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Tank Barge News

27 Feb 2024

Centerline Logistics Acquires Tugs and Barges from JMB Shipping

(File photo: Centerline Logistics)

Seattle-based maritime transportation provider Centerline Logistics announced it has acquired a fleet of four liquid tank barges and four tugboats from maritime asset holding company JMB Shipping.The deal closed on February 23, and its terms were not disclosed. Prior to the acquisition, JMB Shipping was owned by JMB Capital Partners Lending, an investment firm that bid $115 million in 2021 to purchase a portion of Bouchard Transportation's tug and barge fleet after the New York-based marine transport company went bankrupt.

02 Jan 2024

Amogy Brings Ammonia Into the Mix

© Forance / Adobe Stock

Ammonia is one of several renewable fuels seen as an option to help the maritime industry decarbonize.One of the companies working to unlock the fuel’s potential is Brooklyn, N.Y. based Amogy, developer of an onboard system that feeds liquid ammonia through a cracking process to create hydrogen on demand for power generation via fuel cell—without carbon emissions.Having already demonstrated its technology on an aerial drone, tractor and semi-truck, Amogy is currently working to…

15 Aug 2023

Amogy Calls for Ammonia Incentives

Source: Amogy

In its recently published white paper, ammonia-to-power technology company Amogy calls for policy makers to provide clear incentives for the uptake of ammonia as a shipping fuel.The paper Ammonia as an Essential Energy Carrier for the Energy Transition states that shipowners currently lack investment support for zero carbon propulsion systems and technologies.In the US, strong progress is being made on clean ammonia production. According to International Energy Agency project data…

04 Apr 2023

Ammonia-powered Tug Conversion Underway

Amogy is retrofitting its ammonia-to-power system on board a 1957-built tug at Feeney Shipyard in Kingston, N.Y. (Photo: Amogy)

A first-of-its-kind ammonia-powered, zero-emission tugboat will be put to the test by Brooklyn, N.Y-based startup Amogy in late 2023.Having already successfully demonstrated its technology on an aerial drone, tractor and semi-truck, the ammonia power solutions company revealed in early March that it is retrofitting a scaled up 1-megawatt (MW) version of its ammonia-to-power system onto a tug at Feeney Shipyard in Kingston, N.Y. as a test run for its emissions-slashing power and propulsion technology in the commercial maritime sector.Once installed…

13 Feb 2023

OCIMF Updates Safety Guide for Tank Barges and Terminals

© Henk Vrieselaar / Adobe Stock

Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) and the inland navigation sector with the support of the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR) have collaborated with other European organizations to produce the second edition of the International Safety Guide for Inland Navigation Tank-barges and Terminals (ISGINTT).The purpose of ISGINTT is to improve the safe transport of dangerous goods at the interface between inland tank barges and other vessels or shore facilities (terminals).

05 Jan 2023

ATB Tug Partially Sinks in Port Milwaukee

(Photo: U.S. Coast Gard)

Multiple agencies are responding to prevent any potential environmental damages after a tug partially sank at its moorings on the Kinnickinnic River in Port Milwaukee.The Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector Lake Michigan were notified by the National Response Center at 11:27 a.m. on Monday that the vessel Michigan, part of an articulated tug and barge (ATB) unit, began taking on water and partially sank in 26 feet of water.Photos shared by the Coast Guard earlier this week show the stern of the 115-foot-long tug submerged while its bow remains above the waterline…

15 Dec 2022

Amogy to Use Ballard Fuel Cell Engines

© vchalup / Adobe Stock

Amogy, developer of emissions-free ammonia power solutions, announced it has signed a contract to purchase fuel cell engines from Ballard Power Systems for ammonia-to-power maritime applications.Ballard’s FCwave engine is a scalable fuel cell system certified for operation in marine environments. Amogy’s proprietary ammonia-to-power platform relies on unique ammonia cracking technology, facilitating the extraction of hydrogen onboard for fuel in a hydrogen engine. Having demonstrated the platform in several industrial applications…

11 Oct 2022

Parker Towing Acquires General Marine Services

(Photo courtesy Parker Towing Company)

Tuscaloosa, Ala.-based barging company Parker Towing Company on Tuesday announced it has acquired Baton Rouge, La.-based tank barge operator General Marine Services (GMS).GMS operates a fleet of liquid tank barges and towboats and provides services to customers in the refining industry. For Parker Towing the acquisition expands its tank barge division and fits into its strategy to continue to diversify and grow from a traditionally dry cargo carrier, the company said. “Gene Moore and GMS have a long-standing reputation of providing high-quality service to its customers.

