National Maritime Services

What National Maritime Services does

National Maritime Services is a Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based specialty firm founded in 1991 by G. Robert 'Bob' Toney that provides vessel seizure, arrest, custody, and receivership services worldwide for pleasure yachts, commercial ships, and other maritime assets including bunker fuel, cargo, containers, and brown water equipment. The firm acts as a court-appointed substitute custodian, providing on-board watchmen, maintenance, insurance placement, crew management, vessel tracking, and safe-keeping services during admiralty and maritime legal proceedings, and additionally markets vessels through international sealed bid auctions, US Marshals Service courthouse auctions, and court-supervised sales.

The company is not a technology business. Its operational capability rests on domain expertise held by a small senior team (founder Bob Toney with 16 years of banking experience, president Alan Swimmer with 40+ years in yacht finance and prior management of more than $4 billion in aircraft, yacht, and recreational vehicle loan origination, and VP of Operations Bill O'Dell, a retired US Navy Chief Petty Officer), together with a global contact network enabling vessel location often within 24 hours. Interactive websites generate over 2 million monthly page views and attract buyers and brokers from over fifty countries, functioning as a distribution channel for vessel sales rather than a software product.

Revenue is generated through three streams: court-appointed custodial services for vessels under legal arrest (professional services fees negotiated per assignment); contracts with US federal agencies including the US Marshals Service, US Department of Justice, and US Department of Treasury, as well as local law enforcement (managed services); and commissions on vessel sales and sealed bid auctions (transaction fees). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Client engagement is driven by court appointments, government procurement, and direct relationships with maritime attorneys, mortgagee banks, lien claimants, salvage claimants, and unpaid crew, supported by industry conference participation and educational programs rather than traditional outbound sales. The firm is affiliated with National Liquidators (yacht auction and repossession) and Maritime Capital Group (vessel financing), and holds strategic partnerships with Fraser Yachts and Compass Maritime for international auction administration and commercial ship sales.

Name

National Maritime Services

Legal name

National Maritime Services, inc.

Website

https://vesselarrest.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

National Maritime Services, founded in 1991 and based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, provides global vessel seizure, arrest, custody, and receivership services as a court-appointed substitute custodian for maritime attorneys, mortgagee banks, US federal agencies including the Marshals Service and DOJ, and commercial vessel owners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Lauderdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Custodial Services: Court-appointed substitute custodian services for vessels under legal arrest, providing security, maintenance, crew management, and operational oversight during litigation or forfeiture proceedings. Revenue earned through appointed fee arrangements.
2. Government Contracts: Contracts with US federal agencies including US Marshals Service, US Department of Justice, and US Department of Treasury for vessel seizure, custody, and disposition services.
3. Vessel Sales and Auctions: Facilitating vessel sales and sealed bid auctions as court-appointed sales agent or commercial advisor, earning commissions on successful transactions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

National Maritime Services is a global provider of seizure, arrest, custody, and receivership services for pleasure yachts, commercial ships, and related maritime assets such as bunker fuel, cargo, containers, and brown water equipment. The company acts as a court-appointed substitute custodian, providing on-board security, maintenance, crew management, insurance coverage, and safe-keeping during legal proceedings, and markets vessels through sealed bid auctions, US Marshals Service courthouse auctions, and court-supervised sales.

