Caillou Island Towing

What Caillou Island Towing does

Caillou Island Towing Co., Inc. is a privately held, family-owned marine transportation operator headquartered in Houma, Louisiana, founded in February 1987 by Billy and Joan Cenac as the third generation of Cenac family involvement in the inland marine towing industry. The company, operating in tandem with affiliated Al Cenac Towing, LLC (formed in 2011), runs a combined fleet of 13 vessels — push boats ranging from 900 to 2,400 horsepower, two 30,000-barrel tank barges for liquid petroleum, and assorted spud, deck, shale, and keyway barges — supported by a 330-foot steel bulkhead waterfront and 10-acre limestone storage facility at Munson Slip in Houma. Service lines span tug and tow operations, rig support, dredge support, and fleet support, delivered under 24-hour availability across the Gulf Coast from Brownsville, Texas to Pensacola, Florida.

The business model is charter-horsepower-based managed services: customers contract push-boat and barge capacity directly via negotiated, quote-based, multi-year agreements, with custom-built vessels offered on long-term lease for specialized requirements. The customer base is enterprise B2B across oil and gas transportation (primary), dredging operators, offshore rig services, and barge charter customers. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales with no intermediaries, resellers, or marketplace channels, supported by a website plus Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn presence for top-of-funnel brand visibility. Operating standards are governed by USCG regulations, the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, the Towing Vessel Inspection Bureau, the American Waterways Operators Alternative Security Program, and OCIMF requirements; no external investors, private equity, or venture capital involvement is indicated.

Name

Caillou Island Towing

Legal name

Caillou Island Towing Co., Inc.

Website

https://caillouislandtowing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Caillou Island Towing is a family-owned marine towing operator in Houma, Louisiana, founded in 1987, that runs 13 push boats and barges to deliver charter-horsepower services to oil and gas, dredging, and offshore rig customers across the Gulf Coast.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Towing Services

NAICS

Inland Water Transportation (48321), Coastal and Great Lakes Freight Transportation (483113), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Coastal/Sea Towage (Long-Distance Towing of Vessels/Barges) (TLAHAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Barge & Offshore Towage (Barge Moves, Rig/Platform Tows) (TLAHAHAF)

Keywords

• Marine towing services
• Inland marine transportation
• Tug boat services
• Barge charter services
• Dredge support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Houma

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Marine Towing Services: Charter horsepower services providing tugboat and push boat capabilities for inland marine transportation, including transport of liquid petroleum products throughout the Gulf Coast region. Revenue is generated through time charters and contract services for barge operations, rig support, and dredge projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Caillou Island Towing provides charter horsepower marine towing and transportation services for enterprise customers across the Gulf Coast, operating a combined 13-vessel fleet of push boats (900-2,400 HP) and barges (spud, deck, shale, keyway, and tank). Core offerings include tug boat services, rig services, comprehensive barge services, dredge support, and fleet support, structured as multi-year contracts with custom-built vessels available on long-term lease. Operations span from Brownsville, Texas to Pensacola, Florida, serving oil and gas, dredging, and offshore rig customers with 24-hour availability.

Product overview

Caillou Island Towing Company, Inc. is a family-owned marine towing company founded in 1987, operating alongside Al Cenac Towing, LLC (founded 2011). Together they operate 13 vessels including push boats ranging from 900 to 2,400 horsepower and various barges (spud, deck, shale, keyway, and tank barges). The company offers a unified set of marine transportation services including tug boat services, rig services, barge services, dredge support, and fleet support, with operations spanning the Gulf Coast from Brownsville, Texas to Pensacola, Florida. The vessel fleet includes Al Cenac (2400 HP), Pat Cenac (2400 HP), Billy Cenac (2000 HP), Ernest Yancey, Alfred P Cenac III (1800 HP), Remy Rhex (1320 HP), Charles J. Cenac (1200 HP), Capt CJ (1600 HP), Jack K (2021), Jeanne Crochet (2025), plus various other vessels and two 30,000 barrel tank barges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tug Boat Services Tugboat services tailored to meet specific client needs, offering comprehensive support for vessels including efficient maneuvering, safe navigation, and reliable assistance for towing, pushing, and on-water support. Targeted at enterprise customers in the marine transportation industry requiring 24-hour availability.
• Rig Services Rig operation support including reliable tug services and specialized support for shale and keyway barges tailored to meet specific industry needs. Intended for offshore drilling operators and rig service companies.
• Barge Services Comprehensive barge services including shale, deck, spud, and keyway barges tailored to meet diverse client needs for cargo and equipment transport. Targeted at companies requiring various types of barge services throughout the Gulf Coast.
• Dredge Support Comprehensive suite of dredge support services encompassing all marine transportation aspects of dredging operations including mobilization and support to optimize efficiency and minimize downtime. Served to marine dredging companies.
• Fleet Support Fleet support operations based at a 330-foot steel bulkhead waterfront property with 10 acres of limestone storage located at Munson Slip in Houma, Louisiana. Provides operational staging support for marine transportation customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 13 vessels available for charter
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Moran Towing Corporation: Moran Towing is a large, established tugboat operator across the East Coast, Gulf, and Great Lakes offering harbor towing, offshore support, and barge movement. Overlaps with Caillou on tug charter and Gulf operations but at materially larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• McAllister Towing & Transportation: McAllister Towing operates tugboats and barges primarily in the Northeast with Gulf Coast presence, serving similar vessel-assist and barge transport customers. Larger and more diversified incumbent compared to Caillou.
• Kirby Inland Marine: Kirby Corporation's inland marine segment operates the largest tank barge fleet in the U.S., transporting petrochemicals, black oil, and refined products. Comparable in liquid petroleum barge transport but vastly larger scale and publicly traded.
• Marquette Transportation Company: Marquette Transportation operates a diversified fleet of towboats and barges on the U.S. inland waterway system, transporting dry bulk, liquid, and specialty cargo. Comparable business model but broader geography and substantially larger fleet.

Direct peers

• Bouchard Transportation Co. Bouchard Transportation operates tugboats and barges for liquid petroleum, dry bulk, and offshore support along the Gulf and East Coast. Comparable in petroleum barge transport, tug charter services, and oil & gas customer base.
• Bisso Towboat Co. Bisso Towboat Co. is a Houston-based tugboat and towing service operator serving the Gulf Coast with comparable vessel charter, harbor towing, and barge movement services. Highly comparable in service scope, customer base (oil & gas, barge operators), and regional focus.
• Crescent Towing & Salvage: Crescent Towing & Salvage provides marine towing, harbor assistance, and offshore vessel support along the Gulf Coast. Directly comparable as a regional tug and barge operator serving similar oil & gas and shipping customers.
• Bay Houston Towing Co. Bay Houston Towing operates tugboats and push boats in the Houston Ship Channel and Gulf Coast, providing harbor towing, barge movement, and rig support services directly comparable to Caillou Island Towing's offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Caillou-Island-Towing-101624808963101
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caillou-island-towing-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/caillou_island_towing

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Caillou Island Towing