Higman Barge Lines News

Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) informs that its Chairman, Andres Alcantar, recently visited the San Jacinto College maritime training center to present a $368,173 Skills Development Fund grant for maritime job training. The TWC Skills Development Fund grant will fund training for 195 mariners from Buffalo Marine Services, G&H Towing Co., Higman Barge Lines Inc., and J.A.M. Distributing. Since the start of the San Jacinto College maritime program in 2010, approximately 2,500 U.S. Coast Guard certificates have been awarded to mariners. TWC explains that having a local maritime training center saves companies travel expenses. In the past, mariners were sent out of state for similar training.

The M/V Orange was delivered to Higman Barge Lines, of Houston, Texas.   The 78’x34’ vessel left Hope Services Shipyard’s facility yesterday en route to Channelview, Texas, where it will pick up its first tow. The 78’x34’ vessel is the fourth vessel in this class size that Hope Services has built for Higman. It marks the 77th vessel Hope Services has built in its twenty‐five year history.

In spite of the economic gloom of 2010, the demand for solid reliable towboats for the U.S. inland waterways has continued. An example of this is Higman Marine Services’ latest addition. The final month of 2010 saw yet another towboat added to the fleet of their subsidiary Higman Barge Lines. As with many earlier boats The M/V Baffin Bay was built by Hope Services of Dulac Louisiana. But this boat is one of the newly designed and larger 78 by 34-ft vessels. Hull number 174 from Hope’s yard is also the 36th vessel from Hope for Higman.

Late in 2008 Higman Barge Lines Inc. took delivery of another in their series of 72 by 30 ft 2000 hp push boats. Along with a number of other vessels, the M/V Alliance was built at Hope Services Inc. in Dulac, Louisiana as their Hull Number 165. This was followed by the Erik Salen, a sister vessel, in January 2009. A third towboat, the Kal A. Shaw, being built to the same design, will be delivered to Higman Barge Lines in mid-April. With a hull depth of 10 ft and a somewhat smaller draft, the 144 gross ton vessels are well suited to working Americas Inland Waterways.