What Cook Inlet Tug & Barge does

Cook Inlet Tug & Barge (CITB) is a privately held Alaska-focused marine transportation company headquartered in Anchorage, founded in 1924 (originally as Anderson & Son's Transportation Co.) and now operating as part of the Saltchuk family of companies. The company operates a 14-vessel fleet organized into three sub-fleets: a Cook Inlet and Harbor fleet of seven tugs (Stellar Wind, Glacier Wind, Bering Wind, Knik Wind, Columbia, Resurrection, PT&S 379) providing harbor services and ship assist at the Port of Anchorage and South Central Alaska; an Ocean and Coastal fleet (Bristol Wind, Capt. Frank Moody) for open-water operations; and a North Slope and Prudhoe Bay fleet of three Arctic-capable tugs (Kavik Wind, Sag Wind, Kuparuk Wind) and two deck barges (Barge 210, Barge 213 with Screed Kit) serving oilfield logistics. Beyond transit tonnage, CITB runs a charter/project service powered by five shallow-water-draft tugs and two deck barges for Western Alaska rivers, bordering seas, and the US Arctic coastline extending into Northern Canada.

CITB monetizes through custom, contract-based charter and harbor-services agreements across four primary customer segments: Oil & Gas (North Slope/Prudhoe Bay logistics and harbor assist), Construction (project-fleet and specialty-vessel support), Government (harbor and marine logistics), and Mining (remote-region logistics). Go-to-market is direct, sales-led enterprise chartering with a single named commercial contact (Mike O'Shea) supported by a 24-hour marine dispatch operation. Operational coverage spans Anchorage, Seward, and Prudhoe Bay bases. With 101-250 employees and near-100 years of continuous Alaska operations, the firm competes on specialty-built assets, route-specific operational know-how, and incumbent relationships rather than software, AI, or platform differentiation.

Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. Recent strategic activity has focused on fleet renewal (adding a new harbor tug), VP-led exploration of new lines of business within Alaska, safety-innovation recognition from both Professional Mariner and Saltchuk, and brand-building earned media including a Discovery Science Channel feature. The combination of stable Saltchuk ownership, embedded North Slope oilfield position, and visible fleet expansion points to a moderate-growth trajectory rather than hyper-growth or turnaround dynamics.

Name

Cook Inlet Tug & Barge

Legal name

Cook Inlet Tug & Barge

Website

https://cookinlettug.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cook Inlet Tug & Barge is an Alaska-based marine transportation company founded in 1924 and owned by Saltchuk, operating a 14-vessel tug and barge fleet providing harbor services, ship assist, oilfield logistics, and project charters across Cook Inlet, the North Slope, and Western Alaska for Oil & Gas, Construction, Mining, and Government customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Transportation Services

NAICS

Inland Water Transportation (48321), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883), Marine Cargo Handling (48832)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Harbor Towage (Ship Assist & Berthing/Unberthing) (TLAHAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tug Chartering, Brokerage & Dispatch Services (TLAHAHAL), Towage & Berthing Coordination (Tug/Line Handling Dispatch) (TLAHAFAC)

Keywords

• Marine transportation
• Harbor services
• Tug and barge
• Ship assist
• Oilfield logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Anchorage

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marine Transportation Services: Harbor services, towing support, and charter services for tug and barge fleet serving various industries throughout Alaska waters including Cook Inlet, South Central, Southeast, and Western Alaska regions

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cook Inlet Tug & Barge provides marine transportation services through a fleet of 14 specialized tug and barge vessels. Its core offerings are harbor services, ship assist, towing support, oilfield logistics, and project fleet charters for oil and gas, construction, mining, and government customers operating in Cook Inlet, South Central, Southeast, Western Alaska, and the North Slope/Prudhoe Bay regions.

