Florida Marine Transporters, Inc.

What Florida Marine Transporters, Inc. does

Florida Marine Transporters, Inc. (FMT) is a privately held US maritime transportation company headquartered in Mandeville, Louisiana, self-described as America's largest independent maritime transporter. The company operates a fleet of barges and towboats that move bulk liquid and dry cargoes across inland waterways and coastal routes. Its service portfolio is organized into six transport categories: chemical transport via 11,000 bbl capacity barges (methanol, MEG, styrene, caustic, benzene, glycol); pressure cargo transport via 16,000 bbl pressure barges (butane, isobutane, propane, crude butadiene); refined products and feedstocks in tow configurations of 30,000 to 270,000 bbl (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, ethanol); crude oil and heated products including asphalt, black oil, fuel oil, slurry, and VGO via specialized heater barges; dry cargoes (frac sand, coal, petcoke, aggregate, grain, steel, wood pellets); and infrastructure materials (asphalt, concrete, steel, masonry, limestone, polymers). Supporting operations include a dedicated Dry Cargo Division, an in-house Shipyard providing repair services, and a Training Center.

FMT's commercial model is direct B2B enterprise sales targeting industrial shippers in chemicals, petroleum and natural gas, refining, mining/aggregates, and construction/infrastructure. Pricing is quote-based, negotiated per cargo type, volume, route, and contract terms under multi-year agreements. The company uses a dedicated Sales and Business Development team for new customer acquisition and a separate Operations/Dispatch function for service delivery, with no self-serve or digital-first go-to-motion evident. Revenue is generated on a transactional per-shipment basis within long-term contract relationships.

The underlying technology stack is physical-asset centric: a modern, diversified barge fleet with specialized configurations (heater barges, pressure barges, open and closed dry designs) paired with flexible towboat horsepower, plus an in-house shipyard enabling controlled maintenance cycles. FMT's vertical integration across transportation, shipyard repair, and crew training is positioned as a core operational differentiator supporting fleet uptime and service reliability for hazardous and specialized cargoes.

Name

Florida Marine Transporters, Inc.

Legal name

Florida Marine Transporters, Inc.

Website

https://fmt.flmarine.net

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Florida Marine Transporters (FMT) is a privately held, Louisiana-based independent maritime transporter operating barges and towboats that move bulk chemicals, petroleum, refined products, crude oil, dry cargoes, and infrastructure materials for industrial shippers across US inland waterways and coastal routes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Transportation Services

NAICS

Inland Water Transportation (48321), Coastal and Great Lakes Freight Transportation (483113)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400), Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Coastal/Sea Towage (Long-Distance Towing of Vessels/Barges) (TLAHAHAE), Piping, HVAC & Auxiliary Systems Repair (TLAKAKAH)

Keywords

• Maritime cargo transportation
• Barge and towboat services
• Bulk liquid chemical transport
• Petroleum and pressure cargo shipping
• Inland waterway freight

Headquarters

HQ city

Mandeville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Maritime Cargo Transportation Services: Core revenue generated through barge and towboat transportation of various cargo types including chemicals, pressure cargoes, refined products, crude oil, dry cargoes, and infrastructure materials. Services priced based on cargo volume, distance, cargo type, and contract terms. Revenue is transactional per shipment with long-term contract relationships with industrial customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Florida Marine Transporters operates a modern fleet of barges and towboats to transport bulk industrial cargoes across inland waterways and coastal routes. Services cover chemicals, pressure cargoes, refined products, crude oil and heated products, dry cargoes, and infrastructure materials, with supporting shipyard and dry cargo divisions.

