About
About Smith Brothers
Smith Brothers is located on the West River, central to the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. We offer charter and sales of steel workfloats from 8’x20’x2’, to barges 50’x250’x12’; including Shugart Sectional Barges. We bareboat charter “truckable” tugs, under 26’ up to 600 HP which can be delivered by truck anywhere in the Continental U.S.
In addition, we maintain a fleet of Sub M Certified tugs to offer towing service from Philadelphia, PA to Norfolk, VA, including all of Delaware Bay, Chesapeake Bay, and Potomac River to DC. For sectional barges or single barges up to 200 tons, we offer custom barge fabrication at our Galesville, MD location.
Started as a family business in 1918, Smith Brothers originally specialized in oyster packing. During the off season, out of necessity and through the leadership of three brothers Nelson, Wilmer, and Eddy, Smith Brothers grew by working small jobs on the water and construction in Galesville, Maryland. Learn more.
in size from 8 x 20 x 2 to 50 x 250 x 12
Over a Century of Accomplishments
On August 1, 2019, McLean Contracting Company acquired the assets of Smith Brothers, Inc., a deal which connected two one-hundred-plus-year-old Maryland companies, both operating in the heavy civil and marine contracting markets. Under the Smith Brothers name, the operation continues to focus on rental and charter of marine equipment, typically barges, sectional barges, tugboats, crew boats, cranes and ancillary equipment to contractors and other businesses. These services can also be coordinated with McLean yards in Baltimore, MD and Chesapeake, VA as well as Port Tobacco at Port Tobacco at Weanack on the James River in Virginia, which McLean operates under a terminal operating agreement with its owner.
With this acquisition, McLean has also made its entire fleet of marine equipment available for rent or charter by contacting Smith Brothers. In addition, Smith Brothers offers contractor support services out of its Galesville, MD yard. Located on the West River just south of Annapolis, the yard has easy access to the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding waterways as well as truck access, bulkheads, piers, marine yard and transloading capabilities. With close proximity to Poplar Island, Hart-Miller Island, and Janes Island, we offer almost unlimited services to contractors working these sites; including deliveries with “roll-on/roll-off” capability.
The Smith Brothers purpose, along with McLean, is to bring peace of mind to those we serve. We want all of our employees to feel valued, appreciated and free to be who they are at work. Our employee lifecycle processes are designed to prevent discrimination regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender or disability status. We recognize that a diverse and inclusive workforce makes us a better company, and we will continue to expand our efforts in this area. We know this is the right thing to do for our all of our partners and stakeholders.