Marquette Transportation News

The first towboat of 2024 passed through Lock and Dam 2, in Hastings, Minn. on Sunday, signaling the start of this year's navigation season on the Mississippi River.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' St. Paul District said it considers the first tow to arrive at Lock and Dam 2 as the unofficial start of the Mississippi River navigation season, because it means all of its locks are accessible to commercial and recreational vessels.On Sunday, Marquette Transportation Company's Joseph Patrick Eckstein traveled through the lock with 12 barges en route to St.

T. Parker Host (HOST) announced it has appointed Jarred Adams as its new director of health, safety and environment (HSE). Adams is a native of the New Orleans region and brings with him more than a decade of experience developing standardized safety systems and programs to strengthen workplace safety.Adams will oversee the company’s workplace safety programs, ensure proper employee training and manage compliance with federal, state, and local regulations. He joins the team during HOST’s 100-year anniversary and will be based at Avondale Global Gateway…

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…

Paducah, Ky. based Marquette Transportation Company earlier this year held a christening ceremony in New Orleans for its towboat Charles Reid Perry.The vessel, built in 2019 by C&C Marine and Repair in Belle Chasse, La., is named after the grandson of Marquette executive chairman John Eckstein. Alix Eckstein Perry, John Eckstein’s daughter and mother of the vessel’s namesake, officially christened the boat.The Charles Reid Perry is designed to operate on the Lower Mississippi River and has the capacity to take up to 42 loads southbound during normal operating conditions.For main propulsion…

At its meeting held November 6 in Paducah, Ky., the National Waterways Foundation (NWF) has re-elected the following Trustees:Cherrie Felder, Channel Shipyard CompaniesPeter H. Stephaich, Campbell Transportation CompanyH. Merritt Lane, Canal Barge CompanyClark Todd, Blessey MarineKristin Beck, LaFargeHolcimStephen SheridanThe NWF also elected the following new Trustees:Jennifer Carpenter, CEO, American Waterways OperatorsAndrew Brown, Vice President - Legal & Claims, Ingram Barge CompanyJason Nyberg…

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…

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.

The U.S. towing and tug business is 5,500 boats, more than 31,000 barges with an estimated total impact on U.S. GDP of $33.8 billion.“At a macro level, the bigger ships are causing downward pressure on the ship assist business because there are fewer ship calls given the increased capacity of these vessels. However, certain ports have seen tremendous growth, based on strategic location and infrastructure investments that have attracted these larger ships and been a net plus for these areas.”Kate Fuhrman…

Five crewmembers have been rescued from a towing vessel that sank in the Mississippi River near Laplace, La., Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.At approximately 3 p.m Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report that the St. Rita, owned and operated by Marquette Transportation Company, sank on the right descending bank on the Mississippi River.The five crewmembers that were on board the vessel were rescued by nearby towing vessel, Rod C, and then transported to shore. No injuries were reported. There are no reported impacts to vessel traffic and the river remains open, the Coast Guard said.According to the Coast Guard, the St.

Belle Chasse, La. based shipbuilder C&C Marine and Repair has delivered the third vessel in a series of four new towboats for Marquette Transportation Company.Delivery of the new vessel, a 6,600-horsepower, 160’ x 50’ triple-screw z-drive towboat named m/v Jerry Jarrett, comes four months after delivery of the series’ second towboat, m/v Chris Reeves, and seven months after the first, m/v Cindy L. Erickson.Following delivery of the second vessel, Marquette exercised an option for a fourth towboat…

Louisiana shipyard C&C Marine and Repair has delivered the second towboat in a series of three 6,600 hp, 160’ x 50’ triple-screw z-drive newbuilds for Marquette Transportation Company.The delivery of the new towboat m/v Chris Reeves comes three months after the series' lead vessel m/v Cindy L. Erickson was handed over in February 2018.The third in the series is scheduled for delivery this August, with a fourth optional towboat lined up for delivery in December.Chris Reeves was designed by CT Marine…

Commercial workboat philanthropy on display on PT-305: WWII Museum’s PT-305 sails again after a far reaching donor-funded restoration. In March, the National WWII Museum in New Orleans launched its reconstructed PT-305, built locally by Higgins Industries in 1943. The museum acquired the boat known as the USS Sudden Jerk in 2007, restoration began in 2009, and it now sails Lake Pontchartrain as an interactive exhibit. PT-305, with a fifteen-man crew, belonged to a 12-ship squadron operating in the Mediterranean from 1944 until the war ended in 1945.

In an effort to further enhance the crewing/personnel module in MarineCFO Endurance, MarineCFO product managers spent two days at Marquette Transportation in Harahan, La. observing the crewing processes employed by Marquette staff. Currently, Marquette utilizes the complete MarineCFO Enterprise suite, with plans to implement a hybrid solution that combines features of MCFO Enterprise and MCFO Endurance to take full advantage of a more mobile workflow. Marquette crew manager Steven Estep said, “As crew managers here at Marquette, our daily duties typically include sifting through massive amounts of personnel data and scheduling. MarineCFO allows us to navigate quite efficiently. Having the MarineCFO team on-site with us allowed us to collaborate on current uses and plan future workflows.

