Canal Barge Co News

The world has radically changed since towboat captain Terry Hall boarded his vessel late last month in Wood River, Illinois, for his four-week shift hauling bargeloads of crude oil, chemicals, scrap metal and other goods up and down the Mississippi River.His employer, Canal Barge Co, has beefed up pre-board health screenings for all crew to include a temperature check and disclosures about recent travel and personal interactions in response to the coronavirus pandemic.Any disruption…

Horizon Shipbuilding, Inc., Bayou La Batre, AL, has delivered the fourth in a series of 74’ towboats to Canal Barge Company, Inc. of New Orleans, LA. The Jane Merrick is 74’ long with a 32’6” beam and an 8’6” draft. Designed by Marine Design, Inc. of Gulf Breeze, Florida, the vessel is capable of pushing fully loaded fuel barges at 10 knots. Its 2000 horsepower is provided by Cummins K38M, tier II 12 cylinder marine propulsion engines, and drives 74” Kahlenberg propellers through Reintjes WAF 562 reduction gears. There are comfortable accommodations for six personnel plus the Captain.

Drought and ensuing low river levels continue to affect the inland industry. Low water between St. Louis and Cairo, Illinois has threatened traffic on the Mississippi River since December. For months, dredging operations have slowed vessels at points along the river's course. Since December, a stretch at Thebes, Illinois, has been shut for much of each day as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers removes rock pinnacles. A panel of five executives weighed in on a host of topics regarding inland transportation as part of a round table discussion published in the February print edition of Marine News.

Richard R. (Rick) Calhoun, Cargo Carriers, Chairman; Cornel Martin, President & CEO; Merritt Lane, Canal Barge Line, Vice Chairman; Rodney Weinzierl, Illinois Corn Growers Association, Vice Chairman;  Matt Woodruff, Kirby Corporation, Counsel; Peter Stephaich, Campbell Transportation Company, Secretary; Cherrie Felder, Channel Shipyard Company, Treasurer. Dan Mecklenborg, Ingram Barge Line Co., was named Immediate Past Chairman, and Berdon Lawrence, Kirby Corporation and Mark Knoy, AEP River Operations, were named Honorary Past Chairmen. Named to At Large positions were Michael Hennessey, CONSOL Energy Co.; Tim Parker, Jr., Parker Towing Company; Stephen Little, Crounse Corporation; and Dale Roth, Carpenter’s District Council of Greater St. Louis and Vicinity.

At the Annual Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) Membership Meeting and Board of Directors Meeting held October 29 in St. Louis, the following officers and Executive Committee members were elected to serve or continue service for 2008-2009:  Dan Mecklenborg, Senior Vice President, HR & Chief Legal Officer, Ingram Barge Company, remains as Chairman of the Board; Cornel Martin, was elected President and CEO; Steve Little, President and CEO, Crounse Corporation, remains as General Counsel; Peter Stephaich, Chairman, Campbell Transportation Co., was re-elected Secretary; Cherrie Felder, Vice President, Channel Shipyard, remains as Treasurer. Former WCI President and CEO R. Barry Palmer was named President Emeritus. Also named to new terms as officers were Richard R.

The U.S. Coast Guard is soliciting for applications for the biennial Rear Admiral William M. Benkert, Marine Environmental Protection Award for Excellence. The program recognizes corporations and businesses involved in marine facility or vessel operations that have demonstrated sustained excellence and outstanding achievement in protecting the marine environment. It also encourages innovations in operations, maintenance, cargo handling, refueling, training, and provides a means for award recipients to share their successful methods and techniques with others in industry. Applications will be accepted from December 01, 2005 to March 31, 2006. Log into the award website at www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/mor/mor-1/benkert award/overview.htm to receive information on the application process.

Quality, quality, quality. Ship and boat owners seeking to build a long-term profitable marine business are making this factor the cornerstone of decision making. Whether it be mandated by new legislation, or simply chosen as a marketable competitive advantage, companies that own and operate vessels should be demanding that everything — from vessel design, to equipment and systems, to personnel training techniques — are of the highest quality, or more accurately, the highest quality within the company’s budget. Marine companies in 2001 and beyond are seemingly in a perpetual battle to prove that their company, their industry, is a quality run operation, and an operation that is the most cost-effective, environmentally sound method of moving cargo, as compared to air, road, and rail.

The North American inland marine market is neither technologically archaic nor as environmentally hazardous as many individuals outside of the marine market may think. These two issues dominated a recent meeting sponsored by the Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP) held in early March at the Litton-Avondale Shipyard. The profitable process of moving products through North America's vast inland waterways systems is increasingly dependent on vessel owners and operators finding and incorporating new technological means and methods to increase efficiencies. Speakers from industry leading companies such as Kirby Barge Co.; Ingram Barge Co.…

The title of this article was the simplified (and anticipated) statement from the mouth of Allen Walker, president of the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), in a discussion sponsored by the Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP) and held in early March at the Litton-Avondale Shipyard. While Walker, paid to promote the U.S. industry, is understandably optimistic; he followed his simplistic proclamation with a number of sound reasons to expect an upturn in business at U.S. shipyards. OPA 90 has long been discussed as the impetus for barge and shipbuilding boom in mid- and large-size U.S. yards. While the reality in the form of an orderbook has yet to materialize…

The National Waterways Conference will hold its annual meeting in New Orleans at the Hilton Riverside Hotel on September 4-6 where some 350 business, civic and waterways leaders are expected to attend. Donald T. (Boysie) Bollinger, chairman and chief executive officer of Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., and Richard R. Calhoun, vice president of Cargill, Inc., and chairman of the National Grain and Feed Assn., will be the main speakers at the event. According to conference chairman, J. Ron Brinson of the Port of New Orleans, Bollinger of Lockport La., will address the opening luncheon. Bollinger Shipyards, one of the nation's largest builders of boats and barges, operates 20 shipyards from Mississippi to Texas. Calhoun, of Minneapolis, will speak at the closing luncheon.

MarineNews presents an old-fashioned roundtable discussion — collected via high-tech means — presenting the thoughts and concerns on the minds of six top executives from leading marine companies. MarineNews thanks Tom Allegretti, President and CEO, American Waterways Operators; Merritt Lane, President & CEO, Canal Barge Co.; Craig Philip, President & CEO, Ingram Marine Group; Joe Pyne, President & CEO, Kirby Corporation; Mark Knoy, President, Memco Barge Line; and Barry Palmer, President & CEO, Waterways Work! for sharing their views and expertise with our readers. MN: What is the most pressing challenge you feel is facing the barge/towing industry today?