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Acbl News

28 Dec 2023

Workboat Power: Alternatives Join Diesel to Power Current—and Future—Vessels

Crowley’s new electric tug eWolf is being built by Master Boat Builders for scheduled delivery in 2024. (Image: Crowley)

Analysts and commentators are quick to point out that fossil fuels will power maritime equipment, and indeed dominate the fueling marketplace, well into the future. However, they will do so alongside new fuels, and new technologies, that will be introduced to the maritime sector in the coming years. In its September, 2023 report “Beyond the Horizon: View of the Emerging Energy Value Chains”, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) explains that, “During the recent 80th meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80)…

21 Dec 2023

ACBL Names Schappell SVP of Logistics & Network Operations

Steve Schappell (Photo: ACBL)

Jeffersonville, Ind. based marine transportation company American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) announced Steve Schappell has been appointed Senior Vice President of Logistics and Network Operations after entering the role on an interim basis in September.Schappell, who joined ACBL in July 2021 as Vice President of Supply Chain and Continuous Improvement, was selected for the position over several external candidates, the company said.Reporting directly to ACBL CEO Mike Ellis, Schappell is responsible for ACBL's Fleets, Terminals, and Interchange business unit.

12 Oct 2023

Inland Waterways: US Making Progress on Infrastructure

(Photo: Michel Sauret / USACE)

The United States’ vast network of navigable inland rivers is vital to the nation’s economy, serving as an aquatic superhighway for the efficient shipment of critical commodities like agricultural goods, energy products, building materials and industrial chemicals to destinations within the U.S. and to deepwater ports for export. The Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI), which advocates for a modern, efficient and well-maintained inland waterways, often describes the network as “the…

25 Sep 2023

Interview: Dave Lee, Maritime Partners

Dave Lee, vice president of technology and innovation, Maritime Partners (Photo: Maritime Partners)

Dave Lee recently joined Louisiana-based maritime leasing and financing company Maritime Partners as its new vice president of technology and innovation. A well-known figure in the U.S. maritime sector, Lee has previously held leadership positions at ABB, American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) and Jeffboat. His next task: help guide one of the nation’s leading maritime companies through the next chapter of technological advancement.“Right now, every marine company around the globe…

08 Aug 2023

Dave Lee Joins Maritime Partners as VP of Tech and Innovation

Dave Lee (File photo: ABB)

Dave Lee has joined Louisiana-based maritime leasing and financing company Maritime Partners as its new vice president of technology and innovation.Lee joins Maritime Partners from ABB, where he was most recently vice president of sales for the workboat sector. A 20-year maritime industry veteran, Lee has previously held leadership positions at American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) and Jeffboat.

16 Oct 2023

Future Fuels: Methanol

(Image: Glosten)

Any commentator on the maritime business decarbonization voyage will offer something along the lines of "There will be multiple fuels…" With the International Maritime Organization (IMO) meetings of its Maritime Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) set for early July, it is likely that targets for emissions will be tightened. Whatever mileposts that the IMO actually establishes, there will be no prescriptions handed down on how to get there. By mid-2023, nearly two years after the late 2021 alternative fuels crescendo in the aftermath of the COP26 meetings in Glasgow…

18 Oct 2023

Powering the North American Maritime Fuel Transition

(Photo: Harvey Gulf)

Offshore service vessels, along with workboats serving harbors and inland rivers, have embarked on an industry-wide voyage toward reduced emissions of greenhouse gasses. Professor Craig Philip, a faculty member with Vanderbilt University’s Center for Transportation and Operational Resilience (VECTOR) and former CEO of Ingram Barge Company, provides this context: “The Maritime Sector has long provided shippers with the most fuel-efficient and sustainable freight transport option…

18 Oct 2023

Insights: Mike Ellis, CEO, American Commercial Barge Line

Mike Ellis, ACBL’s CEO since August 2020, was previously executive VP and marine group leader at Savage Services Corporation. Prior to that, he was president, board member and part owner of Settoon Towing, following time in leadership positions with Bollinger Shipyards, including EVP/CFO and EVP/COO. Ellis has a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from LSU and currently serves on the board of directors for the American Waterways Operators. (Photo: ACBL)

There is no shortage of challenges confronting the U.S. barging industry, and executives such as Mike Ellis, CEO at American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL), are leading their companies past hurdle after hurdle. The Jeffersonville, Ind.-based company, which owns a fleet of approximately 150 towboats and moves a fleet of some 4,500 barges (including roughly 3,500 operated by ACBL), is focusing on factors it can control while planning and investing for the future.The weatherMother Nature is often unkind to the barging industry.

