Marquette Christens Towboats Charles Reid Perry

Paducah, Ky. based Marquette Transportation Company earlier this year held a christening ceremony in New Orleans for its towboat Charles Reid Perry.

The vessel, built in 2019 by C&C Marine and Repair in Belle Chasse, La., is named after the grandson of Marquette executive chairman John Eckstein. Alix Eckstein Perry, John Eckstein’s daughter and mother of the vessel’s namesake, officially christened the boat.

The Charles Reid Perry is designed to operate on the Lower Mississippi River and has the capacity to take up to 42 loads southbound during normal operating conditions.

For main propulsion, the vessel is outfitted with fully electronic diesel engines producing 6,600 horsepower. The z-drive units consist of three Steer Prop SP25, azimuth thrusters. Its electrical system is powered by two Cummins AWK-11 tier 3 engines.