Inland and Coastal

Pilot left helm: Damage to towboat totaled $2 million

When the pilot left the helm of a towboat unattended for 5 minutes, the consequences were costly, according to a just-releases National Transportation Safety Board report

The incident involved the 138-foot long, 1962-built towboat City of Louisville, owned by Ceres Tank Barge LLC and operated by Reliant Maritime Solutions LLC. While the towboat was upbound on the Mississippi River pushing 11 barges on July 29, 2023, it ran aground in a charted shallow and rocky area. The grounding caused...

https://www.marinelog.com/inland-coastal/pilot-left-helm-damage-to-towboat-totaled-2-million/

Ports of Indiana hosts trade mission by Port of Antwerp-Bruges

Ports of Indiana yesterday welcomed a delegation led by Belgium’s Port of Antwerp-Bruges on a trade mission exploring economic opportunities and new container shipments between the U.S. Midwest and European markets.

The day’s events included a tour of Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor, the future site of the port’s first ocean container terminal, and the port’s steel processing facilities followed by a luncheon at the historic Indiana Dunes Pavilion.

In July 2024, Ports of Indiana and Port of...

https://www.marinelog.com/news/ports-of-indiana-hosts-trade-mission-by-port-of-antwerp-bruges/

AWO elects ACBL’s Patrick Sutton as its new chairman

The members of the American Waterways Operators elected a new slate of leaders last week during the its Spring Convention and Annual Membership Meeting. Patrick Sutton, senior vice president, business development and planning, American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL), was elected chairman of the AWO board of directors; Matt Woodruff, vce president of public & government affairs, Kirby Corporation, was elected vice cACBL, patrick Sutton, hairman; and Brian Hughes, vice president operations & sales,...

https://www.marinelog.com/news/awo-elects-acbls-patrick-sutton-as-its-new-chairman/

Silverback teams with Petestep for new law enforcement boat

Petestep design

Tacoma, Wash.-based aluminum boat specialist Silverback Marine is partnering with Norsborg, Sweden-based designer Petestep to build a high performance law enforcement vessel for the New Mexico State Parks Rangers.

The boat will feature Petestep’s patented Spraywater technology. Unlike traditional stepped hulls, the Petestep technology utilizes angled deflectors that take advantage of the spray energy generated by the hull when underway.

Image: Silverback Marine

Compared to a standard monohull, the...

https://www.marinelog.com/inland-coastal/silverback-teams-with-petestep-for-new-law-enforcement-boat/

GLDD posts strong first quarter results

Houston-headquartered Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company [Nasdaq: GLDD] today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025.

“Great Lakes had a great first quarter, with strong project performance and high utilization as all of our active dredges were operational,” said GLDD president and CEO Lasse Petterson. “We ended the quarter with revenue of $242.9 million, net income of $33.4 million, and adjusted EBITDA of $60.1 million. Our substantial dredging backlog stood at...

https://www.marinelog.com/inland-coastal/dredging/gldd-posts-strong-first-quarter-results/

USCG responds to vessel collision, sunken barge near New Orleans

The Coast Guard responded to a vessel collision that resulted in a barge breakaway and one sunken barge on the Lower Mississippi River near New Orleans, La., April 27. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report at approximately 9:20 p.m. Sunday that the Panamanian flagged M/V Isla de Bioko and the U.S. flagged towboat, the Ginny Stone, were involved in a collision at Mile Marker 110.

Following the collision, six barges broke free and began drifting down river while one...

https://www.marinelog.com/inland-coastal/inland/uscg-responds-to-vessel-collision-sunken-barge-near-new-orleans/

NTSB reports on $3M Johnny M towboat fire

A catastrophic engine failure led to a fire aboard the towboat Johnny M last year, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.

The fire broke out on Jan. 30, 2024, when the 2019-built, 88-foot Johnny M, owned and operated by Terral River Service, was pushing four barges on the Tennessee River near Grand Rivers, Ky.

The six crewmembers aboard were unable to extinguish the fire using the CO2 fixed-fire-extinguishing system and abandoned ship to a Good Samaritan vessel.

Local fire...

https://www.marinelog.com/inland-coastal/ntsb-reports-on-3m-johnny-m-towboat-fire/

Moran Towing christens new tug at Port of Beaumont

Moran Towing Corporation, New Caanan, Conn., hosted a christening ceremony for its newest tugboat, the Mary Jane Moran, at the Port of Beaumont in Texas on April 5. The event brought together Moran employees, leadership, the local port community, and the namesake’s family for a celebration of maritime tradition and innovation.

The tug is named after Mary Jane Marchisotto, wife of Alan Marchisotto, a longtime Moran employee and a key member of the company’s senior leadership team. The vessel was...

https://www.marinelog.com/shipbuilding/moran-towing-christens-new-tug-at-port-of-beaumont/

Glosten completes tug upgrade design for Shaver Transportation

Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm Glosten has completed the contract design package for a comprehensive upgrade to Portland, Ore.-based Shaver Transportation’s Z-drive tractor tug Washington. The design focuses on significantly enhancing the vessel’s performance,
maneuverability, and practical operability, to support Shaver’s evolving harbor and escort towing
service offerings.

The scope of the upgrade includes replacement of the tug’s main engines and installation of
new...

https://www.marinelog.com/inland-coastal/glosten-completes-tug-upgrade-design-for-shaver-transportation/

NTSB: Outdraft currents contributed to $1.3 million Ohio River barge strike

A barge tow struck a vane dike on the Ohio River last year because the pilot did not effectively compensate for the outdraft current while navigating out of the McAlpine Locks in Louisville, Kentucky, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday.

The incident occurred on March 8, 2024, when the 1982-built, 138 foot towing vessel Amber Brittany, owned by Knight Manufacturing Corp and operated by Imperial River Transport LLC, was transiting the Ohio River. It was pushing 15 barges when...

https://www.marinelog.com/inland-coastal/ntsb-outdraft-currents-contributed-to-1-3-million-ohio-river-barge-strike/

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