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American Electric Power News

14 May 2019

Interview: Mark Knoy, President and CEO, ACBL

Mark K. Knoy, president and CEO of American Commercial Barge Line

American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) named Mark K. Knoy as its president and chief executive officer in August 2011. Prior to joining ACBL, he was vice president of American Electric Power’s (AEP) Fuel, Emissions and Logistics Group and president of AEP River Operations, having joined AEP with its 2001 purchase of MEMCO Barge Line. From 1984 to 1994, he was owner/operator of The Mark Twain Towing Company and Delmar Marine, Inc., Pekin, Illinois. He began his career in 1973 working aboard towboats on the inland waterways as a deck hand and then as a captain.

07 Oct 2016

Site for Indiana's Fourth Port Being Examined

The Ports of Indiana announced that Indiana Michigan Power has agreed to sell its recently retired Tanners Creek coal plant in Lawrenceburg, Ind., to a brownfield redevelopment company that is working with the Ports of Indiana to evaluate the site for use as the state's fourth port. "Infrastructure critical to our state's economy includes more than just roads," said Governor Mike Pence. "Indiana's ports and waterways have been tremendous catalysts for economic growth in this state for decades, and there is great potential here in southeast Indiana to develop a fourth port that will further energize our economy. St. Louis-based Commercial Development Company, Inc.

12 Nov 2015

ACL Acquires AEP River Operations

Mark Knoy (Photo: American Commercial Lines)

Marine transportation service company American Commercial Lines (ACL) announced it has acquired commercial inland barge company AEP River Operations from American Electric Power (AEP). AEP River Operations is based in Chesterfield, Mo., with operations in Paducah, Ky.; and Convent, Algiers and Belle Chasse, La., and delivers approximately 45 million tons of products annually. Mark Knoy, president and CEO of Jeffersonville, Ind. based ACL, had previously run AEP River Operations for a decade before joining ACL in 2011.

01 Oct 2015

AEP to Sell AEP River Ops To ACL

American Electric Power (AEP) has signed an agreement to sell its commercial barge transportation subsidiary, AEP River Operations LLC, to American Commercial Lines (ACL), owned by Platinum Equity, for approximately $550 million. AEP River Operations is a commercial inland barge company delivering about 45 million tons of products annually, including 10 million tons of coal. AEP River Operations has 56 towboats, 2,301 barges and 1,090 employees. The company is headquartered in Chesterfield, Missouri, with operations in Paducah, Kentucky, and Convent, Algiers and Belle Chasse, Louisiana. AEP announced in March that the company was exploring strategic alternatives for AEP River Operations, including a potential sale.

23 Jun 2015

The ‘Greening’ of America’s Marine Highways

Ingram Barge Company sees two kinds of green in their newest venture on the inland rivers. In late March, the Paducah-McCracken County Riverport Authority and Ingram Barge Company announced plans to assess the viability of Intermodal River Transportation, utilizing the largest flat-top crane in North America and Ingram’s towboats and barges. On March 27th, that plan came to life as the Paducah Riverport Authority’s 200-ton crane lifted 54 empty containers and stacked them neatly on an Ingram-owned barge. An Ingram towboat then transported the container laden barge to the port of St. Louis and then back to Paducah for unloading. The highly successful trial run tested the logistics of moving the intermodal containers via barge in the nation’s heartland.

28 Aug 2014

US Rail Jams Force Rush to Roads and Rivers

Photo: Susannah Skiver

U.S. coal-burning power utilities are being forced to turn to barges and more expensive trucks to move coal, desperate to shore up stockpiles left dangerously low by the widespread bottlenecks on rail networks. The shift in how coal is being delivered to some power plants from mining regions such as Illinois Basin and comes amid persistent railroad delays that began during last year's severe North American winter. The delays have been perpetuated also by a surge in rail deliveries of crude oil and grain…

10 Jul 2014

Winch Safety through Standardization

For decades, barge owners and operators had no reason to think twice about their rigging. There were only a few choices when it came to winches, and there were ratchets as well. Because of the simplicity of these machines, few people in the industry were compelled to think critically about how such a basic item might be improved. But winches and ratchets have their downsides: fouling and birdnesting can and do happen. Wire rope is heavy, and traditional rigging takes a lot of it. And old-fashioned winches require a good amount of time and effort to operate. But what else was there?

08 Apr 2014

AEP Barges into the Liquid Transport Markets

Answering the needs of longstanding clients, bulk transport giant AEP dips its toes into the liquid transport arena. AEP River Operations needs no introduction for most MarineNews readers. One of the true river giants operating on America’s domestic inland waters today, AEP is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, and is primarily known as a barge company that provides transportation of dry bulk commodities throughout the inland river system. AEP River Operations is owned by American Electric Power, one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5.3 million customers in 11 states. The current AEP fleet includes more than 79 towboats ranging up to 11,000 horsepower and more than 2,900 hopper barges, moving more than 65 million tons annually.

07 Mar 2014

Severe U.S. winter leaves questions for gas, power markets

Natural gas pipelines and power utilities across the United States struggled for several weeks to keep lights on and homes warm through the coldest winter in decades, but it may take many months for the cost and the fallout of the so-called "polar vortex" to work through the energy chain. As sub-freezing temperatures spread in January and February, spot natural gas prices spiked at many gas delivery points in the Midwest, Northeast and New York, pushing wholesale power prices above $100 per megawatt-hour for days at a time. Customers will soon receive gas and electric bills, reflecting the higher cost of gas in January. In unregulated power markets, January bills will present a "double whammy," said Nick Akins, chief executive of American Electric Power Co, one of the largest U.S.

