Acbl News

“In a global marketplace, supply and demand in one area of the world can greatly impact the agricultural production in another. American products are shipped worldwide …” is how the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) describes the backdrop for international trade. The inland and coastwise waterway systems serving the United States (where agricultural cargoes are an important component) are sometimes regarded as insular highly specialized marketplaces. However, they are indeed elements of much larger trading networks that are influenced by global economic…

American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) named Peter Coxon as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Coxon brings more than 40 years of maritime industry experience to ACBL as both an operator and customer. Most recently, he served as CEO of Rand Logistics, leading a successful turnaround, driving improved performance and synergies following Rand’s acquisition of American Steamship Company.Coxon joined the ACBL Board of Directors earlier this year, bringing decades of experience leading multiple businesses and corporate functions in marine logistics and vessel construction…

American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) and C&C Marine and Repair have christened the M/V ACBL Mariner, said to be the most powerful and capable towboat ever built for operations on the Mississippi River.The christening ceremony took place in New Orleans in the presence of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry.The ACBL Mariner boasts 11,000 horsepower, and can push up to 64 barges up the river at one time. The vessel is 50 ft wide and 250 ft long, making it the largest inland towboat in the United States.Also…

Jeffersonville, Ind. based marine transportation company American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) announced it has promoted George Piccioni to vice president of business development.As ACBL's senior director of business development since 2016, Piccioni has helped to maximize the company's land holdings and assets, including leading the $1 billion transformation project at the site of its former Jeffboat shipyard.In his new VP role, Piccioni will continue these functions while also assuming an expanded leadership position, with Michael Shea, market analyst, reporting to him.

There are many forces pushing stakeholders across the global maritime industry to decarbonize.In the U.S. inland waterways, regulations aren’t one of the main drivers—at least not at the moment, according to Mike Complita, principal and vice president of strategic expansion at Elliott Bay Design Group, a naval architecture firm.Speaking on a panel at the IMX trade show in Nashville, Complita said proposed rules from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) are “driving massive change on the West Coast”…

Louisiana-based maritime financing company Maritime Partners on Monday announced it has completed its acquisition of e1 Marine, a company that produces hydrogen generation technology for the marine sector.Originally formed as a partnership between Maritime Partners, Element 1 and Ardmore Shipping, e1 Marine provides clean energy technologies, including advanced methanol-to-hydrogen generation products, which provide an alternative, cleaner fuel source for marine vessels. The technology comes from Element 1.…

Jeffersonville, Ind. based marine transportation company American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) announced a reorganization of its business units and leadership team.The company, a leader in U.S. inland barge transportation, said the moves are "designed to enhance and optimize operational efficiency, customer satisfaction and ensure successful execution of ACBL’s fleet strategy".Patrick Sutton, who previously served as chief operating officer (COO), will assume the new role of senior vice president (SVP) of fleet development and strategy…

The developer of an innovative towboat engineered to run on hydrogen generator technology has signed a Design Basis Agreement (DBA) with the U.S. Coast Guard, helping to clear the regulatory path toward the vessel's eventual entry into service.The first-of-its-kind vessel, Hydrogen One, is being produced by Maritime Partners, the Metairie, La.-based maritime financing company that unveiled plans for the groundbreaking towboat in 2021.Designed by Seattle-based Elliott Bay Design Group…

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)…

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.

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…

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…

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.

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…

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…

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

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…

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.

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.