Canal Barge Company, Inc.

Let’s take a moment to remember and honor the incredible bravery of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Their spirit lives on in our freedoms, reminding us to cherish each day and face every challenge with confidence. We are grateful for their sacrifice.

Illinois Marine Towing Blesses New Drydock - The Waterways Journal Illinois Marine Towing recently celebrated the blessing of the new state-of-the-art drydock Atlas and the new towboat Midwest Challenger.

To all mothers who continually make the difference in our lives, happy Mother’s Day!

We would like to highlight a very special woman of the Canal Barge family, Caroline Elizabeth Merrick Jones, mother to Canal Barge Company founder, Joseph Merrick Jones and namesake for the MV Caroline.

Mrs. Jones was a strong and dedicated woman with remarkable drive through her community activism and fight for women’s suffrage in the late 1800s. Her exemplary leadership, passion, and care for those around her are an inspiration and exemplary of all the strong and caring mothers around us!

Our Vessel Officer Workshop series has wrapped up for the year! Here is a look into all three workshops held over the last three months.

The vessel officer and shoreside teams joined together to discuss and collaborate on important operational objectives including safety, precise barge inspections, towing system optimization, and crew development. We are extremely grateful for our time together connecting, learning, and celebrating our milestones with one another!

Thank you to the The National WWII Museum for the opportunity to visit and have an up-close look at PT-305 in her permanent home on the museum’s campus as a part of our workshops. We are honored to have played a role in transporting this important piece of U.S. history to its current location for all who visit the museum.

Thank you to all vessel officers across the Canal Barge Company fleet and your families for making the 2024 Vessel Officer Workshop series a success. We look forward to a safe and outstanding remainder of 2024!

A tremendous congratulations to the crew aboard M/V Hallie M. Merrick for receiving the American Waterways Operators Honor & Excellence in Rescue Operations (HERO) Award! The following is a detailed record of the crew’s courageous action that awarded them AWO’s recognition.

“In the very early morning hours of Monday, November 20, 2023, the crew of M/V Hallie M. Merrick executed a rescue and marine firefighting operation while in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

M/V Hallie M. Merrick began the morning loading a barge when they heard a loud explosion from a passing Pilot boat trailing an ATB. The Pilot boat emerged in flames and the crew member on the Pilot boat jumped into the water. M/V Hallie M. Merrick Pilot Emil Whitis (not pictured) sounded the vessel general alarm and Tankerman Corey Rogers (second from left) shut down the barge transfer. The M/V Hallie M. Merrick crew turned loose from dock and proceeded towards the engulfed Pilot boat, carefully maneuvering towards the man overboard in the water. Tankerman Rodgers and Tankerman Trainee Kadeem Coffey (first from left) assisted the man from the water and verified that he was uninjured and lucid.

With Captain Mark Mier (fourth from left) now at the helm, M/V Hallie M. Merrick then proceeded to address the continuing fire on the Pilot boat. The crew exercised their firefighting training through mobilizing the port side fire hoses and the large ABC fire extinguisher. The crew extinguished the flames, secured the Pilot boat alongside, and towed it back to the Pilot Station dock.

The quick and decisive action by the crewmembers of M/V Hallie M. Merrick led to the speedy rescue of a fellow mariner from the waterway, avoidance of an environmental incident, and the minimization of damage to property because of their firefighting efforts.”

AWO Senior Vice President - Regional Advocacy Lynn Muench is pictured awarding the HERO Award to the M/V Hallie M. Merrick crew (from left Tankerman Trainee Kadeem Coffey, Tankerman Corey Rogers, Captain Mark Mier, Tankineer Gary Bush, and Pilot Emil Whitis - not pictured).

If you're looking for a career with competitive pay, advancement opportunities, comprehensive benefits, and steady hours...then IMT is the place for you!
Apply today at www.imtowing.com/careers

**As of Tuesday 1/16 @ 8:00 am, this event is still scheduled to take place.**

Attention Avoyelles Parish, Canal Barge Company will have recruiters in your area on January 17, 2024.

We are excited to share information about the career opportunities on the river!

Happy holidays and merry Christmas from the Canal Barge Company family!

