Port towing service providers Group Ocean of Canada, Sulnorte of Brazil, and CPT Towage of Chile have joined forces to create a strategic cooperation network called TugNetwork Team.
The goal of TugNetwork is to enhance port towing business operations in the Americas through better services and alternatives for customers, wide coverage, identifying synergies, and exchanging best practices with other operators.
The creation of this cooperative network will increase the competitiveness of local players and put them on par with international counterparts to provide customers with competitive prices and advantageous market coverage.
This partnership comes at a time when there has been market consolidation in the port towing sector for several years. This has resulted in immense pressure on shipowners, who ultimately have less freedom of choice in their port services. To offset this threat, the aforementioned players have taken the initiative to unite their forces in a strategic cooperation network.
This network offers tangible benefits to customers, including a comprehensive understanding of local maritime conditions, flexible intervention and response times tailored to customer needs, a presence in ports outside major centers, and ultimately access to competitive offerings.
The current coverage of the TugNetwork team includes 82 ports with 108 tugs in 9 countries in the Americas, positioning the network as a key player in the Americas.
However, the TugNetwork will not be limited to the current three founding members but will seek to expand its coverage with other local players who share similar experiences.
