Founded in 1860, by Michael Moran as a towing and brokerage firm, the Moran Towing and Transportation Company of New York, New York. In 1863, the company transitioned from a brokerage firm to an owner/operator of towing vessels when the company acquired a one-half interest in the tugboat Ida Miller for $2,700. In 1880, Michael Moran painted the first white "M" on the stack of a Moran tugboat.