18 May 2023

US Maritime Industry Working to Solve the People Puzzle

(Photo: Crowley)

For companies active in all parts of the commercial maritime sector, finding and holding onto the workers they need to build, operate and service the industry’s wide range of vessels has been challenging. Simply put, the labor market is tight, and the problem is not getting any easier to solve.Mike Ellis, CEO at American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL), said a continued shortage of qualified personnel has been the most pressing issue for ACBL—and probably for the barging industry as a whole. “There's been so much demand on people.

17 Apr 2023

2023 US Shipbuilding Report

Philly Shipyard is currently building MARAD’s National Security Multi-Mission Vessels, which will serve as training ships for the nation’s state maritime academies. (Photo: Philly Shipyard)

Much has changed since Marine News’ 2022 shipbuilding report published in March last year, and business opportunities in certain market segments continue to grow. But the shipyards that are looking to cash in are still facing many of the same challenges.For example, many American shipyards and their partners throughout the shipbuilding supply chain are still finding it difficult to attract and retain the workers they need. If you’re a skilled craftsperson looking for a job in shipbuilding, you’re in luck, because there are plenty of openings at shipyards across the country.

06 Apr 2023

Interview: Jennifer Carpenter, AWO

Jennifer Carpenter (Photo: AWO)

Jennifer Carpenter has been president and CEO of The American Waterways Operators (AWO) in January 2020, but her time with the national trade association representing the inland and coastal tugboat, towboat and barge industry dates back to 1990. This month, she weighs in on top challenges and opportunities currently present in the industry, from difficult regulatory changes to the uptake of cleaner vessel technologies.What are some of the biggest and most important issues facing the tug, towboat and barge industry?Big picture, I feel like our industry has never been more relevant.

20 Mar 2023

Getting the Work Right: Coordinating Money, Time and Big Projects

© EJRodriquez / Adobe Stock

I. MoneyNo one ever said it’s easy to understand federal budgets and spending plans. Nevertheless, a general sense of clarity and straightforwardness is critical for any review of public expenditures. This becomes more pressing when tracking revenue and expenditures linked to specific users’ fees, such as the $0.29/gallon fuel tax, paid by inland waterways operators. In 2021, the Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF) held $221.5 million, money earmarked to build, maintain and operate…

18 Oct 2023

Insights: Robert Schluter, e1 Marine

Robert Schluter, managing director, e1 Marine (Image: e1 Marine)

Robert Schluter served as an officer as part of the marine engineering team on board the U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer USS Mahan DDG-42 out of Charleston before transitioning to the business world and “general, corporate type work”. Today he serves as managing director at the third startup he’s helped build, e1 Marine.The company, a joint venture between Louisiana-based marine equipment lessor Maritime Partners, Irish tanker owner Ardmore Shipping and Schluter’s second startup…

14 Mar 2023

ACBL Orders 11,000 HP Towboat from C&C Marine and Repair

(Image: American Commercial Barge Line)

Jeffersonville, Ind. based American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) on Tuesday announced it has signed a contract with Belle Chasse, La. shipyard C&C Marine and Repair to build a 11,000 horsepower (HP) class towboat.Designed by Portland, Maine-based CT Marine, the twin-screw towboat will measure 198 feet long, with 50-foot beam and 12-foot depth. With accommodations for a crew of up to 12, the vessel incorporates a floating, spring-mounted superstructure for additional onboard comfort.

23 Feb 2023

ACBL Names Gard SVP of Its New Interchange & Logistics Business

Joel Gard (Photo: ACBL)

U.S. inland marine transportation and logistics solutions company American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) announce it has hired Joel Gard as senior vice president of its newly established Interchange & Logistics business unit.With the associated realignment, ACBL is now comprised of three uniquely integrated strategic business units (SBU): Dry Cargo, Liquid Cargo and Interchange & Logistics.A veteran of the transportation and supply chain sector, Gard brings extensive experience in building and deploying technology to enhance traditional transportation models.

