Bisso Towboat

What Bisso Towboat does

Bisso Towboat Co., Inc. is a privately held ship-assist tugboat operator founded in 1890 and headquartered in Luling, Louisiana, providing vessel docking, maneuvering, and escort services along the Lower Mississippi River from the river mouth to Baton Rouge. The company operates a 10-vessel fleet of Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) Tractor Tugs with a combined 51,056 horsepower and an average tug age of 11.9 years, making it the only ship-assist operator on the river with a 100% ASD tractor tug fleet. Vessels are built exclusively by Main Iron Works in Houma, Louisiana, powered by Caterpillar engines, and equipped with Kongsberg Z-Drive propulsion systems, JonRie escort winches, AIS transponders, infrared vision systems, and USCG-approved safety monitoring.

Bisso serves shipping companies, vessel operators, port authorities, and pilot associations on a 24/7 basis, with the underlying technology (360-degree rotating Z-Drives) enabling precision maneuvering, reduced tug count per job, and safe handling of vessels up to 165,000 tons. The company is differentiated by an average captain tenure of 27 years and a workforce experienced in the river's unique current and weather conditions. Pricing is tariff-based and transaction-tied to ship-assist jobs rather than disclosed publicly. On October 2, 2025, Bisso was acquired by Moran Towing Corporation, a privately held maritime services firm founded in 1860 that operates in 17 U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports.

Name

Bisso Towboat

Legal name

Bisso Towboat Co., Inc.

Website

https://bissotowing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1890

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Bisso Towboat is a privately held ship-assist tugboat operator founded in 1890, providing vessel docking and maneuvering services on the Lower Mississippi River using a 10-vessel fleet of ASD Tractor Tugs. It was acquired by Moran Towing Corporation in October 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Ship-Assist Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Ship-assist services
• Tugboat operations
• Marine towing
• Vessel docking services
• River transportation support

Headquarters

HQ city

Luling

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ship-Assist Services: Tugboat services for assisting and docking vessels along the Mississippi River from the mouth to Baton Rouge. Services include moving large ships, precision docking, and ship maneuvering operations.
2. Tariff-Based Pricing: Services priced according to published tariff information including rates, terms, and conditions for ship-assist operations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bisso Towboat provides 24/7 ship-assist tugboat services on the Mississippi River from the river mouth to Baton Rouge, using an exclusively ASD (Azimuth Stern Drive) Tractor Tug fleet. The service includes vessel docking, ship maneuvering, and escort operations for large commercial ships and cargo vessels navigating the challenging currents of the lower Mississippi River. Founded in 1890, the company operates 10 ASD tractor tugs with a combined 51,056 horsepower, serving shipping companies, port authorities, and pilot associations along a 234-mile corridor.