01 Jul 2022

Shipbuilding: Ingram Marine Christens Four Towboats in One Day

Image courtesy  Ingram Marine Group

On June 24, Ingram Marine Group held a special christening ceremony for four vessels: M/V Capt. Roy Daniels, M/V Randy Hooper, M/V Debbie L. Owen and M/V Harold B. Warren. The M/V Debbie L. Owen and M/V Capt. Roy Daniels are new builds. The M/V Randy Hooper and M/V Harold B. Warren are refurbished vessels.“The people we are honoring today are a testament to the kind of company we’ve worked hard to build. They really represent the ‘Ingram Way’ which is why it is so fitting to christen some of our vessels in their honor…

31 Mar 2022

Campbell Buys Assets of E Squared Marine

Campbell Transportation Company, Inc. (CTC), a fully integrated marine services company headquartered in Pennsylvania, announced Thursday that it has purchased the marine assets of Houston-based tank barge shipping company E Squared Marine Service, LLC.Campbell Transportation, which owns and/or manages a growing number of dry and liquid cargo barges and operates 50 towboats on the inland waterways system, said the acquisition is a step forward in its plan to grow by diversifying and expanding its current business into new and growing markets.This acquisition is a significant expansion of Campbell’s tank barge operations providing an operating and fleeting location in Houston.According to the E Squared Marine website…

07 Mar 2022

Recovery, Resilience and Demand Shifts to Drive Inland Waterway Cargo Flows

(Photo: Blessey Marine Services)

Waterway traffic is coming back. November 2021 saw 52.1 million tons moving on the U.S. inland waterway system, the highest monthly tonnage since October 2019, a few months before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the shutdowns and stoppages of early 2020. Flows estimated by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, based on data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) show a 25% rise from June 2020. Data in a presentation by The Waterways Council Inc (WCI)…

09 Dec 2021

ACBL Found Not at Fault for 2008 Mississippi River Collision and Oil Spill

Three tugs hold up a barge that was split in two on the Mississippi, July 23, 2008. At about 2 a.m. that day the 600-foot tanker Tintomara and the Mel Oliver tug and barge collided and approximately 400,000 gallons of number six fuel oil spilled from the barge. (Photo: Chris Lippert / U.S. Coast Guard)

Jeffersonville, Ind.-based barging company American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) said it has been cleared of any fault related to the 2008 Mel Oliver collision and resulting oil spill on the Mississippi River.The announcement comes after more than 13 years of legal proceedings and is the result of a settlement agreement reached on November 18, 2021, with the U.S. Department of Justice and the State of Louisiana regarding the case.It was determined that fault for the collision and resulting oil spill belongs to Harvey…

28 Oct 2021

Stephaich, Pyne Honored by National Rivers Hall of Fame

Peter Stephaich (left) and Joseph H. Pyne.

National Rivers Hall of Fame will honor marine towing industry veterans Peter Stephaich and Joseph H. Pyne during the Annual Waterways Symposium hosted by Waterways Council, Inc. in St. Louis, Mo., in November.Stephaich, the current Chairman and CEO of Blue Danube Incorporated and Campbell Transportation Company, Inc., and Pyne, Kirby Corporation’s former CEO, will receive the Hall's Achievement Award, given to individuals making significant contributions to America’s waterways and barge industry.Having served the river industry for over 30 years…

20 Sep 2021

Expect the Unexpected on the Inland Waterways

Among transportation planners, “resilience”, describing the ability to bounce back from adversities, both economic and other, has become a top consideration as we increasingly must “expect the unexpected.” The U.S. waterway system, covering the network of inland rivers and coastwise waterways, has seen a mix of good and not so good. As the 2020-2021 pandemic moves toward winding down, a recovery from the dismal 2020 is underway, but activity on the rivers is uneven. Ken Eriksen…

30 Mar 2021

Excessive Speed a Factor in 2019 Houston Ship Channel Collision -NTSB

A screen capture from wheelhouse video on board the towing vessel Voyager shows the moment when the LPG tanker Genesis River struck barge 30015T, March 10, 2019. (Source: Kirby Inland Marine / NTSB)

Excessive vessel speed contributed to a 2019 collision between a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker and a barge in the Houston Ship Channel that resulted in the release of 11,000 barrels of petrochemicals, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.The 754-foot-long tanker Genesis River collided with the 297-foot-long tank barge 30015T on the Houston Ship Channel May 10, 2019, in Texas’ Upper Galveston Bay. The collision breached two cargo tanks in the barge, spilling approximately 473,600 gallons of reformate, a gasoline blending stock.

