Before Eckstein Trade & Transport (ET&T) ever pushed a barge with its own workboat, the company was pushing boundaries.
Since its founding, ET&T has specialized in barge freight logistics through vessel chartering and sourcing and transporting aggregates to job sites. ET&T, a certified woman-owned small business whose owners and employees are 100% female, has extensive experience supplying marine transportation services for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and departments of transportation projects.
Now, ET&T has passed a significant waypoint with the delivery of the company’s first newbuild, a 600-hp truckable tugboat from Diversified Marine Michigan, Holland, Mich.
“Founded in September 2022 as a brokerage-focused organization, ET&T was built on a commitment to delivering value and dependable service to our customers,” said Kasey Eckstein, president of ET&T. “Our expansion into purchasing used equipment in 2025 marked the beginning of a new chapter, culminating in the construction of our first purpose-built vessel. This investment represents more than fleet growth — it reflects our confidence in the future and our unwavering commitment to providing customers with innovative, reliable solutions that support their success. We are proud of how far we have come, and we are excited about the opportunities ahead.”
The Tarps, named after ET&T’s first employee, Taylor Tarpey, measures 25'8"x14'x5' with a draft of 3'6". The Tarps’ 600 hp comes from a pair of Cummins 6.7-liter main engines paired to Twin Disc gears with a reduction ratio of 2.88:1. The new vessel has tankage for 750 gals. of fuel, 85 gals. lube oil, 2,040 gals. ballast, and 85 gals. hydraulic oil.
From the shipyard in Holland, Mich., the Tarps went straight to work transporting riprap for shoreline placement. Eckstein said the Tarps went to work even before she and Jenna Gaudet, executive vice president and co-owner of ET&T, saw it in person.
ET&T is Eckstein and Gaudet’s second venture together. Five years before they started ET&T, Eckstein and Gaudet founded WIMOs Association (Women in Maritime Operations). What started as a New Orleans-based organization for women working in the maritime industry has since grown into an association with 475-plus member companies and more than 1,200 members in 31 U.S. states and several other countries.
