Waterways Journal

At the recent International WorkBoat Show in New Orleans, Maritime Throwdown (MTD) announced a groundbreaking partnership with Texas A&M University at Galveston and the Texas A&M Maritime Academy. This first-of-its-kind …

Winter has arrived early in parts of the Upper Mississippi, Illinois and Ohio river valleys, bringing snow and ice along with more low-water issues downriver. “There’s a lot of sheet …

Ports of Indiana has hired Kent Ebbing to lead the organization’s foreign-trade zone (FTZ) initiative, aimed at growing international trade in the state. Ebbing joins Ports of Indiana as its …

Women in Maritime Operations (WIMOs) has released its annual report, noting growth domestically and internationally. The report, released November 25, covers August 1, 2024, through July 31, 2025. The organization …

David L. Fields of Calvert City, Ky., died at Mercy Health Lourdes Hospital on December 8. He was 71 years old. Fields had an extensive maritime career, ultimately serving as …

The Memphis Engineer District recently awarded three major contracts, according to a December 9 news release. The $43.9 million design-build contract to Salas O’Brien Federal LLC for the construction of …

Thirty oil companies bid a total of about $300 million for drilling rights as part of the Big Beautiful Gulf 1 (BBG1) oil and gas lease sale, the Bureau of …

A new western Kentucky riverport is one step closer to development with a vote to recommend $250,000 in funding for the West Kentucky Regional Riverport Authority in Wickliffe, Ky. The …

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has posted its final findings on the case of the mv. Dali, which struck and collapsed several spans of the Francis Scott Key Bridge …

Following the completed acquisition of Gulf Copper & Manufacturing’s shipbuilding assets by Davie Defense, Houston-based Sabine Surveyors Ltd. has announced reorganization moves aimed at strengthening the company’s position as a …

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced December 11 that Nashville, Tenn.-based Hines Furlong Line (HFL) plans to expand its current operation in McCracken County, Ky. The nearly $11 million investment will …

We Work the Waterways (WWW) hosted a maritime interaction day on the trade show floor of the International WorkBoat Show in New Orleans December 4, offering high school students an …

We’ve often highlighted the myriad opportunities awaiting young people on this nation’s waterways—not only the ability to earn a good salary without a degree, but a life of teamwork and …

We Work The Waterways, Waterways Council Inc. and The Waterways Journal recently announced the winners of the 2025 We Work The Waterways photo contest. This year’s theme was “Faces of …

Mitzi Mason, Paducah Rigging Mitzi Mason, who has served as general manager of Paducah Rigging’s Kentucky facility, is transitioning to a new role within the company. While she will continue …

The Nashville Engineer District has awarded employees who supported back-to-back repairs at Wilson and Pickwick locks with its Hedgehog Award, recognizing excellence in the performance of their duties. Nearly 50 …

Dardanelle Lock and Dam on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) reopened at 9:09 a.m. December 3 after being closed 12 days because of a tow alliding with a …

The Vacuum Oil Company was founded in Rochester, N.Y., in 1866. Standard Oil purchased the company in 1879. By 1904, it began using “Mobiloil” as a brand name for automobile …

The Wall Street Journal recently ran a feature about the urgent need for young people to staff the vessels of the revived U.S. merchant marine, which political leaders are hoping …

By the Rev. Mark Nestlehutt, President and Executive Director, The Seamen’s Church Institute December always invites pause—a chance to reflect on all that has unfolded across our industry and the …

Davie Defense—a U.S. defense shipbuilder and part of Inocea, a privately held British-based marine industrial group with operations spanning the United States, Canada and Finland—announced December 3 that it has …

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Review Council is scheduled to meet December 11 in Washington, D.C. and hold a public vote on a final draft report on possibly overhauling …

Coden, Ala.-based Master Boat Builders has announced plans to build a new $60 million, 150,000-square-foot defense- and government-focused shipbuilding facility, which will be located directly across from the company’s existing …

The mv. Sierra Dawn, operated by St. Louis-based American River Transportation Company (ARTCo), marked the closing of the navigation season on the Upper Mississippi River as it pushed the last …

