What Aqua-Guard does

Aqua-Guard Spill Response Inc. is a Canadian designer, fabricator, and supplier of mechanical oil spill response equipment, founded in 1992 and headquartered in North Vancouver, British Columbia, with operations spanning 104 countries and over 1,000 customers served across three decades. The company's product portfolio is anchored by its proprietary RBS TRITON oil skimming technology (U.S. Patent 7,303,688; Canadian Patent 2,578,942), featuring interchangeable brush, disc, and drum recovery modules that handle a wide range of oil viscosities and achieve up to 98% oil-to-water recovery efficiency. The lineup spans compact 11 m³/h units (RBS TRITON 10) to the 604 m³/h URO 600 offshore skimming system, complemented by the CFSH Carbon Fibre Super Hydrophobic sheen recovery system (99.993% oil-to-water at sub-50-micron films), the ROTOX ultra heavy oil maceration technology, Aqua-Weir weir skimmers, and a full accessory range including containment booms (Harbourflex, Airflex, Beachflex, Liteflex, Riverflex, Seaflex), power systems, offloading pumps, storage tanks, and the Vac Pak vacuum system. All products are 100% developed and manufactured in the greater Vancouver area.

The business model is primarily custom hardware sales with quotation-based pricing, supplemented by IMO Levels I/II/III training and commissioning services and multi-year government supply contracts. Aqua-Guard sells directly through regional managers covering North America, Latin America, Middle East/Africa/Europe, and Asia Pacific, and indirectly through exclusive regional distributors (SpilKleen in Ontario, Canflex/Canadyne in Canada, VJ Engineering in Malaysia/Singapore/Brunei, and Hong Kong Spill Response Company Ltd. in China). Customer segments include national coast guards and marine response corporations (Canadian Coast Guard, WCMRC, MSRC, Hainan MSA), oil & gas majors and refiners (Chevron, ExxonMobil Caribbean, Shell, Petrobras, Kinder Morgan/Trans Mountain), offshore vessel operators and shipbuilders (Damen Shipyards, GeoNavegação, Navegação São Miguel, MLOG/Asgaard), and industrial facilities requiring continuous oil-water separation. Operational credibility is anchored by 50,000+ hours of trouble-free performance at Chevron Canada's Burnaby refinery since 2008, an estimated 870,000 m³ of hydrocarbons recovered from Chevron skimmers over six years, ISO 9001:2015 certification, DNV Zone 1 hazardous-environment certification for offshore systems, and DNV- and ABS-witnessed ASTM F631-15 performance verification.

Name

Aqua-Guard

Legal name

Aqua-Guard Spill Response Inc.

Website

https://aquaguard.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Aqua-Guard Spill Response Inc. designs, manufactures, and supplies patented mechanical oil skimming systems and ancillary spill response equipment for governments, oil & gas majors, offshore vessel operators, shipbuilders, and refineries across 104 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oil Spill Response Equipment

NAICS

Oil and Gas Field Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333132), Pump and Compressor Manufacturing (33391)

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Machinery & Equipment (3533), Pumps & Pumping Equipment (3561)

akta.pro primary industry

Pollution Response & Environmental Salvage (Oil Spill, HAZMAT) (IMAJANAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Life-Saving Appliances & Safety Equipment (Davit Systems, Lifeboats, Firefighting) (IMAJAIAG), Offshore Marine & Aviation Support (PSVs, AHTS, Crew Boats, Helicopters) (EUALABAJ)

Keywords

• Oil spill response
• Oil skimming systems
• Marine spill response
• Oil containment booms
• Industrial oil recovery

Headquarters

HQ city

North Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Oil Spill Response Equipment Sales: Sale of manufactured oil skimming systems, containment booms, power systems, pumps, and accessories. Equipment ranges from portable RBS TRITON 10 (11 m³/h) to massive URO 600 offshore systems (604 m³/h).
2. Training and Commissioning Services: On-site training and commissioning services to help customers respond to oil spills. IMO levels I, II & III certified training courses available upon request.
3. Government Contracts: Multi-year contracts with Canadian Coast Guard for supply of skimming systems to bases across Canada.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Aqua-Guard designs, fabricates and supplies oil spill response equipment, including patented mechanical oil skimming systems (RBS TRITON, URO, CFSH, ROTOX), oil containment booms, power systems, offloading pumps and storage tanks. The company serves petroleum companies, refineries, government coast guards and offshore vessel operators across 104 countries, and also provides on-site training and commissioning services. All products are 100% Canadian-developed and manufactured in facilities in the greater Vancouver area.

