Offshore Tugs Corporation’s cumulative work experience began in the 1950’s in St. Louis, MO on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers with Huffman Towing Company. In an effort to diversify and expand the business, while remaining closely associated with Huffman Towing, Bob Leshe (now President of Offshore Tugs Corporation) left Huffman Towing in 1969 to form Inland River Transportation Corporation (IRTC). IRTC, based in Pensacola, Florida provided contract offshore towing to markets serving the Gulf of Mexico, US East Coast, Caribbean, South America, Pacific Central America and on occasion Africa. IRTC’s fleet expanded and contracted to meet the demands of the industry and at one time consisted of five (5) 4000 HP offshore tugs, ten (10) offshore barges ranging in capacity from 2000 tons to 4000 tons dry and three (3) 30,000 barrel tank barges. In addition to three small inland push boats ranging in power from 600 HP to 1200 HP to support their offshore businesses.
From 1969 thru 1986 other marine related ventures were developed and operated by IRTC. Stevedoring and terminal operations were based in Pensacola, FL and Yabacoa, PR., while shipyard and salvage operations were based in Orange, TX.
In 1986 Inland River Transportation Corporation divested its tank barge business to Marine Transport Lines and simultaneously acquired American Offshore, Incorporated. American Offshore, Inc. provided four (4) model bow tugs ranging in power from 2400 hp to 5000 hp to Tidewater Marine for the movement of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units for most of the major and independent oil companies in the Gulf of Mexico.
American Offshore Inc. continued to support the oil field industry through 1999 however diverted a portion of its equipment in 1993 to begin ship docking as Ocean Towing Corp. from the Port of Ft. Pierce, FL until 2002. As a result of limited ship traffic OTC moved its operations to Pensacola, FL and continues to this day to provide tug assistance to the Port of Pensacola and NAS Pensacola. We expanded our business again in June of 2008 to Key West, FL. and again most recently to the Port Panama City, USA.
Our existing fleet consists of seven (7) ship docking/offshore model bow tugs, two (2) inland push boats and a 42’ crew/pilot boat.