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Barge Operator News

10 Oct 2023

Amazon Drought Chokes River Traffic, Threatens Exports

© Pulsar Imagens / Adobe Stock

A severe drought choking major rivers in the Amazon rainforest has disrupted ship traffic near the region's biggest city and pushed up costs for northern shipping routes, raising risks for corn exports in coming months.The unusual heat and dryness, linked to the mass deaths of fish and river dolphins, has already limited local communities'access to food and drinking water, leading the federal government to set up a humanitarian task force. Officials are now warning the thinning rivers could disrupt grains exports in the region."There is concern about shipping part of the corn harvest…

11 Oct 2022

Parker Towing Acquires General Marine Services

(Photo courtesy Parker Towing Company)

Tuscaloosa, Ala.-based barging company Parker Towing Company on Tuesday announced it has acquired Baton Rouge, La.-based tank barge operator General Marine Services (GMS).GMS operates a fleet of liquid tank barges and towboats and provides services to customers in the refining industry. For Parker Towing the acquisition expands its tank barge division and fits into its strategy to continue to diversify and grow from a traditionally dry cargo carrier, the company said. “Gene Moore and GMS have a long-standing reputation of providing high-quality service to its customers.

04 Oct 2022

US Barge Backlog Swells on Parched Mississippi River

© Bill Perry / Adobe Stock

Commercial barge traffic on southern stretches of the Mississippi River was at a standstill on Tuesday as low water levels halted shipments of grain, fertilizer and other commodities on the critical waterway, shipping sources said.The supply chain snarl comes just as harvesting of corn and soybeans, the largest U.S. cash crops, is ramping up and as tight global supplies and strong demand for food and fuel have sent inflation soaring.Around 100 tow boats hauling some 1,600 barges were lined up for miles waiting to pass through one trouble spot near Lake Providence…

10 Feb 2022

The Southern Devall Group Names Kenny Devall President and CEO

(Photo: The Southern Devall Group)

Gulf Intracoastal and U.S. inland waterways towboat and barge operator The Southern Devall Group announced it has appointed Kenny Devall as president and chief executive officer.The Southern Devall Group (TSDG), an affiliate of Chicago-based CC Industries, is the combined businesses of Southern Towing and Devall Towing.Kenny Devall, who previously served as chief operating officer at Devall Towing, is being promoted to succeed Chris Sullivan, who served as interim CEO of TSDG…

02 Mar 2021

Bouchard CEO Ordered to Step Down

(Photo: Bouchard Transportation)

Morton S. Bouchard, III, fourth generation leader of family-owned Bouchard Transportation, has been ordered to step down from his role as chief executive officer as the Long Island-based tug and barge operator continues to navigate through bankruptcy and a string of legal challenges.Bouchard, the company's CEO since 1992, was ordered out of his role last week by a bankruptcy judge in Houston, and Matthew Ray of restructuring advisor Portage Point Partners has been appointed as…

17 Feb 2021

Gonzalez Joins Elliott Bay Design Group

Jasmine Gonzalez (Photo: Elliott Bay Design Group)

Naval architecture and marine engineering firm Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) said it has hired Jasmine Gonzalez as a senior project coordinator. Gonzalez will support multiple departments with project execution and development of enhanced business reporting and procedures. She reports to the Chief Financial Officer and is positioned in Seattle.Gonzalez brings a broad background of marine industry knowledge and experience gained through previous employment at a Pacific Northwest tug and barge operator, a shipyard and a salvage company.

02 Feb 2021

Southern Towing Company Acquires Devall Towing

MV Laura Tamble. Photo: Southern Towing Company

Memphis, Tenn.-based Southern Towing Company (STC) said Tuesday it has acquired family-owned Devall Towing, in a deal that expands STC’s towing operations into specialty chemical products.Headquartered in Sulphur, La., Devall is a towboat and barge operator for specialty chemicals along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and Lower Mississippi River, operating 36 towboats and 125 liquid tank barges.The combination of Devall’s operations with STC’s upriver capabilities allows Devall and STC to provide integrated marine transportation solutions across the Gulf Intracoastal and U.S.

29 Sep 2020

Bouchard Transportation Files for Chapter 11

(Photo: Bouchard Transportation)

Long Island-based barge operator Bouchard Transportation has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after several years fraught with legal and financial difficulties.The family-owned oceangoing tug and petroleum barge firm filed alongside several of its subsidiaries Monday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.According to the filings, Bouchard has between 1,000 and 5,000 creditors, liabilities between $100 million and $500 million and assets worth between $500 million and $1 billion.