To the deckhands, engineers, pilots, cooks, dispatchers, captains, and tankermen on board our vessels, in the office, and in the field, thank you for your steadfast commitment and unwavering dedication especially throughout this holiday season.

Enjoy some of the holiday cheer from our teams aboard M/V Susan L Stall, M/V Killian L Huger, M/V Mary Lucy Lane, M/V Walter Hagestad, M/V Sally Lapeyre and from the Illinois Marine Towing, Canal Terminal Company, and Canal Analytical & Environmental Services team!

As we begin celebrating our 90th year, read up on one of the first vessels in the fleet that helped start it all!

Thank you to The Waterways Journal for the great article on the first M/V Bull Calf.

The Bull Calf Was One Of The Most Innovative Towboats - The Waterways Journal One of the most significant towboats built during the 1930s was the Bull Calf, a somewhat obscure small boat crafted by Nabrico in 1939.

“Today is a very proud day for all members of the CBC Family – past and present – as we celebrate Canal Barge Company’s founding 90 years ago.

I am certain that our founders would be amazed to learn about all that CBC has accomplished over the years and pleased to see how constant we have been in our commitment to excellence.

People have always made the difference at CBC and will continue to do so into the future.”

Merritt Lane
President & CEO
Canal Barge Company

Thanksgiving is a time to be with our loved ones and to remember and give thanks for the many blessings we have received throughout this year.
 
For those aboard our vessels, in the field, and in the office who are unable to be with their loved ones on this day, we gratefully acknowledge your service and sacrifice. You, your work, and your commitment to your craft are what keep America moving.
 
To the families and loved ones at home of our mariners and employees who support them daily, we extend our utmost gratitude. You are who keep us moving.
 
Have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Today we recognize and honor all who have served our nation. 
 
While we take this day to celebrate the men and women who have served, we would like to highlight military veterans throughout our CBC family, particularly our own Frank Golemi. As 1st Lieutenant pilot within the 76th Troop Carrier Squadron, 435th Troop Carrier Group, USAAF, Frank flew C-47 transport paratroopers behind enemy lines during the Normandy Invasion of World War II. For over seven decades Mr. Frank, as he became known throughout the office, dedicated his hard work and ingenuity to the CBC family and mission. In 2014 CBC christened M/V Frank Golemi in his honor. Four years later Mr. Frank passed away at the grand age of 96 and remains a pillar within the CBC family.
 
To all military veterans, we are forever in gratitude for your service. Thank you!

Get to know our CBC Northern Operations Vice-President and Illinois Marine Towing President Del Wilkins in one of this month's latest episodes of The Between the Levees Podcast!

S1:E92 | Del Wilkins | VP Northern Operations (Canal Barge) Born in industrial Pittsburgh, Del Wilkins grew up to join the ranks of Dravo Corporation as a 3rd-generation employee. We discuss the origins of his family...

📣 GOOD NEWS!! 📣

After a 120-day closure for the 2023 Illinois Waterway Consolidated Closures, the locks at Brandon Road, Dresden Island and Marseilles have reopened to navigation! Here you can see several tows being the first to lock through Dresden Island the evening of October 1.

This scheduled major rehabilitation and maintenance period was critical to maintaining reliable navigation and avoid unscheduled long-duration closures on the Illinois Waterway.

Albertville, Alabama will be our next stop on Thursday, September 21st. CBC representatives will be at Legends Restaurant to speak with prospective employees. If you have any questions regarding this event, please call 504-581-2424.

Canal Barge Company will be in Savannah, Tennessee on Wednesday, September 20th. Come out and speak with CBC representatives regarding a career on the river. Please call 504-581-2424 with any questions regarding the event.

This week we welcomed our fourth and final group of Vessel Officers and their families to New Orleans. We completed this year's VOW series with a number of presentations and exercises to help us touch base with our safety and other technology systems.

Thank you to all pilots, captains and engineers and your families for your input in another successful VOW! We are extremely grateful for our time together this year and to connect with each other directly in person.

We cannot wait to see you again next year!

We're looking to add to our team at Canal Terminal Company. If you are interested or know anyone that would be interested, please direct them to our job board at www.canalbarge.com/careers or call us at 815-207-2655.

