Middle River Marine, an Ozinga company, christened two towboats — the Gwyneth Anne and Kamryn Olivia — on Aug. 21 in Joliet, Ill. Middle River Marine is Ozinga’s harbor and fleeting company and the boats were christened as part of Ozinga’s 90th anniversary celebration.
Ozinga is a fourth-generation family-owned U.S. business in the construction materials and logistics industry. The company provides concrete, aggregate materials, and energy solutions in multiple states through a fleet of barges, boats, rail, and its iconic red and white stripped concrete mixers.
The 65'x28'x9' Gwyneth Anne is the fleet’s fifth boat, delivered in 2017. Built at Jeffersonville, Ind.-based Marine Builders Inc., Gwyneth Anne’s main propulsion comes from two Cummins QSK19-M diesel engines, producing a total of 1,325 hp. The boat features a 32' retractable pilothouse, brick flooring, granite countertops and three sleeping quarters.
Middle River Marine took delivery of the 80'x30'x9' Kamryn Olivia in January of this year. Ozinga photo
Steiner Shipyard, Bayou La Batre, Ala., delivered the 80'x30'x9' towboat Kamryn Olivia in January 2018. The vessel has a retractable-pilothouse with Z-drives from ZF Marine connected to twin Cummins QSK-38 diesel engines providing a total of 2,000 hp.
The Gwyneth Anne and Kamryn Olivia — named after Ozinga’s fifth-generation daughters — join the Alivia Faith, Elyse Noelle, Mikayla Skye, and Sydney Reese on Chicago area waterways. These boats help Ozinga’s materials and logistics team facilitate transportation from Peoria, Ill., to Chicago.
Middle River Marine offers harbor and fleeting services and has locations at a network of river-based terminals. Earlier this year, Ozinga facilitated the demolition of the old Morton Salt building on Wacker Drive in Chicago, utilizing 11 barges to recycle 16,592 tons of material. These barges, equivalent to 668 semi-trucks, eliminated roadway traffic for more efficient and environmentally friendly transportation. In 2017, Ozinga hauled 1,563 barges, reducing Illinois road congestion by 90,168 semi-trucks, company officials said.