Product overview

National Maritime Services is a global provider of vessel seizure, arrest, custody and receivership services. The company operates three integrated service lines: (1) Vessel Arrest and Custody Services, acting as court-appointed substitute custodian for all vessel types including pleasure yachts, commercial ships, and maritime assets; (2) Vessel Sales and Auction Services, marketing vessels through sealed bid auctions, US Marshals Service courthouse auctions, and court-supervised sales; and (3) Government Contract Services, providing custody services for US Marshals Service, Department of Justice, and Department of Treasury. Supporting services include vessel tracking, crew management, survey and valuation, insurance placement, expert witness testimony, and industry educational presentations. The company maintains an online inquiry portal and publishes industry resources through its News & Industry section.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vessel Arrest Services Provides seizure, arrest, custody and receivership services for vessels and related maritime assets including pleasure yachts, commercial ships, bunker fuel, cargo, containers and brown water equipment, for maritime attorneys, banks, government agencies, and lien claimants.
• Vessel Custody Management Acts as court-appointed substitute custodian for vessels, providing on-board watchmen, maintenance, insurance coverage, crew management, and safe keeping services during legal proceedings for admiralty courts, mortgagee banks, and government clients.
• Vessel Sales and Auction Services Markets and sells vessels through international sealed bid auctions, US Marshals Service courthouse auctions, and court-supervised sales, including post-sale delivery, crew transition, and vessel storage for buyers.
• Vessel Tracking and Location Services Locates and tracks vessels across jurisdictions using a global contact network to identify vessel whereabouts, often within 24 hours of dispatch, for maritime attorneys, banks, government agencies, and claimants.
• Government Contract Services Provides custody and arrest services under contract for US federal agencies including the US Marshals Service, US Department of Justice, and US Department of Treasury, as well as local agencies such as the Broward County Sheriff Department.
• Expert Witness and Technical Advisory Services Provides professional liability expert witness testimony and technical advisory services for maritime attorneys, mortgagee banks, and government agencies in connection with lawsuits and bankruptcy proceedings.
• Survey, Valuation and Insurance Services Conducts vessel surveys and valuations, and arranges port risk insurance, hull and liability coverage, crew P&I insurance, and medical insurance for vessels under custody, for mortgagee banks, attorneys, and government clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Administered 149 complex domestic commercial ship custody assignments as court-appointed substitute custodian from 2017-2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fraser YachtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership for vessel sales and auction administration. Collaborated on Superyacht Queen Anne auction in Cyprus (netting 13 qualified bidders, 8-figure sale) and M/V Equanimity custody and sales plan. Acts as listing agent and co-administrator for international sealed bid auctions.
• National LiquidatorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliate company specializing in yacht auction and repossession services. Has repossessed and sold thousands of pleasure yachts. Together with National Maritime Services, provides complete range of marine-related services including commercial ship and yacht sales, vessel transportation, marine service, and yacht financing.
• Maritime Capital GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated company providing vessel financing and related services. President Alan Swimmer serves as president of Maritime Capital Group.
• Shiparrested.comminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional affiliation through membership in Shiparrested.com maritime industry network.
• Compass MaritimeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeamed with Compass Maritime to promote successful court sale of vessel 'New Lead Castellano' (35,542 DWT cargo ship).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Denison Yachting: Large yacht brokerage and management firm with new/used yacht sales, charter, and management — comparable to NMS in the pleasure-yacht sales and management ecosystem.
• Fraser Yachts: Global yacht broker and management firm that is both a long-standing commercial partner of NMS (Superyacht Queen Anne, M/V Equanimity) and a directly overlapping provider of high-end vessel sales, charter, and management services.
• Compass Maritime: Commercial vessel sale partner that has teamed with NMS on court-supervised ship sales (e.g., M/V New Lead Castellano, 35,542 DWT); directly overlapping on commercial vessel disposition mandates.
• Northrop & Johnson: Global yacht brokerage and services company with deep superyacht sale and management capabilities — comparable to NMS in the disposition side of distressed and high-value vessel transactions.
• National Liquidators: Affiliated yacht auction and repossession company led by the same founder (Bob Toney); directly comparable because it sells repossessed pleasure yachts flowing from the same default pipeline that National Maritime Services handles.
• IYC (International Yacht Company): International yacht management and sales firm with global operations comparable to NMS's yacht-focused custody and sales service lines, particularly for luxury and commercial yacht transactions.
• Marcon International: Commercial ship sale and purchase broker focused on tonnage transactions worldwide; directly comparable to NMS's commercial vessel sales and auction administration capabilities.
• Maritime Capital Group: Affiliated vessel financing company led by NMS President Alan Swimmer; provides yacht and aircraft financing to the same borrower base that can flow into NMS's default and custody pipeline.

Broad incumbents

• Burgess: Large incumbent yacht broker and management company offering overlapping services in yacht sales, charter, new build, and crew/management — comparable to NMS on the high-value vessel sales side of the business.
• Camper & Nicholsons: Established global yacht management and brokerage house providing sale, charter, and management services for large yachts — overlapping with NMS's international vessel sales and custody support for superyacht clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-maritime-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 National Maritime Services