This week we welcomed our third group of over 50 vessel officers and their families to New Orleans for our Vessel Officer Workshop to take part in a number of exercises ranging from technology systems and safety to personal and professional development!

We are extremely thankful to have this time together to learn and grow with each other. Thank you to all pilots, captains and engineers and your families for your input and making this VOW another success!

Also, thank you to Senior Chaplain Thomas Rhoades and Director Phil Schifflin of The Seamen's Church Institute for stopping by and highlighting the importance of mental health and wellness both on the job and at home for the vessel officers and their families.

Stop. Assess. Focus. Execute.

These are the four pillars of what it means to be S.A.F.E. Engineer Jacob Frith aboard M/V Eugenie P. Jones demonstrated the Courage to Care by teaching S.A.F.E. practices on board to deckhands when performing locking operations. Jacob's attentiveness and measured approach in assuring everyone's safety onboard is a key step forward in our pursuit of Goal Zero.

Thank you Jacob!

Wishing you a very safe and happy Fourth of July!

Thank you to every deckhand, engineer, pilot, cook, dispatcher, captain, and tankerman for keeping the United States of America moving on her 247th birthday!

This week we welcomed our second group of over 40 Vessel Officers and their families to New Orleans to participate in a number of safety, technology systems, and teambuilding exercises. The officers also participated in a townhall meeting with CBC President and CEO Merritt Lane and had the opportunity to directly engage with multiple shoreside resources. Thank you to all officers and your families for making this another productive and rewarding workshop!

Exercising Stop Work Obligation in the field demonstrates the ultimate Courage to Care. Upon M/V Spirit's arrival at dock and tying off their barges in their designated spaces, Captain Ben Gray and Tankerman Joshua Clark promptly notified the dock personnel that the barge and ship configuration at dock prohibited safe tankermen access for one of their barges.

The two men prudently enforced Stop Work Obligation effectively convincing the dock personnel to correct the unsafe working conditions. Captain Ben and Joshua's Courage to Care contributed to the M/V Spirit's 21 years of service with no lost time incidents and furthered our company mission towards Goal Zero.
 
Thank you Captain Ben and Joshua for your Courage to Care!

Congratulations to the crew aboard M/V Bill Atkinson, the Safety Acheivement Award Winner for 2022 named at this year's Chamber of Shipping of America's Safety Awards Luncheon!

The crew was recognized for their heroic and life-saving MOB rescue last summer. Vessel crews across the Canal Barge Company and Illinois Marine Towing fleets were also recognized for over 200 years of combined service without any lost time incidents.

Thank you for your dedication to safety and your Courage to Care!

Much of our area of operations this weekend is under an excessive heat warning with heat index values up to 114°F. Be sure to stay S.A.F.E. (Stop, Assess, Focus, and Execute) in doing any outdoor activities and follow these tips in safely operating under hot weather conditions:

1. Stay Hydrated
- Drink at least 16 ounces of water prior to working and continue to drink water frequently through your watch
-Avoid liquids that can dehydrate you such as: tea, coffee, soda/sugary drinks
-Use a damp rag to wipe your face or put around your neck to keep yourself cool

2. Protect your skin
-Always apply sunscreen prior to going out into the sun to avoid sunburn
-Wear a hat
-Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing

3. Pace yourself
-If possible, schedule strenuous activities until a few days into your hitch to help your body build tolerance
-Slow down and work at an even pace
-Know your own limits and ability to work safely working as a team
-Schedule short breaks for rest and water in a shaded or cool area

Pictured: M/V H. Merritt "Heavy" Lane, Jr. Crew

Careers We can draw a direct line from engaged employees to satisfied customers to long-term, mutually beneficial relationships. At Illinois Marine Towing, our people make the difference and they know it.

Be sure to read the most recent volume of The Seamen's Church Institute's The Lookout for an "At the Helm" interview with CBC President and CEO Merritt Lane!

This volume also highlights the important work that SCI accomplishes daily in supporting the men and women of the maritime industry!

Our Spring 2023 Lookout Magazine is online! Pastoral Care, Training, Online Learning, and Advocacy...Read more about how SCI is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of and . http://seamenschurch.org/lookout-6-23