Kirby Barge News

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…

Houston, Texas-based Kirby Inland Marine agreed to pay $15.3 million in damages and assessment costs to resolve federal and state claims for harm to natural resources resulting from a 2014 oil spill from a Kirby barge in the Houston Ship Channel, the U.S. Justice Department said.In a related enforcement action in 2016, the United States secured a settlement with Kirby for $4.9 million in civil penalties and injunctive relief measures to improve the company's operations to help…

The Port of Houston remains closed as the Unified Command continues to assess the situation with oil in the channel to determine when vessel traffic can resume, advises the US Coast Guard. There are 46 outbound vessels and 47 inbound vessels in the queue for transit in the Port of Houston. The Port of Texas City has 5 inbound and 3 outbound vessels in the queue awaiting transit. Once the channel has been determined safe to navigate, and transiting vessels will not spread oil contaminants, a prioritization list will be established to determine the entry order of vessels.

Cleanup continues in response to an oil spill in the Houston Ship Channel that resulted in the release of approximately 168,000 gallons of bunker fuel oil. On March 22, 2014, the M/V Summer Wind and Kirby Barge 27706 collided in the Houston Ship Channel in the vicinity LT 26 near the "Texas City Y", the Houston-Galveston Port Community said in an announcement. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) announced that Unified Command is working closely with the Vessel Traffic Service, paired with assessments of the Houston Ship Channel, to determine when partial vessel traffic can resume.

The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. announced that its Gunderson Marine division has received an order from Kirby Offshore Marine to build an articulated oceangoing oil and chemical tank barge, with an option for a second unit, to meet growing demand. The state-of-the-art 578' tank barge is one of the largest in Gunderson’s marine history, and has an 185,000 barrel carrying capacity. This order, along with awards being finalized, will bring Greenbrier’s current marine backlog to about $70 million. Construction on the Kirby barge will begin in June 2014, with completion scheduled in 2015. The outlook for transportation of goods by oceangoing barge is strong, and Greenbrier, through Gunderson Marine, said it is well-positioned to meet new barge demand.

HOUSTON - Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Galveston temporarily closed the Intracoastal Waterway in Freeport, Texas Tuesday night after a barge collision occured in the Kirby Barge Fleeting area. The tug boat Drum Point, was pushing two barges loaded with Naphtha, when the collision occurred. The third barge contained more than 1 million gallons of Cumene. The collision resulted in a fracture to the hull of the barge containing Cumene. However, no cargo was spilled into the water, and the barges carrying Naphtha were only slightly damaged. The Coast Guard established a safety zone in the waterway surrounding the damaged barge. The Coast Guard also temporarily closed the Intracoastal Waterway until the barge could be moved to repair facilities at the Dow Chemical Plant.

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. That was a core message at a recent meeting sponsored by the Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP) and held in early March at the Litton-Avondale Shipyard. According to American Waterways Operators’ Ken Wells and others who spoke at the conference, market expansion projections are flat both in terms of materials moved and the overall customer base of shippers. Thus, the onus is squarely on owners and operators to ensure that their fleets are adequately outfitted to save precious time, money and fuel.

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.…