MIW building 4 towboats for Kirby

Main Iron Works of Houma, La., is building four new 2,680-hp inland towboats for Kirby Inland Marine, headquartered in Houston but with a river operations division in Baton Rouge, La. Work on the 88-foot vessels have begun. Delivery is scheduled for August, October, and December. Designed by Sterling Marine of Fairhope, Ala., with 9-foot drafts, the vessels will be twin propeller conventional towboats. The boats will be used in the transportation of a variety of petrochemicals, refined products, oils and liquid fertilizers. (Source: Work Boat 04/12/18) Kirby Inland Marine operates the nation’s largest fleet of inland tank barges and towing vessels. Kirby’s service area spans America’s inland waterway network: Gulf Intracoastal Waterway; and Mississippi, Illinois and Ohio rivers.