operates marine and rail transportation services across North America, including harbor and terminal operations. It is comparable as a multi-modal transportation platform with regulated utility-like characteristics and asset-heavy operations.

Others

• TOTE Maritime: TOTE Maritime operates ocean transportation between Tacoma and Anchorage/Puerto Rico as a Saltchuk sister company. While operating in different regions, it shares Saltchuk's corporate governance, capital structure, and Jones Act common carrier business model relevant for comparison.
• Cook Inlet Tug & Barge: Cook Inlet Tug & Barge provides ship assist services at Port of Anchorage and offshore support as a Saltchuk subsidiary. Comparable as a sister Saltchuk marine operator, though its Alaskan focus differs from Young Brothers' Hawaii operations.
• AMNAV Maritime Services: AMNAV provides tug and marine transportation services on the US West Coast as part of the Saltchuk Marine family. Comparable as a Saltchuk-affiliated marine operator sharing corporate strategy, though its US West Coast tug focus differs from Young Brothers' Hawaii freight operations.
• Aloha Air Cargo: Aloha Air Cargo operates Boeing 737 freighters throughout Hawaii as part of Saltchuk Aviation. Comparable as a Saltchuk-affiliated Hawaii freight operator with overlapping customer base, though it provides air freight rather than waterborne service.
• Hawaii Petroleum & Minit Stop: Hawaii Petroleum distributes petroleum products across Hawaii as a Saltchuk sister company. Comparable as part of the Saltchuk Hawaii Regional Giving Committee and broader Hawaii distribution platform, though its energy focus differs from Young Brothers' freight operations.

Direct peers

• Pasha Hawaii: Pasha Hawaii provides roll-on/roll-off vehicle and container shipping between the US West Coast and Hawaii. As a fellow member of the Hawaii Harbors Users Group, it competes for the same Hawaii shipping customer base and is exposed to similar Jones Act regulatory dynamics.
• Matson, Inc. Matson is Hawaii's largest ocean carrier, operating scheduled container and vehicle shipping between the US West Coast and Hawaii. While Matson focuses on mainland-Hawaii routes rather than inter-island, it directly competes for Hawaii-related shipping volumes and is a member of the Hawaii Harbors Users Group alongside Young Brothers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Young Brothers