In 1947 Alexandra increased their interests in Swansea with the purchase of Mrs Dewsburys' towing business. This included the tug ‘BENSON’ a vessel originally built for Alexandra which had served with the Royal Navy for nearly forty years.

By the mid 1950's the policy of new building had been resumed, at first with steam tugs, but in 1958 the first motor tug to be owned by the company was launched. She was the ‘NORTH ISLE’ built locally at Northwich in Cheshire and from that time the majority of tugs joining the fleet were diesel engined. The companies South Wales interests were consolidated in 1962 with the acquisition of The Britannia Steam Towing Company Limited and the tugs ‘BRYNFORTH’, ‘GRAIGFORTH’ and ‘CLYNEFORTH’. This company had provided towage services to the Swansea area since 1895.

December 1966 saw the acquisition of the Liverpool Screw Towing Company Limited and its subsidiary North West Tugs Limited which were popularly known as “Cock Tugs”, seven steam tugs and five motor tugs joined the Alexandra fleet as a result. The company had been founded in 1877 by Mr W.Becket Hill. A further expansion occurred in July 1968 when the Liverpool towage firm of J.H.Lamey Limited, whose origins can be traced back to 1916, became part of the Alexandra Group, bringing seven motor tugs into the fleet. It was not until September 1970 however that the Cocktugs and Lamey tugs were given Alexandra names and house colours.

On January 1st 1975 The Alexandra Towing Co. Ltd., obtained control of London Tugs Limited, established in 1968 when W.H.J.Alexander & Co. Ltd, owners of the famous “Sun Tugs”, joined Ship Towage (London) Ltd, formed in 1950 with the merger of William Watkins Limited, The Elliot Steam Tug Company and the

acquisition of Gamecock Tugs Limited, these developments brought Alexandra colours to London and the Thames a new company, The Alexandra Towing Company (London) Ltd., was formed for the Thames based operation and, in addition to the tugs, the new company took The Medway Drydock & Engineering Company Limited at Sheerness under its control, this company had been established in 1960 when Ship Towage (London) Ltd., had acquired the former Admiralty workshops and dry-docks at Sheerness. The Alexandra Towing Company (Felixstowe) Limited was also formed in 1975 for operations centred around the Suffolk port of Felixstowe. Another important development came in January 1973 when the company opened an office in Gibraltar and the tug ‘WAPPING’ was sent from Liverpool to maintain station there.

In 1979 Alexandra Marine Transportation Limited was formed to control all towage and related activities in the offshore areas. The groups tugs performed extensive oilrig moves in all types of weather both on their own and in conjunction with other companies, including B.P., Phillips Petroleum, Burmah Oil, Esso, Mobil Oil, McDermott International, Shell, Micoperi Occidental, Statoil, Texaco and Total Oil. They have also worked in offshore towing, the provision of rig support duties and anchor handling in many countries in West Africa including ports in Zaire, Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, The Ivory Coast and Senegal.

February 1989 saw the anchor handling tug ‘INVINCIBLE’ embark on the longest tow in the company’s history. 13,500 miles from the Gulf of Mexico to Singapore with the barge “GOLIATH ATLANTIC” (which measured 135 x 31 x 8 metres) on which was loaded the “ZAPATA HERITAGE” a three legged jack-up