Product overview

Aqua-Guard provides a comprehensive portfolio of oil spill response equipment centered on its patented RBS TRITON oil skimming technology. The core product line includes URO offshore skimming systems (URO 600 and URO 300) for large-scale vessel-based recovery, RBS TRITON skimmer heads ranging from compact 10 m³/h units to heavy-duty 300 m³/h offshore models, and the specialized CFSH Sheen Recovery System for ultra-thin oil films. Supporting products include weir skimmers (Aqua-Weir series), industrial skimmers for refinery applications, and the ROTOX heavy oil technology for weathered oil ponds. The accessory portfolio encompasses oil containment booms (Harbourflex, Airflex, Beachflex, Liteflex, Riverflex, Seaflex), power systems (4.5-300 HP), offloading pumps, storage tanks (SeaTanks, Framed, Open Top), vacuum systems (Vac Pak), and boom deployment/storage equipment (SeaReel, Deployment Box). All RBS TRITON-based systems share interchangeable brush, disc, and drum recovery modules and achieve up to 98-99% oil-to-water efficiency.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RBS TRITON™: Patented oil skimming technology with up to 98% recovery efficiency
• URO
• Harbourflex
• Airflex
• RotoX
• CFSH

Products and services

• URO 600 Offshore Oil Skimming System Self-contained offshore oil skimming system featuring four recovery modules using RBS TRITON technology, capable of recovering over 600 m3/h. Stored on a 20' ISO system base with wireless remote control deployment by one operator. Designed for offshore operators and government marine response agencies handling large-scale vessel-based oil recovery.
• URO 300 Oil Skimming System Offshore oil skimming system featuring two recovery modules using RBS TRITON technology, capable of recovering over 300 m3/h. Complete system stored on compact ISO 8ft x 20ft base, deployable via wireless remote control. Targeted at offshore support vessel operators and government marine response agencies.
• RBS TRITON 150 OS (Offshore) Skimming System Versatile offshore oil skimmer ideal for protected and open water environments, recovering 150 m3/h. Modular design enables easy transport to vessel of opportunity. Used by coast guards, marine response corporations and offshore operators.
• RBS TRITON 300 OS (Offshore) Skimming System Offshore oil skimmer for open and protected water environments recovering 300 m3/h. Twin thrusters enable operator maneuvering for efficient oil recovery. Used by offshore operators and government marine response agencies.
• RBS TRITON 150 T (Trailer-mounted) Skimming System Extremely mobile trailer-mounted system with 150 m3/h recovery rate. 100% self-contained with diesel/hydraulic power pack, crane system, hose reel and 10 m3 oil storage tank. Designed for one-person operation. Targeted at rapid response teams in coastal communities, pipelines, and remote operations.
• RBS TRITON 60 Skimmer Versatile skimmer for protected, calm water and industrial environments, recovering 63 m3/h. Marine grade aluminum and stainless steel construction for durability. Installed at Chevron Canada Burnaby Refinery since 2008 with 50,000+ hours of trouble-free 24/7 operation.
• RBS TRITON 35 Skimmer

