Towage News

Svitzer Group A/S, global towage and marine solutions provider, has acquired a 66.6% stake in Norwegian towage and marine service company, Buksér og Berging AS, subject to final regulatory approvals. Svitzer’s investment represents a partnership opportunity for both companies, with a view to leverage extensive shared knowledge and experience of the global towage, offshore, adjacent maritime service and marine solution markets.There is no integration activities related to the transaction…

Towage company SAAM posted net income of US$64 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, 48% more than the same period last year.EBITDA reached $158 million (+15%) and revenue totaled $463 million (+8%).The third quarter figures were particularly positive compared to the previous year, with profit of $24 million (+97%), revenue of $161 million (+12%) and EBITDA of $58 million (+23%)."We had record earnings this quarter, thanks to increased activity and a better mix of services, combined with greater operational efficiencies in our two business areas: towage and air logistics.

The Great Lakes Towing Company and Great Lakes Shipyard have promoted Gregg Thauvette and Thomas Rigolo, two long-time leaders whose commitment and expertise have been key to the companies’ continued success.Gregg Thauvette has been promoted to Executive Vice President to President of The Great Lakes Towing Company, where he will continue to oversee all harbor towing and fleet operations across more than 40 U.S. ports throughout the Great Lakes.With decades of maritime experience, Thauvette has been a driving force behind the Towing Company’s continued success and growth.

Westar Marine Services, a cornerstone of the Bay Area maritime community since 1976, has officially entered a new chapter of leadership. After more than four decades at the helm, co-owners Mary McMillan and Wendy Morrow—pioneering women in the maritime industry—are setting sail into a well-earned retirement.McMillan and Morrow built Westar into a trusted name in marine transportation and support services, serving the San Francisco Bay and beyond with an unwavering commitment to safety, professionalism, and community.

A tow pilot’s distraction caused by personal cellphone use resulted in a collision last year with moored barges on the lower Mississippi River, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.The towing vessel William B Klunk was pushing 22 loaded hopper barges on April 17, 2024, when the tow collided with moored barges at a fleeting area near Baton Rouge. Thirteen barges broke away from the William B Klunk tow and three barges broke away from the fleeting area, resulting in damage to the barges, a fleet crew boat and two mooring dolphins.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has issued formal recommendations to three government agencies and a salvage operator with the release of its final report into the near stranding of the bulk carrier Portland Bay near Sydney in July 2022.“The stranding on pristine national park coastline of a 170-metre ship carrying 950 tonnes of heavy fuel oil would have had internationally significant environmental and economic consequences, and as such this was one of the ATSB’s most comprehensive marine occurrence investigations in nearly two decades…

Svitzer has signed a global EcoTow agreement with the Wallenius Wilhelmsen group. The agreement marks a step in Svitzer’s decarbonization journey and supports Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s ambition to reduce Scope 3 emissions across Svitzer’s global operations.The agreement covers tug jobs across key markets such as Australia, the UK, and Scandinavia. By applying the mass balance principle, Svitzer can use biofuels across its network and bank the resulting CO₂ savings in its emissions ledger.

A.P. Møller Holding has, through its wholly owned subsidiary APMH Invest (APMHI), made an all-cash voluntary recommended purchase offer to the shareholders of Svitzer Group to acquire all issued and outstanding shares of the company.A.P. Møller Holding, through its wholly owned subsidiary APMHI, currently owns 47% of the share capital and voting rights of Svitzer.The offer price values Svitzer's total share capital at approximately $1.3 billion (DKK 9.0 billion) and represents a premium of 31.7% against to the closing share price April 1…

Boluda Towage has acquired Finnish harbor towage and icebreaker company Yxpila Hinaus-Bogsering (YHB), consolidating its presence in Northern Europe.The acquisitions mark another step forward in Boluda’s expansion plans as well as the entry into the Scandinavian countries by providing coverage to its clients in the Gulf of Bothnia.Operating in the ports of Kokkola, Vaasa, Raahe and Kemi, the company will add six vessels to its fleet, five of which are icebreakers.“This purchase is a further step in our consolidation in Northern Europe…

Royal Boskalis B.V. on Monday announced it has reached a deal to take full ownership of marine services and towage provider Smit Lamnalco, after another deal for the company to be acquired by Spain’s Boluda Group fell through.Dutch dredging contractor and marine services firm Boskalis, which has held a 50% stake in Smit Lamnalco alongside joint owner Saudi Arabia's the Rezayat Group since 1964, said it signed an agreement to acquire all remaining shares in the company. The companies…

Wilson Sons said it has started operations on WS Dorado at the Ponta da Madeira, Itaqui and Alumar terminals facilities in São Luís, Maranhão.Designed by the Dutch Damen Shipyards, it is the fifth powerful tug with more sustainable technology in a range of six 2513-class tugboats. Built at the company’s shipyards in Guarujá (SP), the new tug will support berthing and unberthing operations in these terminals facilities, attending large ships exporting iron ore, which carry up to 400,000 tons of cargo.WS Dorado joins the company's fleet of 11 tugboats in that region.