16 Feb 2023

Shipbuilding: ACBL Inks Deal to Build Tier 4 Towboat

(Image: American Commercial Barge Line)

Jeffersonville, Ind. based American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) announced it has signed a contract with Bayou La Batre, Ala. shipbuilder Steiner Construction Company for the design and construction of a new EPA Tier 4 retractable towboat.“Investing in our future is a key part of ACBL’s strategy. We are proud to introduce the first Tier 4 Mitsubishi engines to the marine industry,” said Mike Ellis, CEO,  ACBL. “The addition of this new Tier 4 retractable towboat represents our…

18 Nov 2022

Infrastructure Improvements Set to Boost Efficiency at Lock and Dam 25

(Image: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

The list of projects on the United States’ inland waterways infrastructure to-do list is seemingly never-ending as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) continuously works to maintain, repair and, when possible, upgrade aging locks and dams throughout America’s vast network of navigable rivers.But there’s been progress toward modernizing the system, especially in recent years amid steadily rising annual appropriations that fund the Corps’ Civil Works mission, and Construction…

21 Sep 2022

ACBL Planning to Repurpose Jeffboat Site

File photo: A newly constructed barge is launched at the Jeffboat yard in Jeffersonville, Ind. (Photo: Jeffboat)

The city of Jeffersonville, Ind. announced plans are underway to redevelop the shuttered site of one of the nation’s oldest, largest and best-known inland shipbuilders.The city said it is working with the property's owner American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) to develop a master plan for the 80-acre site along the Ohio Riverfront that was once home to Jeffboat. The southern Indiana shipyard was founded in the 1800s and served as one of Jeffersonville's largest employers until it shut down in 2018 amid a national slowdown in barge construction.As part of an agreement with ACBL…

18 Oct 2023

Hydrogen One: Innovative Towboat Set to Shake Things Up in the US

(Image: EBDG)

Rarely does a vessel come along with the potential to radically change the way an industry operates, but one such vessel is set to hit the water in 2023.This new vessel, a towboat named Hydrogen One, is being developed by Louisiana-based Maritime Partners, the largest lessor of marine equipment in the U.S. It will be the first of its kind globally to run on emissions-reducing methanol-to-hydrogen generator technology—no diesel propulsion on board—as the maritime industry continues…

18 Oct 2023

ACBL to Operate Maritime Partners' Innovative Hydrogen One Towboat

(Image: Elliott Bay Design Group)

Jeffersonville, Ind.-headquartered marine transportation company American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) is expected to operate Hydrogen One, a first-of-its-kind towboat that will run on emissions-reducing methanol-to-hydrogen generator technology—without diesel propulsion.The groundbreaking vessel is being developed by Louisiana-based Maritime Partners, the U.S.' largest lessor of marine equipment, and will be built by Intracoastal Iron Works in Bourg, La. for launch in 2023 as…

17 Aug 2022

US Inland Waterway Infrastructure: Riding a Good News Wave

© Harold Stiver / Adobe Stock

The inland waterways have enjoyed several positive developments toward modernization of the system, particularly over the last two years.Annual appropriations that fund the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Civil Works mission have been steadily on the rise for the last nine fiscal years, specifically the Construction and Operations & Maintenance (O&M) accounts have been funded at historic levels. The passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in 2021 provided a…

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…

11 Oct 2021

ACBL to Pay Over $2 Million for Mississippi River Oil Spill

(Photo: Chris Lippert / U.S. Coast Guard)

Jeffersonville, Ind.-based barging company American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) has agreed to acquire and preserve 649 acres of woodland wildlife habitat and will pay an additional $2 million for damages stemming from a 2008 oil spill on the Mississippi River, near New Orleans.The company has already paid $1.32 million to reimburse the federal and state trustees for their past damage assessment and restoration planning costs after one of its barges discharged approximately 6,734 barrels (282,828 gallons) of No. 6 fuel oil into the Mississippi River upriver of New Orleans in July 2008.