Ultratug

What Ultratug does

Ultratug (legal name Remolcadores Ultratug Ltda.) is a privately held Chilean harbour and offshore towage services provider and the dedicated towage division of the family-owned Ultranav/Ultramar Group. Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Las Condes, Santiago, Chile, the company operates across 8 countries (Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay) and more than 50 ports in the Americas through wholly owned subsidiaries including Ultratug México, COLTUGS (Colombia), Urutug (Uruguay), and Japina (Ecuador). Its core offering comprises harbour towage (ship berthing/unberthing, escort), offshore towage for oil and gas operators, and maritime salvage and emergency response, delivered via a fleet that includes RAmparts 2400SX-MKII harbour tugs (75-tonne bollard pull), RAstar 3200-W escort tugs (80-tonne bollard pull, FiFi 1), and AHTS/salvage vessels such as the Lenga (165–166-tonne bollard pull).

Ultratug's underlying technology stack combines modern IMO Tier III-compliant Caterpillar engines with SCR exhaust after-treatment, FiFi 1 fire-fighting systems, and the MAHI Sense remote operation platform deployed on the 32-metre tugboat ENCO, enabling remote-assisted navigation from a Remote Operation Center in Viña del Mar, Chile. The company maintains strategic shipyard partnerships with Asenav (Chile, 30+ years, 34+ vessels delivered) and Sanmar Shipyards (Turkey, ongoing RAmparts and Boğaçay Series new builds) to ensure modern fleet composition.

The business model is anchored in long-term, multi-year direct contracts with port authorities and terminal operators (e.g., Port of Lázaro Cárdenas since 2017, Terminal Puerto Arica, Puerto Antioquia), generating recurring subscription-style revenue from harbour towage complemented by offshore support timecharters and project-based salvage fees. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting ports, terminals, and offshore energy operators, with no public pricing disclosure. Marketing is principally B2B direct relationships supplemented by a corporate website, LinkedIn presence, and earned media in maritime industry publications. The company has invested over $9M in Mexico fleet renewal alone and has unified all country operations under a single ULTRATUG brand to consolidate regional positioning.

Name

Ultratug

Legal name

Remolcadores Ultratug Ltda.

Website

https://ultratug.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Towage Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883), Port and Harbor Operations (488310), Other Support Activities for Water Transportation (48839), Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation (48311)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400), Oil & Gas Field Services, Nec (1389)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Ship Docking/Undocking & Drydock Towage (TLAHAHAD), Deep-Sea / Coastal Pilotage (Non-Harbor Coastal Transits) (TLAHAGAF), Offshore Marine & Aviation Support (PSVs, AHTS, Crew Boats, Helicopters) (EUALABAJ), Emergency Towage & Rescue (Refloating, Grounding Response) (IMAJANAB)

Keywords

• Harbour towage services
• Offshore vessel towing
• Tugboat operations
• Port vessel assistance
• Marine towage

Headquarters

HQ city

Las Condes

HQ country

Chile

HQ region

Latin America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Harbour Towage Services: Core revenue from providing harbour towage services to ports and terminals across South America and Mexico. Services include ship assistance during berthing/unberthing, escort tug operations, and general port towage under long-term contracts.
2. Offshore Towage Services: Revenue from offshore towage operations including support for offshore drilling and production activities, particularly in Argentina and other South American markets.
3. Salvage Services: Revenue from salvage operations including emergency response, vessel recovery, and support during maritime emergencies. The company provides salvage services through specialized vessels and experienced crews.
4. Fleet Renewal Services: Ultratug México invested over US$9 million in tugboat fleet renewal, demonstrating commitment to modernizing operations and generating service improvements at port facilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ultratug provides harbour and offshore marine towage services using a fleet of tugboats to assist vessels in port manoeuvres (berthing, unberthing, terminal support) and to support offshore operations such as rig moves, platform assistance, and escort/salvage. Services are delivered directly to port authorities, terminal operators, shipping lines, and offshore energy clients across 50+ ports in 8 countries in the Americas.