Product overview

Bisso Towboat operates a single unified fleet of 10 ASD (Azimuth Stern Drive) Tractor Tugs that deliver ship-assist services along the Mississippi River from the mouth to Baton Rouge. The fleet includes named vessels (Mr. Brian, Andrew S., Becky S., Capt. Joseph Bisso, Liz Healy, Alma S., Michael S., William S., Mr. Ruben, Cecilia B. Slatten, and Allison S.) with horsepower ranging from 4,000 to 6,008 BHP and bollard pull from 53.7 to 76.2 tons. The vessels are constructed exclusively by Main Iron Works in Houma, Louisiana, and powered by Caterpillar engines with Kongsberg Z-Drive propulsion systems from Rolls Royce. The ship-assist service leverages the fleet's tractor tug technology to move and dock vessels with precision.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ship-Assist Tugboat Services Core 24/7 ship-assist service providing vessel movement, docking, and maneuvering assistance on the Mississippi River from the river mouth to Baton Rouge (mile 0 to mile 234). The service uses ASD tractor tugs to safely move large commercial ships with precision in challenging river currents.
• ASD Tractor Tug Fleet Operations Unified fleet of 10 Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) Tractor Tugs with Z-Drive propulsion systems providing 360-degree propeller rotation for precise ship-assist maneuvering. Total fleet horsepower of 51,056 BHP, with an average tug age of 11.9 years and average horsepower per tug of 4,641 BHP. The fleet is the only 100% ASD tractor tug operation on the Mississippi River.
• M/V Mr. Brian ASD Tractor Tug
• Vessel Escort and Towing Services Towing and escort operations for vessels on the Mississippi River, supported by JonRie Series 240 Escort Winches with 500 feet of 2 3/4 inch Saturn 12 line. Services are provided to support safe vessel transit through the river corridor in collaboration with pilot associations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average captain tenure of 27 years indicates exceptional crew experience and retention
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• Moran Towing CorporationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 October 2025Moran Towing Corporation acquired Bisso Towboat as a long-term investment in the growth of New Orleans and the lower Mississippi River region. Moran was founded in 1860, operates in 17 ports along U.S. East and Gulf Coasts, and has operated in New Orleans since 2006. Both are family-owned, privately operated companies with shared values around employee treatment and customer service.
• Phelps DunbarminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 2 October 2025Law firm that represented Bisso Towboat in the acquisition transaction with Moran Towing Corporation.
• Main Iron WorkscoreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary tugboat builder constructing ASD Tractor Tugs from the ground up at their facility in Houma, Louisiana. Described as 'the best tugboat builders in the United States' by President Scott Slatten.
• KongsbergcoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of US205S Z-Drive propulsion systems featuring 2400MM diameter four-blade stainless steel propellers in stainless steel nozzles. Z-Drives enable 360-degree propeller rotation for superior maneuverability.
• CaterpillarcoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of main engines (3516E Tier 4F) generating 2500 BHP each at 1600 RPM, and C4.4 engines for generators. Fleet uses exclusively Caterpillar power systems.

Scale indicators8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Moran Towing Corporation: Parent company of Bisso Towboat since October 2025, Moran Towing operates harbor towing and ship-assist services in 17 U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports. Most directly comparable peer — same services, overlapping customer base, and now part of the same corporate group.
• Bouchard Transportation Co. Provides harbor towing, ship-assist, and barge transport services primarily in New York Harbor and the U.S. East Coast. Comparable in tugboat fleet and service delivery to commercial vessel operators.
• Vane Brothers Company: Provides ship-assist, barge towing, and bunkering services primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Gulf ports. Comparable in tugboat operations and commercial shipping customer base.
• Dann Ocean Towing: Harbor towing and ship-assist operator serving East Coast and Gulf ports with tugboat services comparable to Bisso's offering. Similar in customer base (shipping companies) and operational model.
• Crescent Towing & Salvage: Operates harbor towing and ship-assist services in the lower Mississippi River and Gulf Coast, directly competing with Bisso for the same vessel customers along the New Orleans to Baton Rouge corridor.
• Foss Maritime Company: Major U.S. tug and barge operator providing ship-assist, harbor towing, and ocean transport, primarily on the West Coast, Hawaii, and Gulf. Operates ASD tractor tugs similar to Bisso's fleet.
• McAllister Towing & Transportation: One of the largest U.S. harbor towing operators, providing ship-assist and barge towing on the East and Gulf Coasts. Comparable in service offering and customer base (commercial vessel operators, port authorities).
• Sause Bros. Towing: Operates harbor towing and ship-assist services on the U.S. West Coast and Hawaii with a fleet of ASD tractor tugs. Similar in fleet composition and service offering.
• Seabulk Towing: Operates harbor towing and ship-assist services in U.S. Gulf and Caribbean ports. Directly comparable in tugboat operations and commercial maritime customer base.

Regional players

• Ingram Marine Group: Operates one of the largest U.S. inland barge fleets on the Mississippi River system. While primarily a barge operator rather than tug-assisted ship-assist, it is a key counterpart and customer in the same Mississippi River corridor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bisso-towboat

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Bisso Towboat