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% oil to water recovery efficiency
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hong Kong Spill Response Company Ltd (HKSR)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 28 June 2012HKSR has been successfully promoting Aqua-Guard products and services in the Chinese marketplace since June 2012. HKSR Technology won a tender from Hainan Maritime Safety Administration for supply of large scale Aqua-Guard Oil Skimming systems with RBS TRITON technology.
• Hainan Maritime Safety Administration (MSA)minorOthersGovernment customer in China supplied through HKSR partnership for large scale oil skimming systems.
• SpilKleencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distribution agreement for Ontario region of Canada announced July 3, 2025.
• Canflex (USA) Inc. / CanadynecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCanadian exclusive distribution agreement with Canflex (USA) Inc. announced May 20, 2025.
• VJ EngineeringcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership established in 2017 for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei markets.
• Damen ShipyardscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContract signed for supply of two URO 300Z1 offshore oil skimming systems for GeoNavegação OSRV vessels being built in Brazil.
• MLOG/AsgaardcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCEO of MLOG/Asgaard visited Aqua-Guard head office in Vancouver July 2024. Asgaard Navagacao has purchased multiple URO skimmers and won Petrobras Peotram awards.
• Navegação São Miguel (Grupo Bravante)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSince 2011, Navegacao Sao Miguel has purchased six URO skimmers from Aqua-Guard. Operations in Brazil offshore region.
• PetrobrasminorOthersEnd customer for URO offshore systems operating in Brazil offshore regions.
• GeoNavegaçãocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBrazil-based offshore support vessel operator receiving two URO 300Z1 systems through Damen Shipyards partnership.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DESMI Ocean Guard: DESMI's environmental division supplies oil spill response skimmers, booms, and pumps globally, directly competing with Aqua-Guard's URO offshore systems and weir skimmers in government and OSV tenders.
• Lamor Corporation: Finnish global leader in oil spill response equipment and environmental solutions, with a broad skimmer and boom portfolio closely overlapping Aqua-Guard's RBS TRITON and containment boom lines. Lamor is a publicly listed larger peer that competes in many of the same government and offshore tenders.
• Elastec (American Marine): Elastec is one of the most direct competitors to Aqua-Guard, manufacturing oil spill response skimmers, booms, and containment equipment. It competes head-to-head at events like IOSC and INTERSPILL and supplies similar government and industrial customers in North America and internationally.
• Vikoma International (part of DESMI): UK-based oil spill response equipment manufacturer (now part of DESMI), producing weir skimmers, booms, and recovery systems that overlap with Aqua-Guard's Aqua-Weir and Harbourflex/Airflex product lines. Targets the same marine response and offshore customer base.

Emerging players

• SkimOil (CR Environmental): US-based manufacturer of oil skimming and spill response equipment, including brush and disc skimmers that compete with Aqua-Guard's smaller RBS TRITON units in the calm water and industrial segments.

Broad incumbents

• Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL): Industry-funded global oil spill response cooperative owned by major oil companies, providing equipment stockpiles and response services that utilize skimmer technology competing with Aqua-Guard's URO systems. A key procurement counterparty and competitor in large-scale response contracts.
• Clean Harbors Environmental Services: Large North American environmental and industrial services company that operates spill response and industrial cleaning businesses. While primarily a service operator rather than equipment manufacturer, it competes with Aqua-Guard in providing total oil spill response solutions to oil & gas and government customers.
• Tritech International (a Forum Energy Technologies company): Part of larger oilfield services group Forum Energy Technologies, Tritech supplies offshore skimmers and oil spill response equipment to OSV operators and government marine response organizations, overlapping with Aqua-Guard's URO offshore line.
• Trelleborg (offshore and marine): Large diversified industrial group with a marine and infrastructure division producing oil containment booms and fendering systems that overlap with Aqua-Guard's Harbourflex, Airflex, and Beachflex boom products. Serves ports, harbors, and offshore customers globally.

Regional players

• Patagonia Marine (Argentina-based OSV operator and spill response): Regional South American OSV operator and spill response provider that competes with Aqua-Guard's regional partners (Asgaard/MLOG, GeoNavegação) in Brazil and Argentina offshore tenders, often using Aqua-Guard supplied URO systems.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Aqua-Guard-Spill-Response-Inc/118143838230579?fref=ts
• Xx.com/Aquaguardspill

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 Aqua-Guard