Chouest buys Horizon Maritime to expand Canadian Arctic reach

By James Calloway

Chouest Group acquired St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador-based Horizon Maritime in a deal announced Monday, extending the Louisiana operator’s marine and offshore-services presence across Canada’s East Coast, West Coast and Arctic. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The transaction combines Chouest’s global offshore support fleet, subsea capabilities, shipbuilding operations and marine technology businesses with Horizon’s established Canadian operations and experience in harsh-environment offshore services.

Horizon operates marine services for offshore energy projects, Arctic operations and other specialized maritime activities. It also has established relationships with Indigenous communities and organizations across Canada.

What changes under Chouest ownership?

For Horizon, the acquisition provides access to a much larger fleet and a wider range of specialized services. For Chouest, it adds a stronger foothold in Canada’s offshore energy, Arctic and marine sectors, plus local operating knowledge across three distinct maritime regions.

For existing customers, the companies say the arrangement will preserve continuity on customer relationships, ongoing projects and crewing operations. They also say it opens a path to expanded services across Canada, a combination designed to retain local management while adding Chouest’s global resources.

Horizon was acquired from CFFI and its lender, HPS, through what the parties described as a strategic partnership with Horizon’s founders. The agreement keeps Horizon’s existing management team and leadership structure in place. Steve Widmeyer will remain CEO, and Widmeyer and co-founder Sean Leet will join Chouest Group’s board of directors.

Dino Chouest said: “We are excited to welcome Horizon Maritime to the Chouest Group. We see immense value in Horizon’s team, leadership and operational excellence. Combining Chouest’s global fleet expertise and technology with Horizon’s local footprint across Canada’s vast coastlines opens up incredible growth potential across Canada’s East Coast, West Coast and Arctic regions.”

Why does the Arctic matter now?

Canada is looking to strengthen its maritime capabilities, particularly in the Arctic, where commercial activity, infrastructure development and national security interests increasingly overlap. Horizon’s Arctic experience and local relationships position the company to participate in that buildout, while Chouest’s vessels, subsea resources, engineering and technology provide the operating platform.

Sean Leet said: “This is an opportunity to build on what we have created and take Horizon Maritime into its next phase of growth.

“The Chouest Group brings significant marine experience, assets and capabilities that will help us scale Horizon Maritime’s offerings to provide increased services and support to our valued customers, while increasing dual-use capacity at a key moment in time for our region and our country.”

Leet’s focus on scale matters commercially because Horizon gains broader national reach while Canadian managers continue to run the business. Customers keep a Canadian-led service relationship, and the combined platform can put more marine assets and technical capacity toward offshore projects. That is the operating proposition behind the increased services and support Leet described.

Widmeyer, who remains CEO, emphasized the opportunities for Horizon’s employees, including career development and long-term growth. The companies also said they remain committed to expanding Indigenous participation in Canada’s marine economy, an extension of Horizon’s existing work with Indigenous communities and organizations.

Chouest is a privately held, family-owned group operating across offshore vessel ownership and operations, shipbuilding, subsea services, specialized engineering and advanced technology manufacturing. For Horizon, the combination gives it access to those global resources while preserving Canadian management and established customer relationships.

As Canada strengthens Arctic maritime capabilities, the acquisition gives Horizon and Chouest a platform to expand dual-use capacity, although the announcement includes no financial terms, capacity target or delivery timetable.