Louisiana Dock News

Stephen A. Frasher has been appointed president and CEO of American Commercial Barge Line LLC as well as CEO of Jeffboat LLC, Louisiana Dock Company LLC and American Commercial Terminals LLC. With 31 years of experience in the transportation industry, most recently as president and CEO of Tidewater Holdings, Frasher’s hiring is part of a management transition plan for the retirement of Michael C. Hagen, who plans to step down at the end of October.

American Commercial Lines LLC announced that Stephen A. Frasher will step down as President and CEO effective April 30, 2004. ACL will make the following executive changes on that date. Richard L. Huber will assume the position of Chief Executive Officer of American Commercial Lines LLC. Mr. Huber has been a member of the ACL Board since 2000, and currently serves as its Chairman. Mr. Huber has over forty years of investment and merchant banking, international business, and management experience, having held executive positions with Chase Manhattan Bank, Citibank, Bank of Boston, and Continental Bank. He was most recently CEO of Aetna, Inc.

Moody's Investors Service downgraded the ratings of American Commercial Lines LLC's $535 million senior secured bank facility to B1 from Ba2 and the $300 million 10.25% senior unsecured notes to B3 from B1. The Senior Implied rating was lowered to B2 from Ba3 and the issuer rating was lowered to Caa1 from B2. The rating outlook was changed to stable from negative. The ratings downgrades is prompted by the substantial deterioration in operating performance resulting from a reduction in grain exports to Asia, higher fuel costs, and low water levels and unusual ice conditions on its U.S. transport routes which severely impacted the fourth quarter of 2000.

Larry Cornett, Keith White and Reuben R. Bush have joined ACBL as Fleet Managers in the Planning Center. James Benjamin Chandler, Theus Slemmons and Jackie Hansford have been named Dispatcher in the Logistics Department. Donald N. LaVigne, Jr. has joined ACBL as Boat Com Operator in the Logistics Department. Scott W. Nelson has joined ACBL as Oracle DBA Administrator and Betty Waggoner has been named PeopleSoft Programmer/Analyst in the Technology Department. Sean Smith has been named Director of Operations and Enrique Gil has been named Director of Finance and Administration for ACBL de Venezuela, C.A. Lee Schroeder has been named Fleet Superintendent for the Harahan and Marrero, Louisiana Fleets. Trinette M.

Reports said that the owner of the tugboat and barges that struck the Queen Isabella Memorial Bridge’s pier protective system and a concrete pillar along the Intracoastal Waterway on Wednesday is conducting its own investigation into the incident. ACL is the parent company of Louisiana Dock Co. and American Commercial Barge Lines, the registered owners of the Howard Evans tugboat and barges respectively. The U.S. Coast Guard documented that a watch stander at the U.S. Coast Guard sector office in Corpus Christi received the call of the collision at 4:29 p.m. The Coast Guard crews reported seeing no visible signs of structural damage.