River Transportation 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…

Tugboat and towboat owners across the nation eye fuel efficiency and emission reduction technologies and techniques in advance of increasingly stringent regulations.he first half of 2025 has seen a great deal of attention on emissions from vessels, with an eye towards their continued reductions in the coming years. Mid-April saw the International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s much anticipated Maritime Environment Protection Committee’s MEPC 83 meeting participants lay out plans for reduced greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years…

CMA CGM has launched the first fully electric container barge in Vietnam, supported by the construction of a solar-powered charging station at the Cai Mep port, the country’s main container gateway near Ho Chi Minh City.As part of this initiative, CMA CGM has signed an agreement with its long-standing partner Gemadept, a key logistics and port operator in Vietnam, to establish a joint venture named Green River Transportation, which will operate the electric barge. The new entity will manage river transport services in the Mekong Delta.

On May 7, 2025, the first in a groundbreaking fleet of 3,000-ton deadweight hopper barges, designed by Robert Allan Ltd., was officially launched at Juruá Shipyard in Manaus, Brazil. The event marked a milestone in LHG Mining’s river transportation initiative in South America.This inaugural barge is part of a 400-unit fleet commissioned by LHG Mining to enable the efficient, sustainable transport of high-grade iron ore from Corumbá, Brazil, to export terminals in Uruguay. The cargo will travel over 2…

Hines Furlong Line has taken delivery of the M/V Donny Mudgett, the first vessel completed in its eleven-vessel newbuild program. Built at Intracoastal Iron Works in Bourg, Louisiana, the M/V Donny Mudgett is powered by three Mitsubishi Tier 3 S6R2-Y3MPTAW engines, each delivering 803 horsepower at 1,400 RPM.Donny Mudgett is the first of eleven vessels currently under construction at Intracoastal Iron Works and Eymard Marine Construction & Repair. The program includes five triple-screw and six twin-screw vessels…

KOTUG International, a marine services and towage provider based in the Netherlands, announced on Thursday it has concluded its acquisition of Kotug Seabulk Maritime (KSM), taking full ownership of the Caribbean marine towage business.KOTUG said it has acquired the interest of its joint venture partner, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based SEACOR Holdings via its Seabulk subsidiary KS Maritime Holdings, owner of the 50% share in KSM.Founded in 2017, KSM acts as the exclusive provider of maritime terminal support services for Buckeye Partners’ Bahamas Hub…

Nashville-based Ingram Barge Company announced it has formed a new material handling and supply chain solutions subsidiary, Ingram Infrastructure Group.The move, fueled by the company's acquisitions of Inland River Transport Holdings (SCF) and NexStar Solutions, is intended to enhance Ingram's end-to-end supply chain solutions capabilities.Ingram acquired integrated river transportation and logistics services provider SCF from SEACOR Holdings following the signing of a purchase agreement last October.Ingram currently operates across more than 4,500 miles of the U.S.

SEACOR Holdings Inc. announced it has concluded the sale of its Caribbean liner and logistics business SEACOR Container Lines LLC (“SEACOR Island Lines”) to King Ocean Services Ltd. The transaction includes all operations and assets.King Ocean specializes in marine transportation and logistics solutions to close to 50 destinations across the Caribbean and South and Central America out of their Port Everglades facilities in Ft Lauderdale, Fla.“For 40 years, King Ocean, a multi-generational…

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. based SEACOR Holdings Inc. announced it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its inland river transportation and logistics business to Ingram Barge Company LLC, a division of Nashville-based Ingram Marine Group.Part of the SEACOR family of businesses for over two decades, Inland River Transport Holdings LLC (SCF) includes more than 1,000 covered dry cargo hopper barges, eight 6,000-plus horsepower towboats and a network of terminal and fleeting infrastructure along the Mississippi River.“I am extremely pleased to enter this transaction with Ingram…

A group of partners aiming to boost efficiency and sustainability for transporting goods in and around London has come together to trial shipping light freight on the River Thames.The non-profit Cross River Partnership (CRP) recently launched the London Light Freight River Trial, London’s first daily, multi-supplier, river freight trial, as part of the Defra-funded Clean Air Logistics for London project. The group has been working with the Port of London Authority (PLA), Lyreco UK & Ireland…

Researchers from NOAA, the state of Michigan, and Ocean Exploration Trust discovered an intact shipwreck resting hundreds of feet below the surface of Lake Huron. Located within NOAA's Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the shipwreck has been identified as the sailing ship Ironton. Well preserved by the cold freshwater of the Great Lakes for over a century, the 191-ft. Ironton rests upright with its three masts still standing."Using this cutting-edge technology, we have not only located a pristine shipwreck lost for over a century…

An Inland River Transportation Caucus could help inland river transportation interests that are often misunderstood and greatly undervalued.For anyone doing business on the inland river transportation system, the goal is to keep the rivers open for business, the barges moving and the landside facilities efficient in order to keep America’s supply chain strong.To accomplish this, it takes the federal agencies that are charged with operating and maintaining inland rivers to have the support of congress, the funding congress allocates and legislation passed by congress.

