Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc.
Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. is a privately held U.S.-flag marine transportation company founded in the 1930s, operating a fleet of 60+ tugs and barges from six Pacific Rim offices to serve cargo, petroleum, and offshore industrial customers across the West Coast and Hawaii.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1936
- HeadquartersCoos Bay, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. does
Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. is a privately held U.S.-flag marine transportation company founded in the 1930s (with conflicting source dates of 1936 and 1938) and headquartered in Coos Bay, Oregon. The company provides ocean towing, oil and bulk transportation, heavy transport, ship-assist services, and 24/7 crew boat operations across the Pacific Rim, operating a fleet of more than 60 modern tugs (3,000 to 6,000 HP) and deck barges (6,500 to 17,500 tons) from six regional offices in Oregon, California, and Hawaii. Its proprietary SOMAR shipyard (Southern Oregon Marine, Inc.), established in 1979, constructs, modifies, and maintains the fleet in-house, providing vertical integration that supports rapid vessel customization to customer specifications.
The company generates revenue through transaction-fee-based ocean towing, oil and bulk transport, and heavy transport services, supplemented by shipyard services billed on a professional-services basis. Pricing is custom and quote-based, anchored by multi-year contracts and supported by published tariff documents (Tariff 220, Tariff 330). Customer acquisition is sales-led and relationship-driven, primarily through direct regional offices and a Request a Quote channel on the company website. The customer base spans marine cargo shippers (lumber, plywood, paper, containers, bulk commodities), major oil companies, oil production operators requiring offshore island crew transport, and marine construction firms in port environments.
Sause Bros. holds International Safety Management (ISM) Code certification, ISO 9001 certification, and exceeds major oil company vetting requirements including SIRE and TMSA programs. It is a consistent winner of the Pacific Maritime Association's highest stevedoring safety award and offers U.S. Coast Guard approved in-house training courses. Capital intensity (fleet, shipyard, regulatory certifications) and 80+ years of operational history on the Pacific Rim are the structural features that define its competitive position. No AI/ML, software platform, or technology-stack signals are present in the available data; the business is a traditional industrial maritime services operation.
Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc.
- Legal name
- Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc.
- Website
- https://sause.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1936
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. is a privately held U.S.-flag marine transportation company founded in the 1930s, operating a fleet of 60+ tugs and barges from six Pacific Rim offices to serve cargo, petroleum, and offshore industrial customers across the West Coast and Hawaii.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Marine Transportation Services
- NAICS
- Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation (48311), Coastal and Great Lakes Freight Transportation (483113), Marine Cargo Handling (488320), Ship Building and Repairing (336611)
- SIC
- Water Transportation (4400), Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Coastal/Sea Towage (Long-Distance Towing of Vessels/Barges) (TLAHAHAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Harbor & Terminal Tugs (ASD/Voith, Escort Tugs) (IMAJADAA), Launch & Retrieval Infrastructure (Slipways, Cradles, Travel Lifts, Launching Systems) (IMAJALAE), Heavy Lift & Marine Recovery (Cranes, Barges, Jack-up Support) (TLAHAIAF), Stevedoring & Vessel Loading/Discharging (Ship-to-Shore Operations) (TLAHALAA)
Keywords
Where Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Coos Bay
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Ocean Towing Services: Provides ocean towing services with tugs from 3,000 HP to 6,000 HP for cargo transportation across the Pacific Rim.
- Oil & Bulk Transportation: Transportation of petroleum products and bulk commodities using Bay Class barges with ISM and ISO 9001 certifications. Services exceed major oil company vetting requirements including SIRE and TMSA programs.
- Heavy Transport: Special project cargo transportation using deck barges from 17,500 tons to 6,500 tons capacity for inner harbor and overseas transport.
- Shipyard Services: Construction, modification and maintenance of vessels through SOMAR shipyard, including building vessels to customer specifications.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom quote-based pricing based on cargo specifications and route |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sause Bros. provides marine transportation services across the Pacific Rim using a fleet of 60+ modern tugs (3,000–6,000 HP) and deck barges (6,500–17,500 tons). Core services include ocean towing, oil and bulk transportation of petroleum products via Bay Class barges, heavy/oversized project cargo transport, and shipyard construction/maintenance through its SOMAR subsidiary.
Product overview
Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. is a marine transportation services company providing a comprehensive suite of maritime operations. The core offering consists of Ocean Towing (using tugs from 3,000-6,000 HP), Oil & Bulk Transportation (Bay Class barges for petroleum products), Shipyard services through SOMAR (vessel construction and maintenance), and Heavy Transport (deck barges 6,500-17,500 tons). Additional services include Vessel Tracking for customer convenience. The company operates from six primary locations along the Pacific Rim (Coos Bay, Portland, Rainier, Long Beach, Richmond, and Honolulu) and maintains a fleet of over 60 modern tugs and barges. The product architecture is service-based rather than software-platform based.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SOMAR (Southern Oregon Marine, Inc.): Shipyard subsidiary that constructs, modifies, and maintains the fleet of tugs and barges
Products and services
- Ocean Towing Ocean towing services using a fleet of tugs from 3,000 HP to 6,000 HP, providing line-haul transportation across the Pacific Rim under International Safety Management (ISM) Code certification.
