A subsidiary of seafood giant Cooke Inc. has purchased a Nova Scotia-based provider of trucking and transportation services.

Shoreland Transport Inc. says it has acquired Connors Transfer Ltd. of Stellarton in a move that will strengthen Cooke's vertical integration.

It also makes Shoreland Transport one of the largest trucking companies in Atlantic Canada.

Glenn Cooke, CEO of Shoreland Transport, says the company is pleased to welcome the trucking company's 215 employees to its team.

Connors was founded in Stellarton in 1982 and has grown from two trucks delivering dry goods to grocery stores in Nova Scotia to a fleet of 143 trucks and 261 trailers with four terminal locations.

Shoreland was established by Cooke in 2002 and operates a fleet of 115 trucks and 217 trailers with terminals in St. George, N.B., and Suffolk, Va.

The company says it primarily moves fresh salmon and seafood products for Cooke Aquaculture companies, as well as other customers in Atlantic Canada.

“There are many challenges for logistics in today’s environment, and this acquisition will further strengthen Cooke’s vertical integration," Cooke said in a statement Thursday. 

"Many of Connors customers operate in food retail and agri-food, so their business and fleet align very well with Shoreland’s current operations and will enable us to improve services with our customers."

The terms of the transactions have not been disclosed as both companies are private, family-owned businesses.

The Cooke family of companies includes global aquaculture divisions, such as its wholly owned subsidiary Cooke Aquaculture Inc. and Kelly Cove Salmon Ltd, as well as seafood and wild fishery divisions under Cooke Seafood USA, Inc. and others. 

The company has a global workforce of 10,000 employees in 10 countries and annual sales of about $2.4 billion.