Inland and Coastal

Stevens Towing announces leadership promotions

Yonges Island, S.C.-headquartered fourth-generation family-owned Stevens Towing Company has announced several key leadership promotions,

Bos Smith has been promoted to vice president. With more than 36 years of dedicated service to Stevens Towing, Smith has been instrumental in driving growth and maintaining strong client relationships. His extensive knowledge of the company and maritime industry have made him an invaluable asset to the company’s success.

Ross Miller has been named vice president...

https://www.marinelog.com/inland-coastal/stevens-towing-announces-leadership-promotions/

OpenTug secures $2.2M investment to amp up barge shipping

Yesterday, OpenTug, a maritime logistics software platform, announced a $2.2 million strategic investment led by TMV, an early-stage venture firm investing in the world’s leading entrepreneurs reshaping legacy industries through tech-enabled innovation. This latest funding brings OpenTug’s total raised to $5.3 million, building on the $3.1 million previously secured.

OpenTug, who spoke last week at Marine Log’s Tugs, Towboats & Barges (TTB) 2025 conference in Mobile, Ala., says the investment...

https://www.marinelog.com/inland-coastal/inland/opentug-secures-2-2m-investment-to-amp-up-barge-shipping/

TTB 2025 highlights operational excellence

Last week, Marine Log’s TTB 2025 (Tugs, Towboats & Barges) conference in Mobile, Ala., attracted nearly 250 vessel owners, operators, C-suite executives, suppliers, and shipyards. The event, which took place on March 25-26, served as a vital gathering for professionals in the maritime industry to exchange ideas and explore new opportunities for improving operational efficiency and sustainability.

This year’s theme, “Charting a Course for Operational Excellence,” focused on the future of the U.S....

https://www.marinelog.com/news/ttb-2025-highlights-operational-excellence/

WCI names Miranda Lang its new operations manager

Waterways Council Inc. (WCI) has welcomed a new member to its team. She is Miranda Lang, who will serve as operations manager. She will work in concert with Amber McClay, WCI’s office manager/events coordinator, who will depart the organization in May for a cross-country move.

Lang previously served as University advancement reporting analyst at American University in Washington, D.C., producing reports, managing data collection, documenting reporting processes, conducting onboarding trainings...

https://www.marinelog.com/inland-coastal/wci-names-miranda-lang-its-new-operations-manager/

NTSB determines cause of $4.5M terminal crane damage

Terminal crane

The National Transportation Safety Board has released its report on a January 4, 2024, incident in which a crane on a crane barge contacted a ship to shore terminal crane, which suffered over $4.5 million in damage.

The accident occurred at about 1620 local time when the towing vessel Royal Engineer, owned and operated by Stevens Towing Company Inc. of Yonges Island, S.C., was transiting the Cooper River near North Charleston, S.C., while pushing the crane barge Stevens 1471,

The towing vessel...

https://www.marinelog.com/inland-coastal/ntsb-determines-cause-of-4-5m-terminal-crane-damage/

Tidewater Transportation goes to Gunderson for four new refined products barges

Vancouver, Wash.-based Tidewater Transportation and Terminals, the largest barge transportation and termina network on the Columbia-Snake River system, reports that it has finalized a contract with Portland, Oregon-based Gunderson Marine & Iron, for the construction of four new liquid refined product barges. It says that the strategic investment reinforces the company’s commitment to providing safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible marine transportation solutions for the Pacific...

https://www.marinelog.com/inland-coastal/inland/tidewater-transportation-goes-to-gunderson-for-four-new-refined-products-barges/

Dutra Group awards dredge contract to Eastern Shipbuilding

San Rafael, Calif.-based The Dutra Group announced March 21 the issuance of a Notice to Proceed for the new-build construction of a 10,464-cubic-yard Trailing Suction Hopper Dredge (TSHD) the Adele at Eastern Shipbuilding Group Inc.

The Adele will be constructed at Eastern Shipbuilding Group’s Allanton and Port St. Joe, Fla., facilities. Delivery is scheduled for late 2028. The Adele will join The Dutra Group’s 9,870-cubic-yard TSHD Stuyvesant serving our nation’s essential waterways.

The Dutra...

https://www.marinelog.com/news/dutra-group-awards-dredge-contract-to-eastern-shipbuilding/

NTSB calls for risk evaluations of 68 U.S. bridges for vessel strikes

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended March 20 that 30 owners of 68 bridges across 19 states conduct a vulnerability assessment to determine the risk of bridge collapse from a vessel collision, part of the ongoing investigation into the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. 

The NTSB found that the Key Bridge, which collapsed after being struck by the containership Dali on March 26, 2024, was almost 30 times above the acceptable risk threshold for critical...

https://www.marinelog.com/news/ntsb-calls-for-risk-evaluations-of-68-u-s-bridges-for-vessel-strikes/

Plaquemines Port rebrands as Louisiana Gateway Port

The Plaquemines Port Harbor and Terminal District has announce its rebranding as the Louisiana Gateway Port. It says the move reflects the port’s commitment to growing as a premier maritime hub and a gateway for global trade.

In the next five years, the Louisiana Gateway Port is projected to become the fifth largest U.S. port by tonnage. Located at the closest point on the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico, the port has several key advantages:

  • No air draft issues and a river depth of 50+...

https://www.marinelog.com/news/plaquemines-port-rebrands-as-louisiana-gateway-port/

IRPT names Anthony Gex its new deputy director

Anthony Gex has accepted the position of deputy director of Inland Rivers, Ports & Terminals (IRPT).

As an IRPT member, former president and chairman of the board, Gex comes to the position with over 30 years of marine, terminal, supply chain, and risk management experience.

Most recently, Gex served as the divisional manager, special projects at Consolidated Terminals and Logistics Co. (CTLC). In this role, he was a successful leader in barge, rail and truck freight and logistics.

Podcast:...

https://www.marinelog.com/inland-coastal/irpt-names-anthony-gex-its-new-deputy-director/

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