Product overview

Florida Marine Transporters operates as America's largest independent maritime transporter offering a unified suite of barge and towboat transportation services. The portfolio includes six core transport offerings: Chemical Transport (11,000 bbl barges), Pressure Cargo Transport (16,000 bbl pressure barges), Refined Products & Feedstocks Transport (30,000-270,000 bbl tows), Crude Oil & Heated Products Transport (with heater barge capability), Dry Cargo Transport (open and closed barges), and Infrastructure Materials Transport. Supporting operations include a Dry Cargo Division (sub-brand), Shipyard Services for repair and maintenance, and a Training Center. The company operates its own barge and towboat fleet, with all services integrated under the FMT brand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chemical Transport Services Transportation of bulk liquid chemicals including methanol, MEG, styrene, caustic, benzene, and glycol via 11,000 bbl capacity barges, deliverable as dedicated units or in a line haul system. Target customers are chemical manufacturers and distributors requiring safe, reliable bulk chemical transport.
• Pressure Cargo Transport Transportation of pressurized cargoes including butane, isobutane, propane, and crude butadiene using a fleet of 16,000 bbl pressure barges in a safe, cost-efficient manner. Target customers are oil and gas companies requiring safe pressurized cargo handling.
• Refined Products & Feedstocks Transport Transportation of refined products including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, refinery feedstocks, and ethanol with tow sizes ranging from 30,000 to 270,000 bbls (majority transported with two 30,000 bbl barges). Target customers are oil refineries and fuel distributors.
• Crude Oil & Heated Products Transport Transportation of heavy, medium, light, and condensate crude cargoes using flexible tow boat horsepower, plus heated products including asphalt, black oil, fuel oil, slurry, and VGO using state-of-the-art heater barge design for optimized cargo capacity and temperature management. Target customers are oil and gas companies.
• Dry Cargo Transport Transportation of dry cargoes including frac sand, chemical rock, coal, petcoke, aggregate, grain, steel, and wood pellets using a diverse portfolio of open and closed design barges. Target customers are mining companies and aggregate producers.
• Infrastructure Materials Transport Transportation of infrastructure materials including asphalt, concrete, steel, masonry, limestone, wood, polymers, and composites for sustainable construction projects. Target customers are construction companies and infrastructure developers.
• Dry Cargo Division (FMT Dry Cargo) Dedicated FMT division offering dry cargo transportation services with its own sales contact (985-629-0100, [email protected]) and dedicated website (fmtdrycargo.com).
• Shipyard Services (FMT Shipyard) In-house dynamic shipyard providing safe, timely, and efficient repair services for vessels, with dedicated contact (504-355-4209) and website (fmtshipyard.com).
• Training Center Training facility for personnel development, with dedicated contact (985-727-4879). Supports workforce training for maritime operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Flexible tow configurations from 30,000 to 270,000 bbl capacity for refined products transport
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bouchard Transportation: Family-owned marine transportation company operating tank barges and tugboats, including petroleum, chemical, and asphalt transport along the US East Coast and inland waterways. Directly comparable barge and tugboat operator serving FMT's liquid bulk and heated-product segments.
• Kirby Corporation: The largest US inland marine transportation company, operating tank barges transporting petrochemicals, refined products, and black oil along the inland waterway system. Closest direct competitor to FMT in liquid bulk barge transport and the dominant scale benchmark against which FMT's 'largest independent' position is measured.
• American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL): A major private inland barge operator providing liquid and dry bulk transportation across the Mississippi River System and Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Direct competitor offering comparable chemical, refined product, and agricultural barge services to FMT's customer base.
• Ingram Marine Group: Private inland marine transportation company operating a large fleet of barges and towboats on US inland waterways. Direct peer in liquid bulk, chemical, and dry cargo barge transportation with overlapping customer segments in petrochemicals and agriculture.
• Maritime Partners: Marine transportation and leasing company offering towboats, barges, and related infrastructure across inland waterways. Adjacent peer providing both operational and leased-asset services to the same customer base as FMT.
• Canal Barge Company: Private inland marine transportation company operating tank barges and dry cargo barges on the Mississippi River system. Comparable peer in scale and product offering, including chemical, petroleum, and dry bulk cargo transport.
• Parker Towing: Family-owned inland barge operator primarily serving the Tennessee River system, transporting grain, coal, steel, and industrial cargo. Comparable regional barge operator with similar asset classes and industrial customer base.
• Campbell Transportation: River barge transportation company primarily operating on the Ohio, Mississippi, and Tennessee rivers. Comparable peer in dry bulk and liquid barge transport with overlapping commodity exposure in coal, aggregates, and petroleum.

Broad incumbents

• Genesis Energy: Public midstream energy company with a marine transportation segment operating barges along the US Gulf Coast and inland waterways. Provides transportation of crude oil, refined products, and chemicals as part of a broader midstream portfolio, overlapping with FMT's primary cargo mix.
• Enterprise Marine Services: Marine transportation subsidiary of Enterprise Products Partners, one of the largest US midstream energy companies. Operates a substantial barge fleet primarily serving its parent's hydrocarbon processing and export logistics, representing a vertically integrated incumbent in liquid bulk marine transport.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/florida-marine-transporters-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 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 Florida Marine Transporters, Inc.