New-York-based McAllister Towing on Wednesday announced that officer, director and shareholder Eric McAllister is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities.Eric and brother Buckley McAllister, the company’s president, represent the fifth generation of McAllisters to lead the 160-year-old, family-owned marine towing and transportation company—one of the oldest and largest in the U.S.Eric has held several leadership positions through the years, including chief financial…

Boluda Towage has added a tug to its fleet in the port of Gibraltar. The vessel, renamed VB Responder during a ceremony on Tuesday, is the company's fifth tug in Gibraltar, a strategic point for maritime transport.The event was attended by the Hon Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo KC MP, the Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez MP, the President of Boluda Corporación Marítima, Vicente Boluda Fos, Executive Vice President of Boluda Towage, Vicente Boluda Ceballos and the Captain of the Port, John Ghio.Vicente Boluda…

Boluda Towage announced it has reached a deal to acquire British company SMS Towage Ltd.The acquisition involves taking over the harbor and offshore towage services and marine operations, together with the management, office staff, crew, and fleet, based in the United Kingdom. SMS is presently operating in the U.K. ports/regions of, Tyne, Tees, Humber, Portsmouth, South Wales and Belfast with a fleet of 20 tugs. According to family-owned Boluda Towage, the addition of SMS will strengthen its position in the U.K.…

The Netherlands based marine towage provider KOTUG announced it has successfully piloted its innovative Tug Drone technology, performing a line transfer using an aerial drone.KOTUG said it worked with another Dutch company, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) experts SKEYE, to perform a line transfer over 400 meters from a tugboat to the helideck of Heerema’s crane vessel Thialf.For serveral years, KOTUG has been exploring the use of aerial drones to improve safety and efficiency, and…

Towage and marine services company Svitzer has published its 2023 annual report, showing that total revenue grew 6% to DKK 5,786 million driven by, among other things, a record number of harbour towage tug jobs of more than 150,000.Adjusted for foreign exchange impact, total revenue grew 9.5%. Operating profit (EBITDA) was up 4% to DKK 1,690 million, corresponding to an EBITDA margin of 29.2%. In the past five years, total revenue has on average grown by almost 6% annually with an average EBITDA margin of 30%.

Energy and marine consultancy ABL Group has secured a contract by POSH Projects to act as tow master to support and supervise the towage of the Mero 3 FPSO from Yantai in China to Brazilian waters.As part of its scope of work, ABL’s operations in Singapore will provide a tow master to act as client representative throughout the 12,108 nautical mile towage.The tow master will supervise and ensure that all marine operations for the sail away from Yantai CIMC Raffles Shipyard are carried out in-line with approved recommendations and procedural documentation.

Marine towage provider Svitzer Australia is building a new facility to deliver enhanced maritime training capabilities to the East Coast of New South Wales (NSW).The company reports construction is underway at its Port of Newcastle tug base, where Svitzer’s innovative, new TRAnsverse tug vessels are forecast to enter service in 2025 (the second and third to be deployed in the world). The facility will feature state-of-the-art Kongsberg Digital maritime simulators in support of crew training and other marine applications.Svitzer Australia chief operating officer…

SAAM reported net income of US$501 million in 2023, representing its best-ever results thanks to the sale of its port and logistics assets to Hapag-Lloyd, which generated a net gain of US$422 million.Sales for the year totaled US$540 million and EBITDA was US$160 million, surpassing the prior year by 17% and 9%, respectively."The sale of our port terminal and inland logistics operations leaves us in a solid position to move forward on the path we have set for ourselves: to lead the consolidation process in the towage industry and grow in air cargo logistics services.

Marine towage provider Svitzer Australia announced it has appointed Veronica Jensen as its new chief commercial officer (CCO) for the Australia/PNG region.Jensen started in the role in March and is based out of Svitzer Australia’s Sydney head office. She brings commercial leadership experience across a range of industry sectors including industrial consumables, engineering solutions, the pharmaceutical industry and in shipping with more than 11 years’ previous experience with Maersk.Svitzer Australia managing director Videlina Georgieva said…

KOTUG International, a marine services and towage provider based in the Netherlands, announced on Thursday it has concluded its acquisition of Kotug Seabulk Maritime (KSM), taking full ownership of the Caribbean marine towage business.KOTUG said it has acquired the interest of its joint venture partner, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based SEACOR Holdings via its Seabulk subsidiary KS Maritime Holdings, owner of the 50% share in KSM.Founded in 2017, KSM acts as the exclusive provider of maritime terminal support services for Buckeye Partners’ Bahamas Hub…

At SAAM’s annual general meeting last week, Chairman Óscar Hasbún outlined the objectives for the company's new phase, following the sale of the port terminals and inland logistics division."SAAM has robust solvency and liquidity indicators and a solid capital structure for this new cycle where our objective is clear: to become a leading global operator in the towage business and a regional leader in airport logistics. We are already a benchmark in both businesses and have developed a unique operating model…

Marine towage provider Svitzer Europe announced it has appointed Sara Gerdner Kalle as its new Chief Commercial Officer, effective April 1, 2024. With a background spanning nearly 25 years in the logistics and supply chain industry, Gerdner Kalle will lead the Commercial function for Svitzer Europe, focusing on nurturing long-term stakeholder relationships, spearheading commercial development, and driving growth initiatives. The company said she will be pivotal in harnessing Svitzer’s commitment to digitalization to help the business and its customers to move forwards to deliver safe…