Product overview

Ultratug is a harbour and offshore towage services provider operating across the Americas, offering a diversified fleet of tugboats and salvage vessels. The core offering consists of harbour towage (berthing, unberthing, mooring), offshore/deep-sea towage, and maritime salvage and emergency response services. Key vessel types include harbour tugs (RAmparts 2400SX-MKII design, 75T bollard pull, IMO Tier III), escort tugs (RAstar 3200-W, 80T bollard pull, FiFi 1), and AHTS/salvage tugs (Lenga, 165-166T bollard pull). Operations are conducted under a unified Ultratug brand across Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia (COLTUGS), Panama, Mexico, Argentina, and Uruguay. Technology add-ons include MAHI remote operation solutions enabling remote navigation from shore-based centres, and FiFi 1 fire-fighting capabilities. The company operates as part of the Ultranav shipping group and has partnered with Sanmar Shipyards (Turkey) for new tug construction and Asenav (Chile) for domestic vessel construction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Harbour Towage Services Tugboat-based vessel assistance for commercial ships at berth — docking, undocking, and terminal support. Delivered to port authorities, terminal operators and shipping lines under long-term concessions or per-movement contracts.
• Offshore Towage Services Offshore vessel support including rig moves, platform assistance, anchor handling, escort and salvage. Provided to offshore oil & gas and energy operators, typically on a project or campaign basis.
• Multi-Port Terminal Towage Contracts

Quantifiable outcome

• 32% year-on-year increase in commercial cargo handled at Port of Lázaro Cárdenas in Q1 2026, supported by Ultratug's modern fleet
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MAHIcoreTechnology or Integration · 21 May 2025Partnership for remote tugboat operations technology. MAHI installed its Sense hardware and remote operation system on Ultratug's ENCO tugboat, enabling remote operation from a center in Viña del Mar, Chile. This partnership won the prestigious ITS Innovation Award 2025 and represents a significant technological advancement in maritime operations.
• Sanmar ShipyardscoreTechnology or Integration · 21 January 2025Turkish shipyard partnership for building advanced tugboats. Sanmar is constructing RAmparts 2400SX-MKII design tugboats for Ultratug Mexico and Ultratug Colombia. The first vessel UT PATZCUARO was delivered in October 2025, with a sister vessel under construction for Colombia. Tugboats feature IMO Tier III compliant CAT 3516E engines and Caterpillar SCR exhaust systems.
• Asenav (Astilleros y Servicios Navales)coreTechnology or IntegrationChilean shipyard partnership spanning over 30 years with more than 34 vessels delivered. Asenav builds tugboats including escort tugs, ASD tugs, and AHTS vessels. Recent deliveries include RAstar 3200-W design escort tugs for operations in Punta Arenas and Magellan Strait. The partnership began in 1991 with first Chilean-built tugs Pangui and Pulli.
• Terminal Puerto Arica (TPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term operational partnership at Puerto de Arica. Ultratug provides dedicated tugboat services including the Grey and Neltume vessels to support TPA's operations, enabling the terminal to receive vessels over 12,000 TEUs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Saam S.A. Chilean towage and port logistics company that is Ultratug's closest direct competitor across South American ports. Operates similar harbour and offshore towage services with comparable long-term port contracts.
• Wilson Sons: Brazilian maritime services company that previously held a joint venture with Ultratug for Brazilian offshore towage. Directly comparable harbour towage, offshore support, and port logistics footprint in South America.

Emerging players

• Tidewater Inc. Global offshore vessel operator providing AHTS, PSVs, and crew boats to the offshore energy industry. Comparable offshore marine support segment overlap with Ultratug's Argentine offshore operations.

Broad incumbents

• Smit Lamnalco: Joint venture between Royal Boskalis and Lamnalcos; global harbour towage, terminal services, and offshore vessel operator. Directly comparable service mix including offshore support and long-term port contracts.
• Crowley Maritime: US-based diversified marine solutions provider with harbour towing, port services, and offshore energy support. Comparable in service breadth and contract-based B2B port relationships, though primarily US-focused.
• Svitzer: Global towage leader (subsidiary of Maersk) operating harbour and terminal towage across 30+ countries. A much larger incumbent whose global scale and capital access set the competitive ceiling for regional operators like Ultratug.
• Royal Boskalis Westminster: Dutch global maritime services giant with harbour towage (via Smit) and salvage activities that overlap with Ultratug's salvage and offshore support offerings. Much larger diversified player.

Regional players

• Fairplay Towage: European and African harbour towage operator with comparable fleet renewal strategy and long-term port contracts. Similar business model but operating in a different geography from Ultratug.
• PSA Marine: Singapore-based port and towage services provider operating in Asia, Mediterranean, and the Americas. Comparable harbour towage and port support model but primarily serving different geographies.

Others

• Sanmar Shipyards: Turkish tugboat builder and strategic supplier-partner to Ultratug (recently delivered UT PATZCUARO, sister vessel in build for Colombia). Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than competitor, but materially shapes Ultratug's fleet economics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Ultratug1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/remolcadores-ultratug-ltda
• Instagraminstagram.com/ultratug

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 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 Ultratug