Inland Barge News

ABS and UNITED WATERWAYS (UW) have signed a letter of intent to establish a joint venture with River Academy, UW’s training and education subsidiary, to support crew competence and qualification across the European inland barge, river cruise and coastal vessel sectors.The collaboration will enhance workforce readiness as European operators navigate evolving safety and decarbonization requirements in cruise, freight, and ferry shipping. Training programs align with recognized regional and national standards and continue to support consistent…

CMA CGM is preparing to launch an electric inland barge on France’s Fos-Lyon corridor, with an annual potential of nearly 12,000 TEUs.The initiative aims to promote a regular, reliable, competitive and decarbonized logistics solution between the Port of Marseille-Fos, Lyon and the Rhône Valley, to accelerate a modal shift and relieve congestion on the A7 motorway.By 2030, the Group aims to double its multimodal volumes in Lyon, increasing inland waterway transport to 100,000 TEUs per year and rail transport to 60…

From inland towboats and tank barges, to oceangoing tankers and government fleets, Bergan Marine is literally everywhere you look on the waterfront. Kyle Durden, President & CEO, Bergan Marine Systems, discusses the rich history of this company; born in 1975 in Norway but operating from Florida since 1980, Bergan Marine Systems offers a full family of product and services that are connected, modular solutions that reduce installation and operating costs – ultimately providing better data.When Kyle Durden reflects on his maritime career…

“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…

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…

Amogy Inc., developer of emissions-free ammonia power solutions, announced it has signed a letter of intent and a lease with Sustainable Energy Catapult Center to initiate testing operations for its 200kW ammonia-to-power platform at its recently-launched testing facility for new and sustainable energy solutions in Stord.Amogy announced the opening of its Stavanger, Norway headquarters and the appointment of Christian Berg as Managing Director of Amogy Norway in September 2022.

Ammonia power solutions company Amogy announced it is partnering with Southern Devall to trial its ammonia-to-power technology for the first time in the maritime market as the industry strives to reduce its vessel emissions.Amogy’s proprietary ammonia-to-power system converts ammonia into hydrogen for use in fuel cells or as a more energy dense method of long-distance hydrogen transportation. The system, already demonstrated in a farming tractor and aerial drone, is now being scaled for use in larger applications…

Waterway traffic is coming back. November 2021 saw 52.1 million tons moving on the U.S. inland waterway system, the highest monthly tonnage since October 2019, a few months before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the shutdowns and stoppages of early 2020. Flows estimated by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, based on data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) show a 25% rise from June 2020. Data in a presentation by The Waterways Council Inc (WCI)…

The Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association’s retiring executive director reflects on key progress made and vital work remaining.As my tenure as President, Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association (GICA) ends after 11 years, it is gratifying look at the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) and reflect on its compelling relevance to our nation. Often referred to as the “Silent Giant,” as I wrote in this publication in 2014, the Giant indeed awoke and emerged as a vital waterway which delivers…

The construction of a new inland port at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers took another step forward on Tuesday as the Alexander Cairo Port District completed a project labor agreement (PLA) with the Illinois AFL-CIO. The project labor agreement ensures that more than 500 jobs created by the construction of the Cairo port will be filled by local Illinois union workers.The Alexander-Cairo port represents one of the largest investments in Southern Illinois in decades.

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.

U.S. inland barge transportation company American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) has named Mike Ellis as the company’s new chief executive officer and a member of its board of directors, effective August 17, 2020.Ellis will take the helm following ACBL's recently completed Chapter 11 recapitalization and restructuring, succeeding retiring president and CEO Mark Knoy, who has led the company since 2011.“Following a thorough search, we are delighted to welcome Mike Ellis as ACBL’s new CEO…

Jennifer A. Carpenter serves as President & CEO of The American Waterways Operators (AWO), the national trade association representing the inland and coastal tugboat, towboat and barge industry. Carpenter joined AWO in August 1990 and became President & CEO in January 2020. Before assuming her current position, she worked her way up the hawsepipe from Government Affairs Assistant to Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, holding a series of progressively responsible positions including Manager-Regulatory Issues…

There’s a barge full of reasons why many operators turn to ATBs.A  mainstay of the U.S. coastwise dirty and refined products trades, articulated tug barges (ATB) have increasingly filled a void left as the fleet of Jones Act tankers (with crew complement requirements exceeding that of tugs) has aged out. With the cargo capacity of the larger ATBs – some with barges exceeding 300,000 barrels capacity – rivalling that of workhorse tankers that had served oil consuming regions, the concept certainly makes sense from a supply and distribution perspective.With 50…

