We’re proud to announce that all CBC boats have been re-examined by the U.S. Coast Guard under their Uninspected Towing Vessel (UTV) Examination Programs and received decals indicating that they are compliant with Coast Guard regulations. All boats had been issued decals three years ago but they expired this year and so were required to be re-examined. While this program is voluntary, it is important to both CBC and our customers that our boats have up-to-date decals indicating that they are compliant with regulations. The examinations are part of the Towing Vessel Bridging Program, which is a joint program between the towing industry and the Coast Guard to prepare vessels to comply with the forthcoming Subchapter M regulation.

Our success is thanks to the hard work of Assistant Port Captain Daryl Wheeler and all of our Captains. Daryl’s working with the boats and scheduling the exams at a convenient time for each boat and good working relationship with local Coast Guard examiners allowed us to finish all but one boat ahead of schedule (the last boat was delayed by the government shutdown at the beginning of October). We’re proud to say that, even with that delay, we were still the first of the major towing vessel companies to have our entire fleet be re-examined.

Canal Barge Company has experienced a steady pace of growth over the last decade and our Operations Headquarters, located in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, has become increasingly important to the management of our daily operations as well as interaction with our valued customers and vendors. We are proud to announce the completion of some major improvements to our Operations Headquarters including painting the full exterior, renovating the main conference room and restrooms, and installing a new office trailer to provide additional meeting space and offices as our employee base continues to expand. A special thanks to Keith Cavanagh, CBC Buyer/Warehouse Supervisor, for managing the vendors and the workflow to minimize disruption to CBC’s business. Below is a photo of the repainted office complete with new a Canal Barge sign.

We are watching Tropical Storm Karen in the Gulf of Mexico and making active preparations according to our Storm Preparedness and Response Plan to protect our people, equipment and facilities and to continue our operations as normally as possible over the weekend. As of this point, please continue to use your normal means of contacting Canal Barge Company. If conditions change in the New Orleans area, we will post further guidance on alternate contact information or other messages.

Please stay safe and ensure that you and your family are in a safe place with proper provisions for the storm. As always, CBC’s priority is the safety of our people, our equipment, our customers’ cargoes, and the environment.