28 Sep 2012

Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority Launches New Rail Loop

Largest Construction Project in Decade, Improves Service for Shippers. The Port of Cleveland held a ribbon-cutting today to mark the launch of a new rail loop that will provide better and more efficient service at the port, and improve access to markets throughout North America. “We needed to reinvent the way the Port connects shippers to railroads,” said Port CEO Will Friedman. Slightly more than a mile long, the rail loop connects the two sides of the port’s rail system for the first time, allowing cargo to move on either CSX or Norfolk Southern, the two Class 1 railroads that serve the port. The loop doubles the port’s rail capacity and will give more shippers opportunities to use the Port to transport larger volumes to more markets.

24 Jan 2012

On Deck: Cashing in on Safety

the Patterson YoYo Winch.

Patterson’s YoYo Barge Winch transcends efficiency, while creating a markedly safer workplace. In business since 1858, the Patterson Company of Pittsburgh, PA has shown the staying power like few others in the ever-changing and always competitive marine industry. A barge and towboat winch manufacturer more than a half century, the company is primarily known for their contributions to that market even today. Their newest entry into the winch market – the Patterson YoYo Winch – may be their most important ever.

26 Aug 2011

Darling Named President of AEP River Operations

American Electric Power has named Keith Darling president of AEP River Operations LLC. Darling, 60, will oversee all managerial and operating activities related to AEP River Operations, including sales, planning and budgeting, accounting, business development, logistics, operations and maintenance. He replaces Mark Knoy, who left the company. "Keith's river operations experience is both broad and deep, and he has a unique understanding of how our river operations fit with our broader corporate strategy," said Tim Light, senior vice president – Fuels, Emissions & Logistics. Darling has served as managing director of boat operations for AEP River Operations since 2002.

01 Aug 2011

American Commercial Lines Announces New Leadership

American Commercial Lines Inc. (ACL), one of the largest and most diversified inland marine transportation and service companies in the United States, announced today the appointments of Mark Knoy as President and Chief Executive Officer and David Huls as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Industry veteran Mark Knoy, 52, is joining ACL following a seventeen year career at AEP River Operations, LLC, a subsidiary of American Electric Power Co., Inc., where he spent the last ten years serving as President. Under Mr. Knoy's leadership AEP River Operations grew to become one of the nation's largest and most successful barge lines. "Mark brings to ACL many years of profitable growth on the inland waterways," said Bryan Kelln, President of Portfolio Operations at Platinum Equity.

09 Oct 2001

Brinson Elected Chairman of National Waterways Conference

J. Ron Brinson, former port director and now special projects coordinator of the Port of New Orleans, was elected chairman of the National Waterways Conference, Inc., at the organization?s annual meeting. Brinson succeeds Craig E. Philip of Nashville, president and chief executive officer of Ingram Barge Co., who had served as chairman for the last two years. Brinson, who served as president and chief executive officer of the Port of New Orleans from 1986, now heads the millennium port and other special projects. He previously served seven years as president of the American Association of Port Authorities. He also worked for the South Carolina State Ports Authority and as a reporter and later associate editor of The Charleston News and Courier.

18 Mar 2002

Ellicott International Gets New Orders

Ellicott has received orders for four units of its new patented Mud Cat™ MC-2000 model auger dredge. Three will be going to Mexico where a local contractor will be desilting rivers in the State of Veracruz. The State of Veracruz specified the use of the MC-2000 for its high output and low turbidity with delivery slated for the first quarter of 2002. A U.S. contractor bought a fourth unit for cleaning fly ash ponds for a major utility, American Electric Power. The U.S. Patent Office has just awarded a patent to the MC-2000 for its innovative low turbidity excavation and pumping systems. In recent applications both the U.S. Environmental…

16 May 2002

Ellicott Gets New Orders, Sells Business

Ellicott International received orders for four units of its new patented Mud Cat MC-2000 model auger dredge. Three will be going to Mexico where a local contractor will be desilting rivers in the State of Veracruz. The State of Veracruz specified the use of the MC-2000 for its high output and low turbidity with delivery slated for the first quarter of 2002. A U.S. contractor bought a fourth unit for cleaning fly ash ponds for a major utility, American Electric Power. The U.S. Patent Office has just awarded a patent to the MC-2000 for its innovative low turbidity excavation and pumping systems. In recent applications both the U.S. Environmental…

23 Jul 2001

Memco Barge Line Sold

American Electric Power Co. Inc. signed a definitive agreement with Progress Energy Inc. to buy its MEMCO Barge Line Inc. for $270 million, in a deal AEP said would immediately add to its earnings. Columbus, Ohio-based AEP said its AEP Resources Inc. wholly-owned subsidiary will buy 1,200 hopper barges and 30 towboats from Electric Fuels Corp., a Progress subsidiary, making AEP one of the leading barge operators. "The coupling of the MEMCO barge assets with our existing fleet will add earnings and significant information flow in the sometimes-neglected transportation component of our business," said Paul Addis, executive vice president of AEP's Wholesale activities.

16 Aug 2001

Memco Barge Line Sold for $270M

American Electric Power Co. Inc. signed a definitive agreement with Progress Energy Inc. to buy its MEMCO Barge Line Inc. for $270 million, in a deal AEP said would immediately add to its earnings. Columbus, Ohio-based AEP said its AEP Resources Inc. wholly-owned subsidiary will buy 1,200 hopper barges and 30 towboats from Electric Fuels Corp., a Progress subsidiary, making AEP one of the leading barge operators. "The coupling of the MEMCO barge assets with our existing fleet will add earnings and significant information flow in the sometimes-neglected transportation component of our business," said Paul Addis, executive vice president of AEP's Wholesale activities.