Product overview

Cook Inlet Tug & Barge is a marine transportation company offering a fleet of specialized vessels and marine services. The company operates three distinct vessel fleets: (1) Cook Inlet and Harbor fleet (Stellar Wind, Glacier Wind, Bering Wind, Knik Wind, Columbia, Resurrection, PT&S 379) providing harbor and ship assist services in Cook Inlet and Southcentral Alaska; (2) Ocean and Coastal fleet (Bristol Wind, Capt. Frank Moody) for open water operations; and (3) North Slope & Prudhoe Bay fleet (Kavik Wind, Sag Wind, Kuparuk Wind, Barge 210, Barge 213 with Screed Kit) for Arctic operations. Services include harbor services, ship assist, oilfield services, logistics solutions, and specialty project charters operating throughout Alaska from Seward and Prudhoe Bay.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Harbor Services Marine harbor and towing services focused on the Port of Anchorage and Cook Inlet region, utilizing state-of-the-art tugs based in Anchorage and Seward, Alaska.
• Ship Assist Ship assist operations supporting vessels in Alaska ports as part of harbor and towing services.
• Oilfield Services Specialized marine services supporting oil and gas operations in Alaska, including North Slope/Prudhoe Bay logistics.
• Marine Logistics Solutions Marine logistics services for transporting cargo throughout Alaska waters.
• North Slope/Prudhoe Bay Operations Marine services operating from Prudhoe Bay supporting oil and gas industry in Arctic regions.
• Specialty-Built Project Fleet Charter Charter fleet consisting of five shallow water draft tugs and two deck barges designed for unique services in Western Alaska rivers, bordering seas, and US Arctic coastline extending into Northern Canada.
• Cook Inlet and Harbor Fleet Vessels Harbor tug vessels (Stellar Wind, Glacier Wind, Bering Wind, Knik Wind, Columbia, Resurrection, PT&S 379) operating in the Cook Inlet and Harbor fleet for ship assist and harbor services.
• Ocean and Coastal Fleet Vessels Ocean and coastal fleet vessels (Bristol Wind, Capt. Frank Moody) designed for open water operations.
• North Slope and Prudhoe Bay Fleet Vessels North Slope and Prudhoe Bay fleet vessels (Kavik Wind, Sag Wind, Kuparuk Wind, Barge 210, Barge 213 with Screed Kit) designed for Arctic operations and specialized cargo transport.

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

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Foss Maritime: Foss Maritime operates tug and barge services across the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, including harbor assist and ship assist in shared geographies like Puget Sound and Cook Inlet; closest direct functional comp to CITB's core harbor/ship-assist business.
• Harley Marine Services: Harley Marine operates tug and barge fleets on the US West Coast including Alaska service; comparable in vessel class, customer mix (O&G, construction, government), and coastal/coastal-towing service offering.
• Crowley Maritime Corporation: Crowley is a major US marine solutions provider with harbor towage, ship assist, and Alaska energy logistics including Cook Inlet operations; directly competes with CITB for ship-assist and Alaska O&G marine support work.
• Moran Towing Corporation: Moran is one of the largest US harbor towage operators, providing ship assist, docking, and escort tug services at multiple ports; directly comparable to CITB's harbor/ship-assist tug operations in Alaska.
• Tidewater Transportation & Terminal: Tidewater provides marine barge and terminal operations across the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, including tug assist; directly comparable to CITB on barge cargo, harbor services, and Alaska operational footprint.
• Brix Marine: Brix Marine operates tugboats and barges on the US West Coast and Pacific Northwest serving construction, O&G, and government customers; comparable vessel mix, charter-based GTM, and project marine support similar to CITB's.
• McAllister Towing & Transportation: McAllister operates a fleet of harbor tugs along the US East and Gulf Coasts providing ship assist and barge towing; directly comparable business model to CITB's harbor towage operations.

Broad incumbents

• Kirby Corporation: Kirby is the largest US inland marine transportation operator with a fleet of tank barges and towboats; broadly comparable to CITB's barge transport and tug operations, though more inland-and-tank focused rather than Alaska harbor/ship assist.
• Vigor Industrial: Vigor operates large Pacific Northwest shipyards (including Alaska) building and repairing harbor tugs, barges, and workboats; adjacent incumbent that supplies and maintains the type of specialty vessels CITB operates.

Others

• Saltchuk Marine (parent group): Saltchuk is the parent conglomerate that owns CITB; its marine group includes sister companies in tug/barge, shipping, and logistics, providing capital allocation, cross-sell, and strategic direction context for evaluating CITB.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCw3vGJ0HtiywkyVAwv2QGvg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cook-inlet-tug-&-barge

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 Cook Inlet Tug & Barge