After reopening its idle barge manufacturing operations earlier this year, Arcosa Marine’s Madisonville, La., facility launched its first barge on July 25. The 297.5'x54'x12', 30,000-bbl. tank barge E2MS 314 was built for E Squared Marine Service LLC, Houston.
Arcosa Marine has built several barges for E Squared since its founding in 2012. The E2MS 314 is the first of two additional 30,000-bbl. tank barges Arcosa will deliver to company. Both liquid product barges were scheduled to be delivered to the fleet in August. New Orleans-based Harbor Towing & Fleeting picked up the first barge on Aug. 23 and moved it to the Mississippi River where it began moving product.
“We are honored by E Squared’s continued trust in Arcosa Marine to deliver the highest quality inland barges to their fleet,” Arcosa Inc. President Thomas Faherty said at the launch. “As we celebrate this momentous launch, on behalf of Arcosa Marine I want to personally thank the employees that returned to the Madisonville shipyard along with the new hires to pick up the torch and keep the tradition of over 80 years of shipbuilding at this facility going strong. About half of the current workforce returned from working at the yard previously.”
Arcosa made a capital investment to reopen the facility due to favorable conditions in the barge construction industry for multiple barge types including tank, hopper, and deck barges. The investment allowed for Arcosa to pursue highly skilled workers to fill high-quality jobs in the region, the company said. Arcosa Marine's construction backlog at Madisonville extends into 2020.
Arcosa Marine is a leading manufacturer of barges for inland waterways. It operates within the Transportation Products Group, one of three principal business segments for Arcosa Inc., which also includes the Construction Products Group and the Energy Equipment Group.
