Donjon-Smit
DONJON-SMIT is a privately held joint venture between Donjon Marine and SMIT Salvage that provides OPA-90 compliance, marine salvage, firefighting, lightering, and environmental response services to vessel owners and operators in U.S. waters.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersHouston, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Donjon-Smit does
DONJON-SMIT is a privately held joint venture, formed in December 2004 between Donjon Marine Co., Inc. (Hillside, NJ) and SMIT Salvage Americas, Inc. (Houston, TX), that delivers OPA-90 compliance and marine casualty response services to vessel owners and operators trading in U.S. waters. Its portfolio centers on six core services - marine salvage, marine firefighting, lightering, damaged stability calculations (naval architecture), drills and training (NPREP-certified), and environmental care - delivered by multidisciplinary teams of salvage masters, naval architects, divers, firefighting specialists, and marine pollution responders. Differentiated technical assets include purpose-built lightering equipment (specialized fendering, diesel hydraulic-driven pumps, portable inert gas generators), spill-free "hot-tap" extraction technology for removing fluids from wrecks, and damaged stability calculation files used to support salvage engineering.
Donjon-Smit firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Donjon-Smit
- Legal name
- DONJON-SMIT
- Website
- https://donjon-smit.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- DONJON-SMIT is a privately held joint venture between Donjon Marine and SMIT Salvage that provides OPA-90 compliance, marine salvage, firefighting, lightering, and environmental response services to vessel owners and operators in U.S. waters.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Donjon-Smit industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Marine Salvage and Emergency Response Services
- NAICS
- Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)
- SIC
- Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Firefighting & Casualty Stabilization (Marine Fire, De-watering) (IMAJANAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Environmental, Waste & Emissions Control Systems (Wastewater, VOC Capture, Spill Response) (IMAJALAK), Underwater Inspection, Maintenance & Repair (UWILD, Diving/ROV, In-water Cleaning) (IMAJAFAJ)
Keywords
Where Donjon-Smit is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Houston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Donjon-Smit business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- OPA-90 Compliance Services: Contracted emergency response services for vessel owners and operators required to maintain OPA-90 compliance. Services include pre-arranged salvage, firefighting, and lightering coverage with vessel response plan support.
- Emergency Salvage Response: Round-the-clock marine salvage operations including grounding, collision, fire response, diving, heavy lift engineering, pumping and towing services.
- Marine Firefighting Services: Specialized marine firefighting services with highly-trained, experienced firefighting teams fully equipped to extinguish shipboard fires swiftly and safely.
- Emergency Lightering Services: Ship-to-ship lightering operations to reduce vessel draft in emergency conditions, executed following international protocols using specialized equipment.
- Drills and Training Services: Vessel Response Plan readiness drills, exercises, and training activities certified within Coast Guard's National Preparedness and Response Training Program (NPREP).
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Donjon-Smit product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DONJON-SMIT provides round-the-clock OPA-90 compliance coverage and emergency marine casualty response services for vessel owners and operators trading in U.S. waters. Core services include marine salvage, marine firefighting, emergency lightering, damaged stability calculations, drills and training, and environmental care/pollution prevention. The company operates a coast-to-coast emergency response network spanning Guam to St. Thomas and Florida to Alaska, delivering services through specialized teams, state-of-the-art equipment, and over $100M in working capital.
Product overview
DONJON-SMIT is a marine salvage and casualty response joint venture formed in December 2004 between Donjon Marine Co., Inc. (Hillside, NJ) and SMIT Salvage Americas, Inc. (Houston, TX). The company provides a unified portfolio of marine emergency response services centered around OPA-90 compliance coverage, comprising six core service offerings: Marine Salvage, Marine Firefighting, Lightering, Damaged Stability Calculations, Drills and Training, and Environmental Care. These services are delivered through a strategically positioned emergency response network across the entire United States, with 24/7 availability. The portfolio is complemented by a web-based client portal for compliance documentation access.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Marine Salvage
Quantifiable outcome
- Successfully prevented spillage of millions of tons of oil, chemicals and bunkers from wrecks
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Donjon-Smit
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Donjon-Smit technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Donjon-Smit partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Ardent Americas LLCcoreDONJON-SMIT acquired Ardent Americas LLC, a maritime emergency response specialist and leading OPA-90 provider in the United States. Ardent Americas was established in 2015 following the merger of Svitzer Salvage and Titan Salvage, operating from Houston and Fort Lauderdale. The company was a subsidiary of Ardent Global Marine Services headquartered in the Netherlands. Ardent Americas OPA-90 program covered approximately 500 shipowners encompassing over 4,000 vessels. This acquisition expanded DONJON-SMIT's market position in marine emergency response services.
- Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC)coreDONJON-SMIT and MSRC established a cooperative alliance to assist shipowners with OPA-90 services. The alliance supports both tank and non-tank vessel owners, enabling non-tank vessel owners to establish pre-arranged agreements with both DONJON-SMIT and MSRC required under NTVRP regulations. The partnership includes cooperation between the two companies in the event of a spill response or salvage/firefighting incident. MSRC is the largest, dedicated oil spill and emergency response organization in the United States and a not-for-profit, US Coast Guard Classified Oil Spill Removal Organization (OSRO) formed in 1990, funded by the Marine Preservation Association (MPA).