07 May 2020

US Barging Industry Navigating Black Swan Events

(Photo: Campbell Transportation Company)

The combination of the coronavirus pandemic and oil price freefall have affected most maritime markets, including inland waterway shipping. Looking at U.S. river transport in particular, the impacts of these two black swan events vary greatly depending on the type of cargo being carried.David Grzebinski, CEO of the America’s largest tank barge operator, Kirby Corp., said in a March conference call that petrochemical customers have driven the market higher as plants and refineries look to shore up their supply chains amid current market upheavals…

05 May 2020

Kirby Reports Q1 Loss, Withdraws 2020 Guidance

(File photo: Kirby Corp)

America's largest tank barge operator Kirby Corporation on Tuesday announced a net loss of $248.5 million for the first quarter, down from $44.3 million earnings for the same period last year. The company also withdrew its full year earnings guidance.The sharp deceline in energy prices and oil and gas activity negatively impacted the revenue and operating income of Kirby's distribution and services segment, leading the Houston-based company to implement workforce reductions, furloughs and reduced work schedules…

26 Aug 2019

Rotterdam Port Intros TimeToBunker

The largest port in Europe, the Port of Rotterdam has introduced new app for bunkering notifications with which paperless bunkering and informing the Harbour Master and Customs possible in one go.TimeToBunker App is bunker barge operator tool for electronic bunkering notification. Maud Eijgendaal and Marc de Vries of the Port of Rotterdam Authority developed the new innovative application.Bunker specialists in the port of Rotterdam are obliged to notify the Port Authority and Customs prior to commencing each bunkering operation. These are practically the same notifications that currently still need to be made separately. This could be done smarter.Maud Eijgendaal…

28 Jun 2019

Singapore Suspends Inter-Pacific Petroleum's Bunker License

Singapore's Maritime Port Authority (MPA) has suspended the bunker craft operator licence of Inter-Pacific Petroleum Pte Ltd, the MPA said in a statement on Thursday.The MPA suspended the license, which allows Inter-Pacific to operate tankers used to load marine fuel, known as bunker fuel, onto ships, with effect from June 27 until further notice, the statement said.The license suspension occurred after "an enforcement check on a bunker tanker operated by Inter-Pacific Petroleum," the MPA said, without providing further details.The MPA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Inter-Pacific could not be reached for comment…

09 Apr 2019

Jensen Designs Tugs for Moran Towing

Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm Jensen Maritime Consultants (JMC) has been awarded the contract to design ship assist and escort tugboats for Moran Towing, a tug-and-barge operator on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts.The new boats will be the latest in a series of seven Jensen-designed tugboats for Moran over the past decade, said a press release from JMC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Crowley Maritime Corporation.New features on the tugboats include upgrades to meet the latest ABS regulations and U.S. Coast Guard subchapter M regulations, as well as meeting U.S. EPA Tier IV requirements. The upgrades will ensure the vessels meet current and future demands for performance and maneuverability…

12 Nov 2018

Kirby to Acquire CGBM's Inland Tank Barge Fleet

Image Credit: CGBM

Kirby Corporation has announced the signing of an agreement to acquire substantially all of CGBM 100, LLC's inland marine tank barge fleet for an undisclosed amount.Under the terms of the agreement, Kirby will acquire 27 of CGBM's 10,000 barrel inland marine tank barges which have a total capacity of approximately 270,000 barrels. The closing of the acquisition is expected to occur in the 2018 fourth quarter and is subject to customary closing conditions.Kirby Corporation, based in Houston…

05 Oct 2018

Tug and Barge Solutions Passes 100 Vessel Milestone with Helm CONNECT

Alabama-based Tug and Barge Solutions (TBS) announced that more than 100 vessels now use  Ivy Marine's Towing Safety Management System and audit services, powered by Helm CONNECT software.Founded in 2012 by tug captain turned ISM/ISO auditor Pat Folan and towing vessel operators Steve Wilson and Patrick Boles, TBS has been helping towing vessel operators achieve compliance with the US Coast Guard (USCG), International Safety Management (ISM), Tanker Management and Self-Assessment (TMSA) and other standards for more than five years.Starting with operators on the US Gulf Coast and along the Intracoastal Waterway, TBS has steadily expanded to serve vessel operators throughout the US.

03 May 2018

Kirby Acquires Targa's Inland Tank Barge Fleet

Kirby Corporation has announced the signing of an agreement to acquire Targa Resources Corp’s inland marine tank barge business for approximately $69.3 million in cash. The purchase will be financed through additional borrowings. Targa’s inland marine tank barge fleet consists of 16 pressure barges that have a total capacity of approximately 258,000 barrels, many of which are under long-term multi-year contracts. The closing of the acquisition is expected to occur near the end of the second quarter and is subject to customary closing conditions. David Grzebinski, Kirby’s President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “Targa’s inland pressure barges are an excellent addition to Kirby’s fleet. With the ongoing petrochemical build-out progressing along the U.S.

