Boluda acquires Boskalis' Australia and Papua New Guinea business

Boluda has acquired the towage and salvage business of the Dutch company Royal Boskalis BV in Australia and Papua New Guinea. 

Valued at US$640M, the deal adds operational capacity for Boluda in the ports of Sydney, Perth, Botany, Gladstone, Brisbane, Newcastle, Melbourne, Weipa and Mackay in Australia as well as Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea and Launceston in Tasmania.

"These ports play a key role in the global economy, as they connect Australia’s natural resource production with the main world markets, especially Asia, securing its role as an export powerhouse in global maritime trade," Boluda said. 

Boluda described the ports as industrial docks with high volumes of raw materials such as iron, coal, natural gas, gold, and lithium, essential for the energy, technology, and steel industries.

"With this operation, Boluda Towage positions itself worldwide, strengthening its presence in Asia, where it also operates in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Timor-Leste," the company said, noting its presence on five continents "and the most powerful fleet in the world, made up of more than 850 vessels — including tugs and salvage ships". The acquisition gives Boluda Towage operational capacity in some 232 ports, globally.

"We want to continue supporting the development of port infrastructure where we operate by improving efficiency, safety, and sustainability," Boluda Towage chairman Vicente Boluda Ceballos said.

In August 2025, Boskalis revealed that it had signed a deal to sell the Australian and Papua New Guinean operations of Smit Lamnalco to an unnamed buyer.