Waterways Journal

The America’s River Roots Festival will be held in the Cincinnati area October 8–12. The event will be somewhat like the Tall Stacks events from the past, but this particular …

About 50 people attended the Kaskaskia River Project Industry Day August 22 at the Jerry F. Costello Lock and Dam (formerly the Kaskaskia Lock and Dam), located at the mouth …

Ten river ports in southern Illinois are the latest grouping to apply to be formally recognized by the Corps of Engineers as a port statistical district. The grouping would operate …

Durund Elzey’s presentation came near the conclusion of this year’s Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association (GICA) annual seminar, and yet his topic was anything but an afterthought for operators on the …

In reading the most recent Old Boat Column by Capt. David Smith about the mv. Lachlan Macleay, I was reminded of how Lachlan Macleay played a very vital role in …

Fourteen years since the project’s beginning, the South Carolina Ports Authority has received the final reimbursement for the Charleston Harbor Deepening Project, a total of $21.28 million from the Charleston …

Savannah, Ga. Marinex Construction Inc., Charleston, S.C., has been awarded nearly $27 million for maintenance dredging in Savannah, Georgia, with a full amount of nearly $33.5 million. Marinex Construction was …

Harriett J. Eckart, a longtime employee of Jeffboat in Jeffersonville, Ind., died July 26 at the age of 73. Eckart was born November 16, 1951, to Howard and Alma Crecelius …

The St. Paul Engineer District welcomed new commanding officer Col. Matthew Chase July 18 in a change of command ceremony at the Union Depot, St. Paul, Minn. Chase succeeds Col. …

In the midst of a three-way tug-of-war between Panama, America and China over control of Panama Canal ports, Panama has decided it wants more players in the game. The Panama …

Lindsey Launius credits her two young sons for getting her excited about the River Discovery Center, where she is the new executive director. Lincoln, 9, and Wrigley, 8, took a …

Maj. Benjamin Speckhart was recently made deputy commander of the Vicksburg Engineer District. Speckhart assumes the role with 14 years of experience in the United States Army. He began as …

Chemical and liquid fertilizer specialist Southern Devall LLC, headquartered in Sulphur, La., and with an operations center in Memphis, Tenn., and a sales and administrative office in Houston, recently took …

Roughly 15 people, including those representing several Congressional offices, learned about the barge and towboat industry August 14 during a special “Waterways 101” session sponsored by Ingram Barge Company with …

Representatives from Waterways Council Inc. (WCI), an advocacy organization for the inland waterways and ports, are used to talking about why locks and dams need full and efficient funding. On …

August 22, 2025 The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) laid out its top priorities for the upcoming surface transportation bill in response to a request from the Department of …

The sad news was dispensed through social media recently that one of the most iconic towing vessels built for the inland rivers in the middle of the 20th century was …

The Department of Commerce announced on August 19 the addition of 407 product categories to the list of “derivative” steel and aluminum products covered by Section 232 sectoral tariffs. As …

New Orleans-based Global Maritime Ministries (GMM) has announced the recipients of this year’s Crystal Lighthouse and Rev. John P. Vandercook Service awards, which will be presented at the organization’s Lighthouse …

Conrad Industries Inc. announced on August 12 its financial results for the second quarter and six months that ended June 30 financial results and backlog at June 30. For the …

The Mississippi River Commission (MRC) kicked off its annual low-water inspection tour on the St. Louis Riverfront August 15. It was the first of five public meetings scheduled to be …

Like the towboats moving along the nation’s rivers, American Cruise Lines (ACL) vessels are American owned, built and crewed. Cassandra Caldwell, ACL’s government affairs manager for the Mississippi River and …

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, LLC (GLDD) announced August 20 the delivery of its new hopper dredge, the Amelia Island, from Conrad Shipyard in Morgan City, La. “The Amelia …

The American Waterways Operators has released its latest report on falls overboard and how to prevent them. To support the report’s findings, AWO is holding a Falls Overboard Safety Standdown …

We’re back at the Inland Marine Expo 2025 in Nashville for another “Inland Marine Insight Podcast,” presented by HealthWorks Medical! This episode features Michael Breslin, Senior Director of Safety & …

