Brian Buckley

McAllister, Esq. President McAllister Towing

Brian Buckley McAllister began his career as a deckhand, working in various McAllister Towing operations from Louisiana to Maine. In 1998, he rejoined the company as Vice President General Counsel. In 2012, Buckley was named President and in 2021 he became Chairman.

Founded in 1864, McAllister Towing is one of the oldest and largest maritime transportation service companies in the United States. Buckley’s Great Great Grandfather, James McAllister, started with a sail lighter, transporting cargo with wind power throughout the Port of New York. Since then, the company has participated in numerous marine innovations, from steam engines to the first TIER IV reduced-emission engines to be put in ship assist tugs in America. Today, McAllister employs 800 of the finest maritime professionals in the industry and operates over 60 tugboats along with barges, crew boats and ferries. The company is currently building three more tractor tugs, capable of performing tethered escorts and certified for generating 80 metric tons of bollard pull, in order to assist ultra large container ships. The company has over a dozen offices along the East Coast and Caribbean, from Maine to San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Buckley is also President of The Bridgeport and Port Jefferson Steamboat Company, founded in 1883 by P.T. Barnum. The ferry carries over 400,000 cars and 800,000 passengers across Long Island Sound every year.

The ferry company is also building a new TIER IV ferry in order to improve and expand its service, expected to be delivered in 2024.

Mr. McAllister is a long-time member of the Maritime Association of the Port of New York and New Jersey. He serves on the boards of Steamship Mutual P&I Club, the Area Maritime Security Committee for New York and New Jersey, the Coast Guard Foundation, the American Bureau of Shipping, and the Seamen’s Church Institute. He previously served on the board of the American Waterways Operators and was Chairman in 2013. He is admitted to practice law in New York, California, and a number of federal jurisdictions.

Buckley and his wife, Beth Morrow, live in Brooklyn, NY and are proud parents to two children, Rowan and Janet. Buckley enjoys playing music and performs with the band @NewYeller.