Press Release
Chouest Group and Horizon Maritime Founders Partner for Expanded Canadian Operations
St. John’s, NL • Cut Off, Louisiana — October 26, 2026 —The Chouest Group and the founders of Horizon Maritime Services (Horizon Maritime) are announcing a strategic partnership, including the acquisition of Horizon Maritime, a leading Canadian-based provider of harsh-environment marine and offshore services, from CFFI and its lender HPS.
This transaction marks a significant expansion of Horizon Maritime's capabilities and increases the Chouest Group's global presence with coverage across the Canadian marine sector, creating new opportunities for Horizon to scale operations across the West and East Coasts of Canada and the Canadian Arctic. Combining the strengths of Horizon Maritime and the Chouest Group enhances Horizon Maritime's capabilities, building on the strength of Horizon Maritime's current activities across Canada's three coastlines and the Chouest Group's full group offering – including marine transportation, subsea services, specialized engineering and advanced technology solutions – throughout the region.
Horizon Maritime brings a proven track record of execution in harsh-environment operations, strong Indigenous partnerships and deep customer relationships across key offshore energy, Arctic and marine sectors.
"We are excited to welcome Horizon Maritime to the Chouest Group," said Dino Chouest of the Chouest Group. "We see immense value in Horizon's team, leadership and operational excellence. We look forward to working closely with Horizon's clients, building on their established reputation and growing the business by delivering the full range of services and capabilities offered across the entire Chouest Group. 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."
Horizon Maritime will continue to operate with its existing management team and leadership structure, ensuring seamless continuity for clients, ongoing projects, crewing activities and operational commitments. Steve Widmeyer will continue as Chief Executive Officer and he and Sean Leet will join the Board of Directors. The Board remains fully committed to preserving its strong company culture, high standards of safety and service excellence, and dedication to expanding Indigenous participation in Canada's Blue Economy.
"This is an opportunity to build on what we have created and take Horizon Maritime into its next phase of growth," said co-founder Sean Leet. "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."
"For us, one of the most important things about this deal is what it means for our people," said co-founder and CEO Steve Widmeyer. "Today's announcement represents a key moment in Horizon Maritime's journey as we continue, with the strength of the Chouest Group, to create meaningful opportunities for long-term career growth, professional development and advancement. This is about rewarding the people who have stood behind Horizon Maritime, investing in their future and building a company where they can continue to grow and succeed."
About Horizon Maritime
Founding member in the rapidly growing Horizon Group of Companies, Horizon Maritime is a Canadian marine services company with deep experience in harsh environment marine and offshore operations. With operations across Canada and globally, the company delivers innovative and reliable solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. Built on a foundation of exceptional people, modern equipment and a commitment to operational excellence, Horizon Maritime brings innovative solutions and provides industry leading marine services across a diverse range of sectors and operating environments. Visit www.horizonmaritime.com
About the Chouest Group
The Chouest Group is a privately held, family-owned global leader across energy services, specialized engineering, shipbuilding, subsea services and advanced technology manufacturing. Built on decades of experience in vessel ownership and operations, Chouest manages a diverse portfolio of complementary companies that deliver integrated, innovative solutions for complex industry challenges. From large-scale marine infrastructure to one of the world's most versatile offshore support fleets, Chouest supports clients across a wide range of global sectors.