Kirby buys Cenac Marine’s fleet

Kirby Corp. of Houston announced Jan. 31 that it will be purchasing the fleet of Cenac Marine Services of Houma, La., for about $244M. The deal is to be financed through borrowings, and is expected to close late this quarter. Cenac’s fleet consists of 63 30,000-bbl inland tank barges with about 1.9M bbls of capacity, 34 inland towboats, and two 3,200-hp offshore tugs. Cenac moves petrochemicals, refined products, and black oil, including crude oil, residual fuels, feed stocks and lubricants on the Lower Mississippi River, its tributaries, and Gulf Intracoastal Waterway for major oil companies and refineries. Cenac said the deal will “enhance its marine construction operations by focusing on its best in-class shipyard at Main Iron Works. Cenac’s marine employees, from deckhands to captains, will be offered jobs by Kirby and the vessels they man will continue serving current routes. Cenac Marine will remain headquartered in Houma. Kirby will occupy an on-site suite at Cenac HQ. (Source: Work Boat 01/31/19) Kirby operates the largest inland and offshore tank barge fleets in the United States, and has river operation centers at Baton Rouge, La., and Greenville, Miss.