Kirby Dupuis News

A missing retaining ring and mounting bracket on the port main diesel engine led to an engine-room fire on a towing vessel near Belleview, Ky., the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said.Florida Marine Transporters' (FMT) towing vessel Capt. Kirby Dupuis was pushing loaded dry cargo barges on the Ohio River when a fire broke out on its portside engine on November 9, 2021. The crewmembers fought the fire using portable extinguishers and attempted to activate the vessel’s fixed fire-extinguishing system. The fire was eventually extinguished by local firefighters.

A section of the Ohio River was closed to vessel traffic on Tuesday due to towboat fire near Belleview, Ky.The U.S. Coast Guard said it issued a waterway restriction between mile marker 499 and mile marker 501 on the Ohio River after a fire reportedly broke out in the engine room aboard the towing vessel Capt. Kirby Dupuis.The vessel's crew was able to extinguish the fire with its fire suppression system, but a re-flash occurred, the Coast Guard said.Authorities said the fire has been extinguished, and its cause is being investigated.

Both Milestones Met In Same Week. Horizon Shipbuilding has delivered the fourth in a series of 120’ Towboats to Florida Marine Transporters of Mandeville, LA. The M/V Dale Artigue joins her sister ships, M/V’s Capt. W. D. Nunley, Capt. Kirby Dupuis and Brees in pushing cargoes throughout the inland waterways of the United States. “Like the other towboats we have built, the Artigue adds to FMT’s stable of workhorses,” said Ben Forrest, Horizon Project Manager. “The workmanship that our guys put into this boat is easily recognizable.

Bayou La Batre, August, 2011 - Horizon Shipbuilding, Inc., Bayou La Batre, AL, has delivered the third in a series of 120’ Towboats to Florida Marine Transporters of Mandeville, LA. The M/V Brees joins her sister ships, M/V’s Capt. W. D. Nunley and Capt. Kirby Dupuis in pushing cargoes throughout the inland waterways of the United States. “This boat is a true workhorse,” said Ben Forrest, Project Manager for the M/V Brees. “There were some challenges that we had to overcome during production because of the larger propulsion package but our guys really stepped up.

Horizon Shipbuilding, Inc., Bayou La Batre, Ala., has delivered the M/V Capt. Kirby Dupuis to Florida Marine Transporters of Mandeville, La. She joins her sister ship, the M/V Capt. W. D. Nunley in pushing cargoes throughout the inland waterways of the United States. The M/V Capt. Kirby Dupuis, designed by John Gilbert, is a 120 ft long by 35 ft wide, 10 ft draft, towboat vessel that is four-decked and is outfitted for service in areas restricted to overhead clearances and draft limitations.