A coalition of maritime business and industry organizations sent a letter to key Members of Congress on Friday, March 24 urging funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to further support efforts undertaken by the State of Illinois to slow, stop and reverse the migration of Asian carp, an aquatic invasive species, through cost-effective measures. In the letter, the UnLock Our Jobs (UOJ) coalition members review the record of success that the GLRI has had in working with the State of Illinois to develop a range of strategies to control Asian carp…

In December, Marquette Transportation Co. took delivery of a new 2,000-hp Z-drive towboat from Master Marine, Inc., Bayou La Batre, Ala. The 78'x 34’x11' St. Matthias was designed by Entech Designs, La. for Marquette’s river division, based in Paducah, Ky. The vessel features increased crew capacity of nine personnel in five staterooms with 3.5 bathrooms. The steel-hulled St. Matthias is powered by a pair of Thompson Power Systems Caterpillar C32 Tier 3 1,000-hp engines at 1,800 rpm connected to ZF Marine ZF AT 5111WM-FP Z-drives with 1,650 mm (65") four-bladed propellers in nozzles.

Marquette Transportation Co. has taken delivery of a new 2,000-hp Z-drive towboat from Master Marine, Inc., Bayou La Batre, Ala. The 78'x 34’x11' St. Simon was designed by Entech Designs, La. for Marquette’s river division, based in Paducah, Ky. Master Marine is continuing to build Z-drive towboats, with one more underway for Marquette with an increased crew capacity of nine in five staterooms with 3.5 bathrooms. The steel-hulled St. Simon is powered by a pair of Thompson Power Systems Caterpillar C32 Tier 3 1…

Four corporate professionals have recently joined Inland Marine Service (IMS), announced Dave Hammond, President of Inland Marine Service. The new hires are Kristina Luna, HR Manager; Moses Garza, Tankerman Supervisor; Caleb King, Manager SHEQ/Compliance Director; and Brian Howell, Assistant Port Engineer. Reporting to Jason Adams, Luna will be based out of the Hebron office and will be responsible for all of the company’s human relations needs. Luna has 20 years of experience in employee management, human resources, event planning, marketing, and sales.

Industry Innovators Combine to lead US Towing Vessel Compliance. Lloyd’s Register North America, Inc. has formally announced to the United States Coast Guard its intention to assume Subchapter M Third Party Organization duties effective immediately. This message was followed by the signing of an exclusive Subchapter M joint marketing agreement between Lloyd’s Register North America, Inc. and workboat technology provider MarineCFO, who will jointly bring comprehensive solutions for compliance with Subchapter M. A result of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2004, Subchapter M became effective July 20, 2016. The rulemaking transitions upwards of 5…

In July, Marquette Transportation Co. took delivery of a new 2,000-hp Z-drive towboat from Master Marine, Inc., Bayou La Batre, Ala. The 78'x 34’x11' St. Matthew was designed by Entech Designs, La. for Marquette’s river division, based in Paducah, Ky. Master Marine is continuing to build Z-DRIVE towboats, with two more underway for Marquette with an increased crew capacity of nine in five staterooms with 3.5 bathrooms. The steel-hulled St. Matthew is powered by a pair of Thompson Power Systems Caterpillar C32 Tier 3 1…

Marquette Transportation Co. has taken delivery of a new 2,000-hp Z-drive towboat from Master Marine, Inc., Bayou La Batre, Ala. The 78' x 34’ x11' vessel, St. Bartholomew, was designed by Entech Designs, La. for Marquette’s river division, based in Paducah, Ky. The steel-hulled St. Bartholomew is powered by a pair of Thompson Power Systems Caterpillar C32 Tier 3 1,000-hp engines at 1,800 rpm connected to ZF Marine ZF AT 5111WM-FP Z-drives with 1,650 mm (65") four-bladed propellers in nozzles. The package gives the boat a running speed of 10 knots with a loaded draft of 8’.

Gulf Island Shipyards, LLC recently delivered the second of a three-vessel new build program for Marquette Transportation Company of Paducah Kentucky. The M/V Loree Eckstein, named after John Eckstein’s wife, was delivered on February 18, 2016 at Gulf Island Shipyards’ Houma (South) yard. This vessel is 180 ft. x 48 ft. x 11.5 ft. and is powered by twin EMD 20-710 G7C Tier 3, low emission diesel engines capable of producing over 10,000 horsepower via Lufkin gearboxes. Pushing the vessel are a pair of ducted, stainless steel, five-bladed propellers 10 ft. in diameter.

In February, Marquette Transportation Co. took delivery of a new 2,000-hp Z-drive towboat from Master Marine, Inc., Bayou La Batre, Alabama. The 78'x 34’x11' St. Phillip was designed by Entech & Associates, for Marquette’s Gulf-Inland division, based in Harahan, La. The steel-hulled St. Phillip is powered by a pair of Thompson Power Systems Caterpillar C32 Tier 3 1,000-hp engines at 1,800 rpm connected to ZF Marine ZF AT 5111WM-FP Z-drives with 1,650 mm (65") 4-bladed propellers in nozzles. The package gives the boat a running speed of 10 knots with a loaded draft of 8’. For ship’s service power the towboat is outfitted with a pair of Kennedy Engine John Deere 4045AFM85 Tier 3 generator drive engines each driving an 80-kW Marathon Mariner generators.

Propulsion evolves, improves and powers forward in the inland markets. And, Z-Drive propulsion is the future. In a white paper released late in 2014 by The Shearer Group, Ed Shearer and Greg Beers outlined The Next Generation of inland vessels, what will drive design changes and the advantages of azimuthing stern drives – or ‘Z-Drives,’ for short. The authors point out that, until recently, towboats on all the inland waterways and Gulf Coast have traditionally been built using main engines connected to reduction gearboxes connected to long drive shafts passing through the towboat hull. In a nutshell, according The Shearer Group, the advantages of using z-Drives on inland towboats include decreased installation time…