At Canal Barge Company, we know that confidence starts with good people. On June 3, 2010, the Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA) honored the U.S. maritime industry for safe marine operations at the Annual Safety Awards Luncheon held at the Hilton New Orleans, Riverside. Jones F. Devlin Awards are given to vessels that have operated for at least two years without a lost-time injury.

A total of 20 CBC towboats, including an Illinois Marine Towing vessel, earned 2009 Jones F. Devlin honors, two of which have operated 14 consecutive years without a lost-time injury. Canal Barge is proud of our exceptional crews for continuing to demonstrate our strong commitment to safety and environmental stewardship.

MV ELIZABETH HUGER – 14 years
MV ELIZABETH LANE – 14 years
MV NED MERRICK – 11 years
MV SUSAN L. STALL – 8 years
MV CHOCTAW – 8 years
MV COUSHATTA – 8 years
MV LIBERTY – 8 years
MV SPIRIT – 8 years
MV LYDIA CAMPBELL – 6 years
MV MARY LUCY LANE – 6 years
MV CAROLINE – 4 years
MV MARIAN HAGESTAD – 4 years
MV ELLY LANE – 3 years
MV HAMILTON – 3 years
MV INTEGRITY – 3 years
MV JOSEPH M. JONES – 3 years
MV LAKE CHARLES – 3 years
MV MARY C. – 3 years (IMT vessel)
MV BULL CALF – 2 years
MV KILLIAN L. HUGER – 2 years

Canal Barge Company recently received recognition from two publications about our importance to the economy of New Orleans and South Louisiana.  ‘New Orleans CityBusiness’ listed CBC as #8 in its annual ‘Top 100 Private Companies’ in the New Orleans area (based on revenue). Canal Barge has continued to move higher in this annual listing as we have grown our operations over the years. 

’10/12′ magazine, a publication that features news and profiles of businesses and businesspeople along the Interstate 10 & Interstate 12 corridor (encompassing southern Louisiana, including the New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Lake Charles metro areas), listed CBC as one of ’50 Companies We Can’t Do Without’ in its May 2010 issue.  Selection criteria was based on: “1) important because of their national or global footprint, 2) notable for innovation, 3) good corporate citizens, and/or 4) critical to key industries, be they the bedrock industries we depend on today or the high-growth industries we hope to build in the future.”

Canal Barge is pleased to receive this external recognition, which we believe is an outgrowth of our long-term vision,  consistent management, and focus on our strategy.

At Canal Barge we know that confidence starts with safety and environmental responsibility. On November 11, 2009, the Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA) honored U.S. maritime industry ships, tugs and towboats for operating consecutive 2+ years without a fuel spill. We are proud to announce that 14 of our vessels received 2009 Environmental Achievement Awards. Congratulations to the dedicated crews of our vessels being honored with this award for continuing to demonstrate Canal Barge’s commitment to safety and environmental stewardship.

MV CAROLINE – 10 years
MV ELIZABETH LANE – 10 years
MV MARIAN HAGESTAD – 10 years
MV MARY LUCY LANE – 10 years
MV MERRICK JONES – 10 years
MV NED MERRICK – 10 years
MV BULL CALF – 8 years
MV HAMILTON – 8 years
MV LUKE BURTON – 5 years
MV SUSAN L. STALL – 5 years
MV KILLIAN L. HUGER – 4 years
MV LYDIA CAMPBELL – 4 years
MV ELLY LANE – 3 years
MV ELIZABETH HUGER – 2 years

H. Merritt Lane III, President and CEO of Canal Barge, has been named 2009 Maritime Person of the Year by the Propeller Club of New Orleans. Merritt Lane will be honored at a dinner on Oct. 1 at the Plimsoll Club in the World Trade Center, 2 Canal St., New Orleans.

This is a significant honor, and the Canal Barge family is proud of Merritt for earning this industry recognition.

Canal Barge Company was recognized by Inc. 500|5000 magazine as one of The Fastest-Growing Private Companies for 2009. Canal Barge was ranked 3,404 out of 5,000 private companies nationally.

The list measures revenue growth from 2005 through 2008. This is the first year Canal Barge has been recognized on this list and is proud to show growth based on good management decisions.

On September 23, 2009, ConocoPhillips honored Canal Barge Company as their 2009 Outstanding Carrier of the Year at the first-annual Conoco Carrier Conference in Houston, TX.

ConocoPhillips has been a valued customer of CBC for 20 years, and our relationship is bigger and stronger than ever. ConocoPhillips maintains regular business across all of CBC’s lines of operations.

This award recognizes Canal Barge’s service, people, flexibility, reliability, and commitment to safety and the environment. Canal Barge Company is honored to receive this recognition.

Click here to view the award

The Young Leadership Council of New Orleans (YLC) annually highlights 25 members of the community and on August 15, 2009 Merritt Lane, President and CEO of Canal Barge, was honored as a 2009 YLC Role Model.

Honorees distinguish themselves by promoting a desire to enhance the quality of life; striving to unite our community for its future prosperity; serving as a role model to young talent; and taking a leadership role in the community.

Some of the organizations Merritt is actively involved include the New Orleans-area Business Council, Idea Village and Baptist Community Ministries.

At Canal Barge Company, we know that confidence starts with good people. On June 4, 2009, the Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA) honored the U.S. maritime industry for safe marine operations at the Annual Safety Awards Luncheon held at the Hilton Houston North Hotel. Jones F. Devlin Awards are given to vessels that have operated for at least two years without a lost-time injury. A total of 17 CBC towboats earned 2008 Jones F. Devlin honors, including two of which have operated 13 consecutive years without a lost-time injury. Canal Barge is proud of our exceptional crews for continuing to demonstrate our strong commitment to safety and environmental stewardship.

MV ELIZABETH HUGER – 13 years
MV ELIZABETH LANE – 13 years
MV NED MERRICK – 10 years
MV SUSAN L. STALL – 9 years
MV CHOCTAW – 7 years
MV COUSHATTA – 7 years
MV LIBERTY – 7 years
MV SPIRIT – 7 years
MV LYDIA CAMPBELL – 5 years
MV MARY LUCY LANE – 5 years
MV CAROLINE – 3 years
MV MARIAN HAGESTAD – 3 years
MV ELLY LANE – 2 years
MV HAMILTON – 2 years
MV INTEGRITY – 2 years
MV JOSEPH M. JONES – 2 years
MV LAKE CHARLES – 2 years

The Texas Transportation Institute’s Center for Ports and Waterways conducted a study titled “A Modal Comparison of Domestic Freight Transportation Effects on the General Public” comparing the various effects of barge, rail and truck transportation on the general public. This research provides a useful comparison of transportation methods by cargo capacity, congestion issues, emissions statistics, energy efficiency, safety impacts and infrastructure impacts. Click the link below to download a presentation of the study’s findings or visit WaterwaysCouncil.org to view the complete study.
Download TTI Presentation

On May 20, 2009 the Canal Barge Company management team received the Association of Corporate Growth Louisiana Chapter’s Deal Maker of the Year Award for the smooth and successful acquisitions of Illinois Marine Towing Company in the fall of 2008 and the inland marine assets of ConocoPhillips in the fall of 2007.

“With so much focus on the boom/bubble industries, it’s great to see a smart, solid, well-manage company like Canal Barge rewarded for its performance even though it operates in a traditional industry,” commented Bill Hines of Jones Walker. “The good decisions by Canal Barge management over the last 10 years put them in position to take advantage of these two major opportunities right on top of one another. With other companies struggling in a weak economy, 2008 turned out to be a dramatic growth year for Canal Barge.”