- International Salvage Union (ISU)minorDONJON-SMIT parent companies maintain membership in the International Salvage Union (ISU), a professional organization for the salvage industry. Members of DONJON-SMIT have served as office-holders and executive board members within these organizations.
- American Salvage Association (ASA)minorDONJON-SMIT parent companies maintain membership in the American Salvage Association (ASA), a professional organization for the salvage industry in the United States. Members of DONJON-SMIT have served as office-holders and executive board members within these organizations.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Donjon-Smit competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Resolve Marine Group: Major international marine salvage and emergency response company and fellow ISU member; competes for the same global OPA-90 and emergency towage contracts that DONJON-SMIT targets with US-flag and Jones Act compliant tugs.
- T&T Salvage: US-based marine salvage and emergency response operator offering 24/7 salvage, firefighting, and lightering services—directly overlapping DONJON-SMIT's core service portfolio and competing for OPA-90 enrollments.
- Ardent Global Partners: Direct competitor formed from the merger of Svitzer Salvage and Titan Salvage; Ardent Americas was divested to DONJON-SMIT in 2020, but Ardent continues to operate salvage and OPA-90 response services globally and is a leading head-to-head rival.
Regional players
- Bouchard Transportation: Family-owned US tug and barge operator with emergency response and salvage capability in the US Atlantic and Gulf; comparable operating territory and customer base (tank vessel operators) as DONJON-SMIT.
Emerging players
- Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC): Largest dedicated US oil spill and emergency response OSRO; DONJON-SMIT's strategic alliance partner under OPA-90 services. Comparable in spill response scope though differentiated in salvage and firefighting capability.
Broad incumbents
- Moran Towing & Salvage: Established US East Coast and Gulf tug/salvage operator with harbor towing and emergency response services that overlap geographically with DONJON-SMIT's lightering and salvage work.
- Tidewater Marine (emergency response division): Large offshore vessel operator with marine emergency response capabilities and a global fleet that could be deployed for salvage support; overlaps with DONJON-SMIT in vessel-owner services for upstream energy and offshore operators.
- Boskalis Westminster (Boskalis Salvage): Diversified maritime services giant with a global salvage division; broader portfolio includes dredging and offshore energy, but the salvage arm pursues the same worldwide casualty response market as DONJON-SMIT.
- Crowley Maritime (Crowley Solutions / Salvage & Emergency Response): Large integrated marine services company with US-flag vessel capabilities used in salvage and OPA-90 response; broader portfolio spans logistics and energy, but the salvage arm competes for the same federal and commercial emergency response contracts.
Others
- U.S. Navy Supervisor of Salvage (SUPSALV): Government entity within Naval Sea Systems Command that manages US Navy and federal salvage contracting—directly comparable as a buyer and competitor for large-salvage requirements that DONJON-SMIT supports via long-standing Navy contracts.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Donjon-Smit social profiles
Digital presenceDonjon-Smit financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Donjon-Smit leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Donjon-Smit subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Donjon-Smit funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Donjon-Smit M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Donjon-Smit
What does Donjon-Smit do?
DONJON-SMIT provides round-the-clock OPA-90 compliance coverage and emergency marine casualty response services for vessel owners and operators trading in U.S. waters. Core services include marine salvage, marine firefighting, emergency lightering, damaged stability calculations, drills and training, and environmental care/pollution prevention. The company operates a coast-to-coast emergency response network spanning Guam to St. Thomas and Florida to Alaska, delivering services through specialized teams, state-of-the-art equipment, and over $100M in working capital.
Is Donjon-Smit a public or private company?
Donjon-Smit is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Donjon-Smit founded?
Donjon-Smit was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Donjon-Smit based?
Donjon-Smit is headquartered in Houston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Donjon-Smit make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. OPA-90 Compliance Services are the primary driver. The others are emergency Salvage Response, marine Firefighting Services, emergency Lightering Services and drills and Training Services.
Who are Donjon-Smit's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Resolve Marine Group, T&T Salvage and Ardent Global Partners. Bouchard Transportation is listed as a regional player. Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Moran Towing & Salvage, Tidewater Marine (emergency response division), Boskalis Westminster (Boskalis Salvage) and Crowley Maritime (Crowley Solutions / Salvage & Emergency Response). U.S. Navy Supervisor of Salvage (SUPSALV) is listed as an others.
Does Donjon-Smit have an API?
No public API is recorded for Donjon-Smit.
What industry is Donjon-Smit in?
Donjon-Smit's product category is Marine Salvage and Emergency Response Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAJANAG, Firefighting & Casualty Stabilization (Marine Fire, De-watering), with a secondary code of IMAJALAK, Environmental, Waste & Emissions Control Systems (Wastewater, VOC Capture, Spill Response). Its NAICS code is 336611 and its SIC code is 3730.