River freight company American Commercial Lines has advised the media today of an incident concerning one of the firms liquid barges on a section of the Mississippi River.

Early details indicate that the incident involved a collision with the motor vessel Tintomara at Mile Marker 97 of the Mississippi River in the New Orleans area, thus, the incident has seen sections of Lower Mississippi River from LM80 through LM99 closed while environmental assessment, containment and clean-up operations take place.

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Texas based energy company Genesis Energy has advised that the company has completed a transaction that will see the company with an interest in the marine transportation business.

Entering into a partnership with TD Marine and the Davison family of Ruston, Louisiana, the joint venture, to be known as DG Marine Transportation, acquired the inland marine transportation of Grifco Transportation.

The acquisition will enable the new venture to obtain and operate twelve barges and seven push boats, however DG Marine Transportation intend to place into service an additional eight barges and three push boats during the first quarter of 2009.

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The massive amount of flooding that has devastated parts of America’s mid west region is having an increasingly costly effect on the regions river freight industry.

More than one-hundred barges are reported to be stranded on the upper Mississippi, with those barges prevented from reaching their intended destinations by the devastating natural disaster.

Carrying cargoes of  various items from grain to fertilizer, scrap metal to cement, as well as other products, the freight barges have been forced to lay idle whilst flood waters crest and begin to recede in the region, the waters having already overtopped or broken through many of the rivers levies, flooding great swathes of the upper mid-west.

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River freight company Tidewater Holdings has announced the purchase of equipment currently operating on Washington’s Columbia Snake River system from the Foss Maritime Company.

The purchase, made up of two tug-boats and twenty barges is expected to be  completed within the next two months and according to Tidewater, is indicative of the company’s strong commitment to the Columbia Snake River
transportation system.

Tidewater President and Chief Executive Officer, Dennis McVicker said of the purchase that “we’re excited that Tidewater’s 75-year commitment and service continues to expand with added upriver equipment that will complement our current fleet and improve delivery of goods and services region-wide.”

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