American Commercial Lines Inc. (ACL) said on Friday it expects to complete its recapitalization and emerge from Chapter 11 in the coming weeks after the U.S. Bankrptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division confirmed the company's pre-packaged plan. ACL announced it would implement the recapitalization plan in February. Upon emergence, the company will receive $200 million in new capital to support liquidity and investments in the business and will reduce its funded debt by approximately $1 billion…

Another year; another major fleet takeover by Kirby Corporation. But the leader of the inland tank-barge sector is not growing for growth’s sake: a deeper look at the numbers shows a disciplined strategy at work.“Kirby is definitely the big gorilla in the inland barge market,” affirmed Jefferies analyst Randy Giveans. Indeed, Houston-headquartered Kirby Corp has been extremely active buying fleets over the past few years, most recently acquiring the 63 tank barges of Cenac Marine in March for $244 million.

Texas-based midstreamer Howard Energy Partners (Hep) announced that it’s completed the expansions of its bulk liquid terminal facilities in Port Arthur and Corpus Christi, Texas.The completion of these projects increases HEP’s Gulf Coast terminal storage capacity to 2.6 million barrels with three ship docks, three barge docks, unit train loading capacity for up to two trains per day, and direct pipeline connectivity through wholly-owned pipelines to seven refineries. HEP began operating terminal facilities in mid-2014.“The substantial expansions at our Port Arthur and Corpus Christi facilities signify HEP’s commitment to designing and constructing fully-engineered facilities that are tailored to meet the exact needs of our customers…

“In God we trust. All others must have data.”When Ed Grimm took the helm of Southern Towing Company (STC)as President and CEO, he inherited an enviable team of leaders, engineers, mentors, communicators and analysts. Today STC is a clear leader on the inland waterways, pioneering and proving the business and safety value of Z-Drives on the river towboats.How did you come to the top spot at Southern Towing Company?I started in the energy industry at 16 working at an oil storage depot in New York Harbor, working there through high school and putting myself through college.

Hawaii Congressman Ed Case has introduced three bills in Congress to reform Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (commonly referred to as the Jones Act), which he states “artificially inflates the cost of shipping goods to Hawaii”.Case’s three measures and their proposed amendments to the Jones Act are:the Noncontiguous Shipping Relief Act, which exempts all noncontiguous U.S. locations, including Hawaii, from the Jones Act;the Noncontiguous Shipping Reasonable Rate Act, which benchmarks…

Heineken Netherlands, Nedcargo and sustainable fuel market-leader GoodFuels have launched a pilot to demonstrate a sustainable drop-in marine fuel on-board of the ‘For Ever’ – an inland barge dedicated to transport Heineken export beer, from the Heineken brewery in Zoeterwoude to the deep-sea terminals in Rotterdam. The advanced marine fuel supplied by GoodFuels contains 30% biofuel and thereby reduces CO2-emissions by more than 25%, whilst also sharply reducing local emissions as nitrogen and particulate matter. The project will showcase the possibility of reducing emissions of inland waterway transport without any vessel modification. The exact emission reduction compared to fossil fuel will be monitored live during the pilot using Blueco’s Konnexus system for remote monitoring.

Samskip has announced a major enhancement in its shortsea and multimodal services between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, with the addition of direct connections between Amsterdam and Hull three times a week. The value proposition to customers will also include barge and rail systems connecting the European hinterland to Amsterdam. With effect from mid-March, and departing from Amsterdam on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, the new calls and the port's European hinterland systems augment Samskip's existing Rotterdam-Hull operation and runs alongside shortsea and multimodal services into Tilbury and Grangemouth. Richard Beales…

A new short-sea container service between Amsterdam and Hull has been formally inaugurated with the first call of the 340-TEU vessel THEA II at Amsterdam Container Terminal (ACT). The new service, operated by leading short sea container operator Samskip, offers three sailings a week on this new route with vessels departing from Amsterdam on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Commenting on the new service, Clemence Cheng, Managing Director of Hutchison Ports Europe, said: “Amsterdam Container Terminal offers shipping lines the opportunity to serve their customers in a fast, efficient, reliable and sustainable manner. ACT is operated by TMA Logistics in which Hutchison Ports is a 50% shareholder.

Barge transportation comprises an extensive network, ideal for carrying seaborne cargo to inland destinations and exports alike. Responsible, in part, for the worldwide trade of bulk transport, the industry is of great significance to the agricultural sector. In North America, The Army Corps of Engineers maintains and operates over 12,000 miles of canals, rivers, and inland waterways. The Illinois Waterway and Mississippi River are the major waterways in the region that are responsible for moving agricultural and farm products through barges.