Spanish towage operator Boluda Towage has acquired Dutch offshore towage and heavy transport specialist Muller Dordrecht, adding 16 tugs and eight barges to its fleet, including seven vessels dedicated to offshore operations.
The acquisition, announced by Boluda Towage on 4 November 2026, gives the Spanish group full ownership of the Dutch company, which specialises in offshore towing, anchor handling, rig moves and marine transportation projects. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Founded in 1918, Muller Dordrecht will continue operating from Dordrecht under the name Boluda Muller Towage, retaining its existing management team. Former chief executive and owner Bram Muller will remain involved as an adviser, alongside the company’s advisory board.
The business will operate as a separate unit within the wider Boluda group, continuing its specialised offshore activities alongside Boluda Towage Europe.
The acquired fleet includes the ASD offshore and anchor-handling tug En Avant 30, marketed with a bollard pull of 120 tonnes, and the ASD tugs En Avant 25 and En Avant 26, which are marketed in the 90-tonne bollard pull class.
Muller Dordrecht also added En Avant 19, a Damen ASD 2811 tug with up to 65 tonnes of bollard pull, to its fleet in March 2026. The vessel is designed for offshore, harbour and inland operations.
The Dutch operator has undertaken marine transportation and offshore construction assignments across the North Sea and Baltic Sea. Its work includes towing offshore wind turbine foundations and substations, repositioning drilling rigs, anchor handling and supporting heavy-lift operations.
The barge fleet comprises flat-top roll-on/roll-off units, with the largest listed barge measuring 100.23 metres in length and offering a carrying capacity of 16,500 tonnes. Most of the barges are classed for both inland and seagoing operations, allowing cargo to be transported between inland locations and overseas ports without intermediate transshipment.
Vicente Boluda Ceballos, executive chairman of Boluda Towage, said the acquisition would expand the group’s offshore towing capabilities while maintaining Muller Dordrecht‘s specialist operations within its European business.
The Muller family said the decision followed consideration of the company’s future in a capital-intensive offshore market. The new ownership structure is expected to support investment, fleet development and recruitment, while existing operations and management remain in place.
The takeover follows a separate expansion move by Boluda Shipping, which signed an agreement to acquire Dutch multimodal operator Samskip on 28 October 2026. Unlike the completed Muller Dordrecht acquisition, the Samskip transaction remains subject to regulatory approval and other closing conditions, with completion targeted for 1 January 2027.