Nashville, Tenn.-based Hines Furlong Line Inc. (HFL) announced December 3 that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the river division of Campbell Transportation Company (CTC). The transaction …

November 26, 2025 Setting aside customary bipartisanship, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) unveiled his own version of an Energy and Water spending bill for fiscal year (FY) 2026, an important measure …

There is much in the news these days regarding presidential or executive orders. Five score and 18 years ago (118 years), an incident occurred during a steamboat parade down the …

In just the past few years, the barge industry has had to contend with a number of unscheduled lock and dam closures, including those at Wilson Lock, Holt Lock and …

Lockport Lock, lllinois River Mile 291, is scheduled to close March 31 through May 19 next year to replace cracked pintle sockets, temporarily closing a key section of the route …

The “WOTUS wars” have been pushed out of the headlines in recent months, but on November 17, President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency announced yet another redefinition of “waters of …

Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company (GLDD) has begun mobilizing for its renourishment project at Myrtle Beach, S.C. Work will officially begin in December. The $72 million contract for the …

Port Houston’s public terminals recorded volumes in excess of 4.6 million short tons in October, up 12 percent month-over-month and 6 percent for the year. The port’s container volumes are …

The need for funding for waterways projects will take center stage during the annual meeting of the Tennessee River Valley Association and Tennessee-Cumberland Waterways Council in January. The meeting is …

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company LLC (GLDD), based in Houston, has been awarded a $14.6 million firm-fixed-price contract for construction work in Martin County, …

Crews from Crounse Corporation’s mv. Susan Robinson and Moran Towing’s mv. Mary Moran will be honored with lifesaving awards December 11 at the Seamen’s Church Institute’s 25th annual River Bell …

Hansen-Mueller Company, an Omaha-based grain merchandiser that also operates port terminal facilities, announced on November 17 that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Hansen-Mueller’s port terminals are located …

Almost a month after the United States announced a trade deal with China that included promises by China to resume buying U.S. soybeans, Reuters reported on November 21 that two …

The U.S. Board on Geographic Names may not recognize Morgan’s Landing on the Ohio River as a place, but the people at Belle of Louisville Riverboats do. When the Belle …

A long-range forecast indicating the potential for wet weather ahead means that low-water conditions could soon be improving on the Lower Mississippi. Donnie Williams, chairman of the Lower Mississippi River …

The immediate cause of the incident in Baltimore, Md., on March 26, 2024, in which the container ship Dali struck a support pier of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing …

Life aboard a towboat is governed by strict rhythms—of standing watches, of regular duties, of the river’s currents, the constraints of locks and the demands of cargo movements. Most inland …

Convent, La.-based Turn Services, a provider of barge fleeting, shifting, cleaning and repair services on the Lower Mississippi River, Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, Houston Ship Channel and Sabine-Neches Waterway, has signed …

By John R. Miller After reading the Old Boat Column about the W.C. Shepard (later known as the John Paul) in the November 17 issue of The Waterways Journal, I …

The commissioners of the Plaquemines Port Harbor and Terminal District (PPHTD), the body that oversees Plaquemines Parish’s port complex, voted to retain Charles Tillotson as executive director after another contentious …

Emory Andrew Overstreet Jr. of Bayou La Batre, Ala., passed away at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., on September 18. He was 68 years old. Overstreet worked for more …

The Nashville Bridge Company, Nashville, Tenn., has long been renowned as a builder of stylish vessels that provided their owners with many years of service. Nashville Bridge, known as simply …

Marquette Transportation Company has announced the renaming of three of its towboats. The mv. John Paul Eckstein, a 9,300 hp. vessel built in 1997, is being renamed the mv. Marquette …

Harvey, La.-based Dawn Services recently announced the addition of the mv. Capt. John J. Charpentier to its fleet. Built in 2003, the tugboat originally worked on the West Coast. Dawn …

Employees, customers and four generations of the Lowros family gathered November 13 at Parker Towing Company’s headquarters in Northport, Ala., to christen the mv. Tony Lowros, a 1,200 hp. towboat …

CT Marine of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and the Seamen’s Church Institute’s Center for Maritime Education (CME) have entered into a proprietary information agreement to securely share technical and operational data …