Sterling Equipment

What Sterling Equipment does

Sterling Equipment, Inc. is a privately held East Coast marine and heavy civil equipment rental company headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts, founded circa 1998 and led by President Robert (Bobby D) DeCrescenzo and Vice President Mark Quinn. The company operates two divisions — a Heavy Division (cranes, excavators, buckets) and a Marine Division (barges, dredges, scows, tugs) — and rents a fleet that includes barge-mounted cranes from 50 to 750 tons (notably the Manitowoc 4600 Ringer and the 750-ton capacity unit, the largest floating revolving crane on the East Coast), ABS Deck and Spud barges, hopper and Flexifloat modular barges (100+ Series S70 Flexi Floats), split-hull dump scows with 3,300–5,000 cubic yard capacity and ABS International Loadline certification, tugboats from 450 HP to 3,000 HP, dredge equipment, and winch/anchor systems. Sterling also markets pre-owned Acrow 700XS truss bridge assets for resale.

Sterling earns revenue through five streams: subscription/multi-year rental of marine and heavy civil equipment, one-time equipment sales (including spud barges, winches, engines, crane components, and the Acrow bridge inventory), transaction-fee ship lightering services in the Northeast, professional-services stevedoring and bulk cargo handling at its 900' Quincy pier, and project-based marine logistics. The customer base is concentrated in marine construction companies and heavy civil contractors (Ferreira Construction, Cardi Corporation), energy clients (Iberdrola), and specialized marine transportation buyers (Meever USA), with projects typically secured as subcontracts to general contractors. Operating geographies cover the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf of Mexico, with physical infrastructure spanning the Quincy, MA headquarters (3 acres of laydown, welding/fabrication shop, rail access, USCG-approved Facility Security Plan, MTSA compliance) and a Staten Island, NY staging yard.

Differentiated capabilities include 750-ton heavy-lift salvage capacity, time-critical mobilization, full-project logistics design (e.g., the 86-beam Sakonnet River Bridge delivery and the 250,000-ton Haverstraw-to-Sewaren gravel move), and ABS/Oceans-classed vessels suitable for government and energy-sector work. The commercial posture remains sales-led — phone (1-888-MRBARGE), website inquiry forms, and 25+ years of subcontract-driven reputation — with no digital marketing channels or software offerings evident.

Name

Sterling Equipment

Legal name

Sterling Equipment, Inc.

Website

https://sterlingequipment.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sterling Equipment is a privately held Quincy, MA-based barge and marine equipment rental company serving East Coast marine construction, heavy civil, energy, and infrastructure clients with a fleet that includes the largest 750-ton floating crane on the East Coast, ABS-certified dump scows, Flexifloats, tugs, and dredge equipment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Equipment Rental

NAICS

Construction, Mining, and Forestry Machinery and Equipment Rental and Leasing (532412), Marine Cargo Handling (488320), Marine Cargo Handling (48832), Ship Building and Repairing (336611)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350), Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530), Industrial Trucks, Tractors, Trailors & Stackers (3537), Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730), Wholesale-Construction & Mining (No Petro) Machinery & Equip (5082)

akta.pro primary industry

Gear & Lifting Equipment Rental (Cranes, Spreaders, Forklifts, Reach Stackers) (TLAHALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cargo Handling & Lifting Equipment (Cranes, Derricks, Hoists) (IMAJAIAB), Heavy Lift & Marine Recovery (Cranes, Barges, Jack-up Support) (TLAHAIAF), Heavy Lifting & Material Handling Infrastructure (Goliath Cranes, Jib Cranes, Hoists) (IMAJALAD), Marine Terminals & Cargo Handling Infrastructure (RoRo, Bulk, Container) (IMAFAJAF)

Keywords

• Barge rental
• Marine equipment leasing
• Floating crane rental
• Marine logistics
• Salvage operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Quincy

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Equipment Rentals: Rental and charter of marine equipment including barges, cranes, tugs, excavators, dump scows, hopper barges, flexifloat systems, and winch/anchor equipment. Equipment provided from various locations along the Eastern Seaboard.
2. Acrow Bridge Sales: Sale of pre-owned Acrow 700XS Truss Bridge assets - 2200 ft/670m of bridge span available for purchase.
3. Equipment Sales: Sale of owned marine equipment including spud barges, winches, engines, and crane components.
4. Ship Lightering Services: Ship lightering services throughout the Northeast - offloading cargo from vessels.
5. Stevedoring and Bulk Cargo Handling: Bulk cargo handling, stevedoring, and mobilization services at Quincy facility pier.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sterling Equipment rents and leases marine construction equipment including barges, floating and crawler cranes (50 to 750 tons), tugs, excavators, dump scows, hopper barges, Flexifloat modular barges, dredge equipment, and winch/anchor systems to marine construction and heavy civil contractors along the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf of Mexico. The company also provides complementary services such as ship lightering, stevedoring, shipyard repair, marine logistics, and wreck removal/salvage, and sells pre-owned Acrow 700XS Truss Bridge assets.