When considering a career in the maritime industry, many young people are drawn to the wheelhouse first. There’s no denying the appeal of standing between the sticks of a towboat. …

Hines Furlong Line Inc., with corporate offices in Nashville, Tenn., and an operations base in Paducah, Ky., has taken delivery of a new towboat it has in turn bareboat chartered …

HS Marine Propulsion’s new propeller design has an edge over the competition, literally. Engineers have been working on the Edge propeller design for the better part of a decade, earning …

Explosive blasting to remove the old lock walls at Monongahela River Locks and Dam No. 3 near Elizabeth, Pa., is estimated to be 50 percent complete. Crews began removing lock …

In the quiet hum below decks—far from the wheelhouse windows and the open river sky—work the hands and minds that keep our nation’s inland arteries flowing. These men and women …

August 15, 2025 The Department of Transportation (DOT) is inviting the public to provide input into the development of its strategic plan for fiscal years 2026 to 2030. Comments, which …

Indiana River & Rail Terminals recently managed the barge-to-truck transloading of specialized tanks at Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon. The two, 51-ton specialized tanks were built in the Houston, Texas, region …

Pipe manufacturer Welspun Tubular LLC announced plans on August 11 for a $150 million expansion of its Little Rock Port facility, a project expected to create 300 jobs. A formal …

One of the advantages of going directly into the maritime business instead of college is the ability to make a significant income without incurring student loans. But even maritime training …

Joesph M. Tyson, 63, beloved husband, father, brother, dear friend and Canal Barge Company legend passed away on August 1 in New Orleans. Tyson dedicated his life to the maritime …

Construction began within the past few days on a riverboat excursion pier in Paducah, Ky., funded in part by a 2019 federal Better Utilizing Investments To Leverage Development (BUILD) grant. …

Port executives, economic developers and state representatives from Louisiana have long described the five deep-water ports of the Lower Mississippi River—composed of the Port of Baton Rouge, the Port of …

A coalition of powerful interests is lining up to oppose a proposed merger between two of the nation’s largest Class 1 railroads, Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS). Opponents …

Johnny Holt was already a painter and a welder in 1988 when he began decking for Tuscaloosa, Ala.-based Parker Towing Company at the suggestion of his father-in-law, Capt. Bill Archie, …

It’s been a busy summer for Mike’s Inc. After several decades of calling Upper Mississippi River Mile 198.8 home, the East Alton, Ill. shipyard has officially moved. The Mike’s Inc. …

Marquette Chief Engineer James Carnes comes from a long-standing river family, with a father and grandfather who were both river captains and pilots. But he resisted the river’s call until …

“I started in June of 1980 when I stepped on my first towboat, and I’ve been here ever since,” said Warren Clay, shipyard project manager for Canal Barge Company. “Worked …

It’s a rare feat for a single individual to be associated with the same towboat for 28 years, yet that is how long Vern Gore has been the chief engineer …

After spending more than 30 years as a welder, Mike Fanshier was looking for a change. He found it as part of a new career at Riverview Tug Service about …

For David Wiley, the dream to work on the river started as a boy watching his brother-in-law work as a “deckineer” on the Tennessee River. “I lived right on the …

For more than 30 years, deckhands, tankermen, pilots and captains have come and gone on the mv. Charles Southern, a 3,600 hp., twin-screw towboat owned by Sulphur, La.-based Southern Devall. …

They may not spend a watch in the wheelhouse or appear in line-handling reels on TikTok, but they’re nonetheless indispensable to the 24-hour movement of towboats on the nation’s waterways. …

Rear Adm. Will Watson relieved Rear Adm. David Barata August 1 to become the new commander of the Coast Guard’s Heartland District. The ceremony took place at the National World …

Day one of the 120th Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association (GICA) Seminar featured a pair of sessions focused on waterway infrastructure and federal funding. Tracy Zea, president and CEO of Waterways …

Paul Matthews has resigned as executive director of the Port of South Louisiana (PortSL), the port announced August 6. Matthews had held that role since January 2022. According to the …