A few career shifts, three hurricanes, countless hours on tugs…over 187,000 in case we’re counting, and 43 years later, Captain Mike Hilton reflects fondly on his time at Bisso Towboat Company as he prepares for his retirement.

Mike, a former commercial diver married a river pilot's daughter who may or may not have thought that commercial diving was too risky. Through an introduction by his father-in-law, Mike landed a job with Bisso as a deckhand and spent his first day on the river on November 11, 1981. His first boat, the Triumph, was a single-screw 1800 horsepower tug built in 1911. Though his original plan was to become a river pilot, Mike’s course changed as he rose through the ranks from deckhand to captain. In May of 1987, he earned the title of captain.
When Mike first started with the company, Bisso trained and developed Mike to be a captain, and they provide their captains the ultimate authority to run their tug. No matter who shows up on a Bisso tug, they are under the orders of that captain. It doesn’t matter if it’s another captain, or the company CEO. They all respect the authority of that captain’s orders to ensure that safety and decision-making is paramount.
When it comes to the Mississippi River and the conditions that she presents, Mike has seen it all. He has endured three hurricanes, twelve-foot seas, and an immense increase in river traffic aboard a Bisso tug. Mike and his crew enjoyed the sights and sounds of the 1984 World’s Fair while docked in Downtown New Orleans. He also witnessed the evolution of the tug technology from the models built in the early 1900s to the state-of-the-art tractor tugs that make up the Bisso fleet today.
As Bisso adopted Z-Drive tractor tug technology for their tugs to assist ships on the river, Mike and Captain Jon Davis were assigned to train in Tampa when Bisso bought plans for the Reliant-Class Tractor Tug. The new tugs had as much horsepower as three of the prior tugs and could maneuver in any direction with the Z-Drive propulsion system. This was a game changer on the river for the ship-assist business model that Bisso employs, as the technology, strength, and power of the tugs allowed for fewer tugs to move ships on the river with less trouble.
The onboard technology has also improved to include the AIS transponder systems that help improve safety similar to air traffic. Infrared visuals allow boats to see at night and in poor weather conditions. Mike’s first tractor tug, the Cecilia B. Slatten, which was christened on May 11, 1999, cuts through the Mississippi River currents with ease and set the company on a path to replace all its conventional tugs with tractor tugs. Bisso recently completed this mission with the December 2024 christening of the Mr. Brian, marking the 10th tractor tug in the company’s fleet.
“The Mississippi River, due to the ever-changing currents, is known as “The Beast” among many of us that work on the river. Tractor tugs evened the playing field greatly and made the dangerous environment much safer,” said Mike. “Pilots didn’t even know what a tractor tug was on the river. It took a little time to figure out the difference between training in Tampa's calm waters and the Mississippi River, but now clients expect tractor tugs to handle the job and utilize the efficiency that they deliver.”
Mike's legacy at Bisso will continue as he helped the company define protocols that derived from the use of Bisso’s first tractor tug. As the company added more over the years, new captains taking the helm had good information on what to expect and the Cecilia B. Slatten provided the platform to know exactly how they would respond. His experience and knowledge even allowed him to train captains and crews to operate tractor tugs at three different companies.
On his last day of work, Mike will be at the helm of the Andrew S., a 6,008 brake horsepower beast he has served on since its delivery in 2019. “Bisso is family and has always treated me as such,” Mike said about his time at the company. “I’m going to miss the camaraderie.”
What’s next for Mike?
You’d think he’s seen enough time on the water, but he just bought a 25-foot Sportsman Center Console that he will use to take out various charters. As a test run, he recently took a few artists to the Mississippi islands off the coast from Ocean Springs, Mississippi. He will also continue to serve as an expert witness, as he has helped in a variety of navigating matters for law firms that need a captain’s expertise on the river. Mike still has an unlimited masters and pilots’ license and has never had a Coast Guard 2692 filed, which means he’s never been in an accident. Also, since Mike just renewed his license, that gives him options if he ever gets a call from his former employer.

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