A First Tier Company

Norfolk Tug Company operates nine tugs working along the Gulf and East Coasts.  We have six model bow boats and three bay capable push boats.  Our vessels range in power from 1550BHP to 3000BHP and measure between 75' and 115' in length.   All have towing machinery and each of the model bows are well equipped for near coastal ocean work.  Our primary base of tug business exists in the Mid Atlantic.

Norfolk Tug Company pursues medium to long-term partnerships, working with a variety of barge-loaded bulk cargoes.  We provide tugs and barges for the safe movement of containers, fertilizer, coal, aggregate, petroleum, steel, and dredge products. We also do "special project" transport work involving multiple barge and tug tows, dredge tending and scow towing work, and general assists work for marine based construction projects.  We offer local tug service in and around the dry docks and shipyards in Hampton Roads and maintain a strong general towing presence in the lower Chesapeake Bay.  We have a range of jumbo hopper barges, primiarly working in the bulk and aggregate business in the lower Chesapeake Bay and a variety of deck barges that work in many capacities.  The container barge NTC 35 operates on the James River as the "64Express" transporting containers (www.64express.com) between Hampton Roads and Richmond, Virginia.

We are proud to be part of the American Waterways Operators (AWO) and believe the efforts of this important industry group, partnering with the United State Coast Guard, will assist the tug and towing industry in becoming ever safer and more environmentally responsible.

Our tugs are well maintained and each has been rebuilt to top tier status.  The marine equipment here is subject to rigorous semi-annual above and below the water line inspections and our newly repowered fleet has firmly scheduled and thoroughly documented overhauls and upgrades.  We've proudly built our company around 1970’s and 1980’s vintage "steel" with a firm belief that quality built older tugs offer many advantages over new construction but only if extensive upgrades, including new engines, generators, wiring and more are undertaken. Each of our vessels has had its steel gauged for top tier integrity, engines replaced, shaft seals replaced with dripless packing, generators replaced, and pipes throughout inspected and renewed where necessary.  All the electronics are reviewed and upgraded bi-annually.

Since 2006, the year we started our rebuilding program, we've made significant investment in new propulsion, new electrical power generation engines, improved visibility via quality built high houses, and countless upgrades to shafts, wheels and more. Six of our nine vessels have been re powered using top tier Caterpiller propulsion machinery and every tug received new tier II John Deere powered generators.  To further enhance our environmental policy for the liner service that operates on the James River, we burn Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel fuel. Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel fuel enables our vessels to produce dramatically lower pollutants.

We are a bottom-up organization with a strong commitment to our employees.

[Back]