08 Mar 2021

Greenbrier Launches Crowley's New Alaska Fuel Barge

(Photo: Crowley)

The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. announced today the launch of Qamun, a 55,000-barrel shallow draft double hull petroleum tank barge built by Greenbrier Marine, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Greenbrier. Crowley Engineering Services provided on-site construction management using an Alaska-specific design by Jensen Maritime, its recently integrated naval architecture and marine engineering firm.The 350-foot barge, which will form part of an articulated tug-barge (ATB) unit, will be paired with the tug Aurora being constructed by Master Boat Builders Inc., Coden, Ala.

04 Dec 2020

New Tank Barge Delivered to OSG

(Photo: Greenbrier Marine)

Greenbrier Marine, a division of The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. announced the delivery of OSG 205, a 204,000-barrel capacity oil and chemical tank barge for dual-mode ITB service pursuant to U.S. Coast Guard NVIC 2-81, Change 1. The barge was delivered to Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. (OSG), a  provider of energy transportation services delivering crude oil and petroleum products throughout the U.S. and internationally. OSG 205 was paired with existing tug OSG Courageous.The new tank barge is the second that Greenbrier Marine has delivered to OSG this year…

18 Nov 2020

US Inland Waterways: High Waters & Swirling Currents

(Photo: Ingram Barge)

The inland waterway system, flowing through the United States heartland, is a microcosm of all that has been happening in 2020: trade tensions, infrastructure issues, shifting trends in fuel consumption and the pandemic that has gripped us since the winter months. Shortly after the initial coronavirus outbreak here in the U.S., maritime workers were deemed to be “essential”, paving the way for cargo flows to recover from their springtime nadir. As COVID-19 infections turned up on U.S. shores, the boats continued plying the waterways, albeit with reduced volumes in some cases.

06 Oct 2020

Southwest Shipyard Delivers 250-foot Tank Barge

(Photo: The Shearer Group, Inc.)

Houston's Southwest Shipyard has delivered a 250’ x 54’ x 12’-6”, 23,000 BBL tank barge that will primarily be used to deliver jet fuel to support the U.S. Navy assets.The Shearer Group, Inc. (TSGI) said it was contracted by the builder to develop the barge design.The barge was designed to ABS Rules for Building and Classing Steel Vessels for Service on Rivers and Intracoastal Waterways and applicable rules by the U.S. Coast Guard for barges Subchapter D & O products on rivers.

02 Jun 2020

Greenbrier Delivers New Tank Barge to OSG

The OSG 204, paired with the tug OSG Endurance, underway on the Willamette River following her delivery on May 29 (Photo: Greenbrier)

Greenbrier Marine announced Tuesday it has delivered OSG 204, the first of two new 581-foot, 204,000-barrel-capacity oil and chemical tank barges for Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. (OSG). The second barge is schedule to be delivered during the fourth quarter of 2020.The new barge OSG 204 will be operated for dual-mode integrated tug-barge (ITB) service pursuant to U.S. Coast Guard NVIC 2-81, Change 1. The unit is paired with an existing tug within the OSG fleet, the OSG Endurance, and will travel to the Gulf of Mexico to service the Jones Act trade.

07 May 2020

US Barging Industry Navigating Black Swan Events

(Photo: Campbell Transportation Company)

The combination of the coronavirus pandemic and oil price freefall have affected most maritime markets, including inland waterway shipping. Looking at U.S. river transport in particular, the impacts of these two black swan events vary greatly depending on the type of cargo being carried.David Grzebinski, CEO of the America’s largest tank barge operator, Kirby Corp., said in a March conference call that petrochemical customers have driven the market higher as plants and refineries look to shore up their supply chains amid current market upheavals…

05 May 2020

Kirby Reports Q1 Loss, Withdraws 2020 Guidance

(File photo: Kirby Corp)

America's largest tank barge operator Kirby Corporation on Tuesday announced a net loss of $248.5 million for the first quarter, down from $44.3 million earnings for the same period last year. The company also withdrew its full year earnings guidance.The sharp deceline in energy prices and oil and gas activity negatively impacted the revenue and operating income of Kirby's distribution and services segment, leading the Houston-based company to implement workforce reductions, furloughs and reduced work schedules…

02 Apr 2020

Kirby Completes Savage Fleet Acquisition

(Photo: Savage)

Houston-based Kirby Corporation said Thursday it has completed the acquisition of Savage Inland Marine’s inland towboat and tank barge fleet. The total consideration paid was approximately $278 million and was financed with additional borrowings. Savage’s fleet consists of 46 inland towboats and 90 tank barges with approximately 2.5 million barrels of capacity. Savage primarily moves petrochemicals, refined products, and crude oil on the lower Mississippi River, its tributaries…

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