Foundation Maritime

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Foundation Maritime was a Canadian salvage company that operated out of Halifax, Nova Scoctia, with headquarters in Montreal, Quebec.

They started as a construction company in the early 1900s, under the name Foundation Company of Canada. They branched off into maritime interests in the 1930s, operating primarily out of Hailfax Nova Scotia, under the name Foundation Maritime. They slowly built up a large fleet of tugboats and other vessels, for which they used to rescue ships in distress off the Atlantic Coast.

Foundation Maritime has been made famous by two books written by Farley Mowat, called The Grey Seas Under, and The Serpent's Coil.

Foundation Maritime also played a role in World War Two, by building some of the Park Class vessles that were used to transport goods to the United Kingdom. In the 1960s, Foundation Maritime sold off its maritime interests, and decided to focus on construction.

When the tugboat fleet was sold, they carryed on their work with their original names. The towing firm was eventually renamed Eastern Canada Towing Ltd., or ECTUG. The remaining tugs were partially renamed, substituting Foundation for Point (e.g., Foundation Vim became Point Vim.) Although no longer Canadian owned, ECTUG still operates a small fleet of five harbor tugs in Halifax.