- Oil & Bulk Transportation Fuel-efficient and safe transportation of petroleum products and bulk commodities using Bay Class barges, meeting major oil company vetting requirements including SIRE and TMSA programs under ISM and ISO 9001 certifications.
- Shipyard (SOMAR) Vessel construction, modification and maintenance services through the Southern Oregon Marine, Inc. (SOMAR) shipyard subsidiary, building lumber barges, covered house barges, double hull liquid cargo barges, and line haul and ship assist tugs to specification.
- Heavy Transport Specialized project cargo transportation inner harbor and overseas using deck barges ranging from 6,500 tons to 17,500 tons capacity for oversized, overweight and specialty cargoes.
Companies that use Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc.
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- SOMAR (Southern Oregon Marine, Inc.)coreSOMAR is Sause Bros.'s own shipyard subsidiary established in 1979 that constructs, modifies, and maintains the company's fleet of tugs and barges. Located in southern Oregon, SOMAR enables rapid adaptation to market changes and customer needs by building vessels to specifications. SOMAR has constructed lumber barges, covered house barges, double hull liquid cargo barges, and line haul and ship assist tugs.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Foss Maritime: Foss Maritime is a Seattle-based tug and barge operator serving the Pacific Rim with a comparable fleet profile and West Coast port presence, making it Sause Bros.'s closest direct competitor in ocean towing and harbor services.
- Harley Marine Services: Harley Marine Services operates a tug and barge fleet on the U.S. West Coast with overlapping petroleum and bulk transport services. It is directly comparable in fleet composition and customer type to Sause Bros.'s Bay Class operations.
- Brusco Tug & Barge: Brusco Tug & Barge is a family-owned West Coast tug and barge operator with services overlapping Sause Bros.'s harbor assist and ocean towing business, particularly in California and Pacific Northwest ports.
- American Navigation (AmNav): AmNav operates tug and barge services on the U.S. West Coast, including harbor towing and petroleum transport. It directly competes with Sause Bros. in the Pacific Northwest and California harbor segments.
Broad incumbents
- Crowley Maritime Corporation: Crowley is one of the largest U.S.-flag marine operators with tug, barge, and broader logistics services across the West Coast and beyond. It competes with Sause Bros. on petroleum transport and harbor services but operates at substantially larger scale and scope.
- Bouchard Transportation: Bouchard operates a large tug and barge fleet primarily on the U.S. East Coast with significant petroleum and bulk transport. It is comparable to Sause Bros. in fleet capability and customer type but serves a different primary geography.
- McAllister Towing & Transportation: McAllister Towing is a long-established U.S.-flag tug and barge operator with similar ship-assist and ocean towing services. It competes in adjacent markets and is comparable in business model and vessel type, though concentrated on the East Coast.
- Moran Towing Corporation: Moran Towing is one of the oldest U.S. tug operators providing harbor towing and ocean transport services. While primarily East Coast, its fleet profile and petroleum/bulk customer base are highly comparable to Sause Bros.'s offering.
- Kirby Corporation: Kirby is the largest U.S. inland and coastal tank barge operator with substantial petroleum transport capacity. While primarily inland-focused, its marine transportation segment competes with Sause Bros. for bulk liquid cargo contracts.
Regional players
- Bay Delta Maritime: Bay Delta Maritime provides harbor and assist towing services primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a regional competitor to Sause Bros.'s expanding Richmond, California operations.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. social profiles
Digital presenceSause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. 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 Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc.
What does Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. do?
Sause Bros. provides marine transportation services across the Pacific Rim using a fleet of 60+ modern tugs (3,000–6,000 HP) and deck barges (6,500–17,500 tons). Core services include ocean towing, oil and bulk transportation of petroleum products via Bay Class barges, heavy/oversized project cargo transport, and shipyard construction/maintenance through its SOMAR subsidiary.
Is Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. a public or private company?
Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. founded?
Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. was founded in 1936. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. based?
Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. is headquartered in Coos Bay, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Ocean Towing Services are the primary driver. The others are oil & Bulk Transportation, heavy Transport and shipyard Services.
Who are Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc.'s main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Foss Maritime, Harley Marine Services, Brusco Tug & Barge and American Navigation (AmNav). Broad incumbents are Crowley Maritime Corporation, Bouchard Transportation, McAllister Towing & Transportation, Moran Towing Corporation and Kirby Corporation. Bay Delta Maritime is listed as a regional player.
Does Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc..
What industry is Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc. in?
Sause Bros. Ocean Towing Co., Inc.'s product category is Marine Transportation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAHAHAE, Coastal/Sea Towage (Long-Distance Towing of Vessels/Barges), with a secondary code of IMAJADAA, Harbor & Terminal Tugs (ASD/Voith, Escort Tugs). Its NAICS code is 48311 and its SIC code is 4400.