Royal Barge Fleeting To Provide Memphis Dry-Cargo Services

Royal Barge Fleeting, a sister company to Cummings Marine, is opening January 15 in Memphis, Tenn.

Located on McKellar Lake at Lower Mississippi Mile 725, Presidents Island, the business will handle dry cargo fleeting, cleaning, repairs and drydock services.

Jessica Branham is the company’s CEO. She has 10 years of experience in the river industry, beginning as a dispatcher for Heartland Barge and then working in logistics roles, primarily with aggregates. She has also spent time working in cleaning and has investigated cleaning difficult dry-cargo barges for the past three years.

Breanna Clayton, Cummings Marine’s chief operating officer, will also serve as Royal Barge Fleeting’s chief operating officer. Her background includes 10 years of service, primarily in people development. She will handle human resources, payroll, safety and compliance.

“It’s been really exciting, and I’ve learned so many new things,” Clayton said of starting the new business.

The idea for Royal Barge Fleeting came about in October following a conversation Branham had with a Cummings Marine board member that quickly turned into a business proposition. For now, Royal Barge Fleeting is operating side by side with Cummings Marine in Memphis. Royal Barge  plans to break ground on a 3,600-square-foot headquarters on President’s Island in May and to have it open by the end of the year. An equal sized shop is also being built.

“The shop will be large enough we can fit full barge covers inside so we can do temperature-controlled barge repairs,” Branham said.

The business also has a drydock.

“Once we get up and going, we plan to start with boat repairs,” Branham said. “We can already do underside repairs, of course. We’re going to start with barge repairs but then move into boat repairs as well, and we also hope to have a mobile cleaning rig so we can clean in the fleet as well.”

A total of 150 fleeting spaces are currently available, but Branham said they also hope to expand  that.

Additionally, she said, she is open to providing any services that are not currently available for those using another regional fleeting area and is interested in providing barge cover storage.

The company has hired five barge cleaners and a crew lead and expects to have an operations manager within the next two weeks. Currently team members are going through safety training and confined space training.

Until the headquarters and shop are built, Royal Barge Fleeting is operating out of a Cummings Marine shop barge on the lake. Royal Barge recently purchased the mv. Mary Patricia, a twin screw, 1,350 hp. towboat, from Borghese Lane in a sale brokered by Heartland Barge. Additionally, Cummings and Royal Barge have purchased an 18-ton crane, and Branham anticipates the purchase of a deck barge soon.

The two women are also looking into how they can integrate more into the Memphis river community. Branham said they hope to start a chapter of Women in Maritime Operations in Memphis and hope to host industry events to provide local networking opportunities. Additionally, she said, they would like to have an annual golf scramble to benefit breast cancer research.

The company website, www.royalbargefleet.com, should be active within the next few days, Branham said. Those interested in services may email royalfleetops@gmail.com.

Caption for photo: Breanna Clayton (left) and Jessica Branham are the chief operating officer and CEO, respectively, of Royal Barge Fleeting, which will handle dry-cargo fleeting, cleaning, repairs and drydock services in the Memphis, Tenn., area. The business is slated to open January 15. (Photo courtesy of Royal Barge Fleeting)