24 Apr 2018

Kirby Executive Chairman Pyne to Retire

Houston based tank barge operator Kirby Corporation announced that Joseph H. Pyne will retire as Executive Chairman of the Board, effective April 30, 2018. Pyne will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board in a nonexecutive role.The firm also announced that Kirby will incur a charge for compensation related to retirement in the second quarter of 2018.Pyne began his career with Kirby in 1978, and has held numerous executive positions including Chairman of the Board since April 2014, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer from January 2014 to April 2014, as Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer from April 2013 to January 2014 and from April 2010 to April 2011…

23 Feb 2018

Flooding Cripples Grain Barge Shipments in U.S. Midwest

Grain barge shipping came to a near standstill in parts of the U.S. Midwest on Thursday as recent heavy rain and melting snow swelled rivers, halted barge loading and sidelined the towboats that haul farm belt crops to Gulf Coast export terminals. The flooded waterways sent cash premiums for corn barges delivered to Gulf Coast terminals soaring. Rates hit peaks on Thursday that have not been seen in 18 months, as exporters scrambled to secure enough grain to top off vessels bound for overseas markets, traders said. Barge lines suspended operations on northern sections of the Illinois River, with water levels already near record crests, or forecast to reach those levels by the weekend, according to National Weather Service river forecasts.

24 Jan 2017

Singapore Bunker Operator Fined $57,000

Singapore-based bunker barge operator New Ocean Maritime was fined 81,000 Singapore dollars ($57,100) on Jan. 17 for providing services without a licence between Jan. 3, 2015 and March 28, 2015, the Singapore port authority said on Tuesday. The company was also found to have used the bunker craft operator licence of Seaquest Tanker, another Singapore-based bunker services provider, which had its permit revoked last year on April 26 for erroneous record-keeping. Singapore is the world's largest ship refuelling port, with thousands of vessels calling every year to take on bunkers, as shipping fuel is known in the industry. "MPA adopts a zero tolerance approach towards bunkering malpractices and will not hesitate to take action against any unlicensed entity operating in the port of Singapore…

04 Feb 2017

Richmond Express Starts Operation at RMT

The Port of Virginia’s new barge – the Richmond Express arrived in the Norfolk Harbor and scheduled to sail Sunday and be at Richmond Marine Terminal (RMT) Monday, Feb. This new barge helps reduce congestion on I-64 and wear-and-tear on the road by taking trucks off of that roadway and moving the cargo by barge. Thus far into fiscal year 2017 (began July 1, 2016), 11,225 containers have moved between Richmond Marine Terminal (RMT) and the Norfolk Harbor by barge, a 41 percent increase when compared with the same period in fiscal year 2016. This equates to 22,450 fewer round-trip, truck trips on regional roads/highways/intestates. Further, the configuration of the new barge gives the port flexibility to move refrigerated containers, which is important to owners of cold cargo.

14 Jun 2017

Kirby Corp Acquires Stewart & Stevenson

File photo: Kirby Corporation

Houston based tank barge operator Kirby Corporation said it has signed an agreement to acquire the assets and businesses of Stewart & Stevenson LLC for approximately $710 million. The agreement was signed on June 13 by the companies’ executive chairmen, Joseph H. Pyne of Kirby Corporation and Hushang Ansary of Stewart & Stevenson. Kirby said the purchase  will be funded through its revolving credit facility and common stock valued at approximately $355 million. Stewart & Stevenson, also based in Houston, is a subsidiary of the Houston-based Parman Capital Group.

11 Jul 2017

MobileOps Inks Deal with Westar Marine Services

Image: MobileOps

MobileOps, Inc. said it has signed a deal with Westar Marine Services, a tug and barge operator headquartered in San Fransisco with operations in Seattle and all along the West Coast. Westar will utilize the MobileOps Platform across its fleet of tugs and crew boats to further bolster its safety, quality and maintenance initiatives. The MobileOps Platform is a cloud-based subscription solution that includes both a Web Application and an offline-capable iPad application called Voyager.

31 Jul 2017

ATB Newbuild Delivered to Kirby Corporation

The first of two new ATBs ordered by Kirby Corporation from Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (Photo: Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding)

A second Articulated Tug Barge unit (ATB) Paul McLernan and the 155,000-barrel barge 155-02 for Houston-based tank barge operator Kirby Corporation has been delivered by Sturgeon Bay, Wisc. shipyard Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS), a subsidiary of Fincantieri Marine Group. Following the delivery of the first ATB in the fall of 2016, the recent delivery completes a contract signed in July 2014. “Our contract with Kirby to build a pair of ATBs was significant for our FBS team,” said Todd Thayse, FBS vice president and general manager.