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)…

If you and your crew are facing questions about ballast water management (BWM) and related regulatory deadlines, it would be worth your while to download a new (January 2021) “Ballast Water Management Systems User Guide,” an extensive, in-depth look at evaluating, selecting and installing a BWM system. The guide was published by MARAD and Glosten for the Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP). It is geared primarily toward U.S.-flag operators in domestic and international trade.As most mariners know, BWM, overseen federally by U.S. EPA and the Coast Guard, includes a number of activities.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded $9.5 million in grants to eight marine highways projects across the Nation under the America’s Marine Highway Program. The funding supports the enhancement of navigable waterways and expands existing waterborne freight services in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington and American Samoa.“This Federal assistance will provide additional options to reduce congestion on the roads and help the surrounding local communities’ and the regions’ economic recovery…

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…

As the nation continues to be impacted by COVID-19, there are silver linings to the crisis: family time and togetherness, gratitude for what we had before it was taken away, and a chance to seek opportunities to be better and more productive.As funding bills related to the COVID-19 crisis move forward, there may be an opportunity for the nation to better itself by modernizing its infrastructure.Congress has, to date as of this writing, passed three phases of a coronavirus relief package.

Thirteen people are confirmed dead and another 28 are thought to be missing after a river boat sank in the northern Brazilian state of Amapa, the state government said on Monday.Another 46 people were rescued after the sinking of the vessel late on Saturday roughly 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the municipality of Laranjal do Jari in the Amazon rainforest, the government said in a statement on its website.Local news website G1 reported the vessel was making a roughly 36-hour journey between the cities of Santana in Amapa state and Santarem in neighboring Para.

Golar LNG, a liquefied natural gas shipping company registered in Bermuda, said that its joint venture with Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, Golar Power Limited has been awarded a 25 year power purchase agreement (PPA) for the construction of a 605MW combined cycle thermal power plant.The LNG-to-power Project will be developed by CELBA (Centrais Eletricas Barcarena S/A), a special purpose company 50% controlled by Golar Power.Located in the Brazilian city of Barcarena, State of Pará, the 605MW power plant will utilize imported LNG for the generation of electricity using modern H-Class gas turbines, which will then be distributed to…

The U.S. towing and tug business is 5,500 boats, more than 31,000 barges with an estimated total impact on U.S. GDP of $33.8 billion.“At a macro level, the bigger ships are causing downward pressure on the ship assist business because there are fewer ship calls given the increased capacity of these vessels. However, certain ports have seen tremendous growth, based on strategic location and infrastructure investments that have attracted these larger ships and been a net plus for these areas.”Kate Fuhrman…

MobileOps, Inc. said it has recently signed a term contract with inland river transportation company Crounse Corporation.Crounse provides full service barge transportation as well as harbor and fleeting services. MobileOps software will assist Crounse with vessel and safety management, as well as auditing processes.“The MobileOps team is very excited and grateful to have the opportunity to work with such a high caliber company like Crounse Corporation”, said Vice President of business development Greg Armfield.MobileOps is a cloud-based subscription solution that includes Vessel Management…

Damen Shipyards Group said it has secured an order with German heavy lift company Combi Lift to build a total of 19 specially customized shallow draught vessels. The vessels will be used to transport oversized and heavy lift cargo for the Gazprom Amur Gas Processing Plant Project in the Russian Far East. The multiple vessel order comprises four Multi Cats 2608SD, four Pusher Tugs 2612SD, seven Stan Pontoons 8916SD and four Side Floaters 8605SD. Combi Lift’s role in the Gazprom Amur Gas Processing Plant Project will be to transport over 176…

As cargo handling capacity increases along the Mississippi River, this 15-mile section of the Mighty Mississippi is being called the Ag Coast. Located in the heartland of America, one 15-mile section of the Mississippi River in the St. Louis, Missouri, region delivers the highest level of grain barge handling capacity anywhere along the Mighty Mississippi. In fact, it is now being called the “Agriculture or Ag Coast” of America in terms of barge transfer facilities for agricultural products. To sustain and grow this impressive market share, infrastructure investment in multimodal interconnectivity is critical. And as production and demand for commodities like corn and soybeans continue to increase, the St.