Product overview

Sterling Equipment operates as an East Coast barge and marine equipment rental company offering a diverse fleet of waterborne assets through its Heavy Division (cranes, excavators, buckets) and Marine Division (barges, dredges, scows, tugs). The core offering is a rental/leasing/charter model for equipment including various barge types (ABS Deck, ABS Spud, Inland Deck, Inland Spud, Hopper), crawler and floating cranes (50-750 ton capacity), tugboats (450HP-3000HP), excavators with attachments, dump scows (3300-5000 cubic yards), dredge equipment, winch and anchor systems, and Flexifloat modular barge systems. The company also sells pre-owned Acrow 700XS modular bridge systems. Service capabilities complement the equipment fleet, including bulk cargo handling and stevedoring, ship lightering, ship yard repair, marine logistics/transportation, and wreck removal/salvage operations. Equipment is maintained in top condition and available from various East Coast and Gulf of Mexico locations at reasonable rates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Barge Rental Rental of various barge types including ABS Deck Barges, ABS Spud Barges, Inland Deck Barges, Inland Spud Barges, Hopper Barges, Ramp Barges, and Anchor Handling Barges located along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico, for marine construction and heavy civil customers.
• Crane Rental Rental of barge-mounted crawler cranes ranging from 50-ton hydraulic crawler cranes up to the 750-ton ringer crane, offering mobilization savings for marine construction customers.
• Floating Crane Rental Rental of floating crane vessels including the largest barge-mounted revolving crane on the East Coast with 750-ton capacity, along with Manitowoc 4600 and 4100 Ringer Cranes mounted on spud barges, for heavy lift marine operations.
• Tug Rental Rental of tugboats ranging from 450HP pushboats to 3000HP model bow tugs, plus crewboats with USCG Certificate of Inspection, available for bare boat or time charter.
• Excavator Rental Rental of material handlers and excavation equipment with attachments including long reach booms, sticks, grapples, hydraulic clamshell buckets, and shears, for marine and heavy civil construction.
• Dump Scow Rental

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,000 tons per day transport capacity demonstrated in 2016 gravel project
• +2 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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Meever USAminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Contract for steel pipe transportation - 650 tons of 115-foot long, 36-inch diameter pipe transported from Tioga Terminals in Philadelphia, PA to Astoria, Queens, NY.
• Ferreira ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Subcontract agreement for gravel transportation and off-loading project. Sterling provided tug and hopper barge fleet, conveyor system setup, and 150-foot shore offloading capability. Project moved 250,000 tons of gravel from Haverstraw, NY to Sewaren, NJ.
• Iberdrola EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Subcontract for Salem, MA power plant project. Sterling coordinated all transportation logistics for major components from worldwide ports, provided crane barge and crew for offloading, and completed project in March 2017.
• Cardi CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Waterborne heavy hauling partnership for $160 million Sakonnet River Bridge project. Sterling designed and managed entire logistics for 86 precast beam deliveries from Tennessee manufacturing plant to Tiverton, RI site.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cashman Equipment Corp. Cashman Equipment provides heavy marine equipment rental, marine construction, and dredging services, including barge and crane fleets, primarily in the Northeast U.S. Directly comparable to Sterling's Boston/Northeast focus and heavy-lift barge rental operations.
• Weeks Marine: Weeks Marine is a major U.S. marine construction, dredging, and tunneling contractor with a large fleet of hopper dredges, barges, and heavy-lift equipment. Comparable to Sterling in marine construction fleet, dredge equipment rental, and East Coast/Gulf project execution.
• Donjon Marine: Donjon Marine is a leading U.S. East Coast provider of marine salvage, wreck removal, dredging, and heavy-lift crane services. Directly comparable to Sterling's floating crane fleet (including ringer cranes) and salvage/wreck removal operations, serving the same government and maritime contractor customers.
• T&T Salvage: T&T Salvage is a U.S. emergency response, wreck removal, and marine salvage company with heavy-lift crane barges. Directly comparable to Sterling's wreck removal and salvage operations and floating crane capability for time-critical marine casualty response.
• McDonough Marine (Orion): McDonough Marine (now part of Orion Marine Group) operates one of the largest inland and harbor marine construction fleets on the East and Gulf Coasts, including barges, tugs, and cranes. Directly comparable to Sterling for barge rentals, stevedoring, and marine heavy civil project work in overlapping geographies.
• Corman Marine Construction: Corman Marine Construction provides marine construction services on the East Coast with its own fleet of barges, cranes, and tugs. Comparable to Sterling for barge-mounted crane rentals, bridge/infrastructure work, and subcontract-based project delivery in similar geographies.

Emerging players

• Acrow Bridge: Acrow Bridge designs, manufactures, and supplies modular steel bridging systems. Comparable to Sterling's Acrow 700XS inventory and represents the OEM counterpart for Sterling's modular bridge sale and rental business line.

Others

• Foss Maritime: Foss Maritime is a major West Coast-based marine services company with tugs, barges, and heavy-lift equipment. Comparable in barge and tug rental, ship assist, and heavy-lift capabilities, though geographically focused on the West Coast and broader in scope.

Regional players

• Crescent Towing & Salvage: Crescent Towing & Salvage provides tug, barge, and salvage services in the Gulf of Mexico region. Comparable as a regional marine services peer operating in Sterling's Gulf geography, with overlap in tugs, barges, and heavy-lift marine operations.

Broad incumbents

• Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation: Great Lakes Dredge & Dock is the largest provider of dredging services in the U.S. and operates a substantial marine equipment fleet. Comparable as a broad incumbent in marine construction and dredging, though larger and more diversified than Sterling's regional focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100062981781963
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sterling-equipment-inc

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Sterling Equipment