Barnes Marine Service Invests In New Warehouse

After close to 10 years in business, Barnes Marine Service has invested in a new warehouse at 1201 N. 6th St. in Paducah, Ky.

The 16,600-square-foot facility represents a major expansion from the company’s current footprint.

“It’s a huge upgrade,” said Larry Barnes, president and owner of Barnes Marine Service. “That’s about a 4,000-square-foot building we’re in, so we were crammed for space and tripping over everything. This has opened things up. It’ll make it better to serve our customers and enhance our mobility and what we can do for the river industry.”

Barnes Marine Service will continue using its current warehouse at 501 Louisiana St., also in Paducah, for additional storage, Barnes said.

The new site also offers quicker access to the Ohio River. The warehouse is located across the street from the Ohio River Boat Launch, which Barnes said will be an advantage for local launches in the Paducah area.

While the company’s work is largely mobile — providing deliveries to areas along the Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee and Cumberland rivers in Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri — Barnes said improved proximity to the water will help streamline response time for nearby calls.

Barnes Marine Service delivers groceries, supplies and equipment to towboats throughout the region. A central part of the company’s growth, Barnes said, is its warehousing service, where marine operators can ship items to the facility for storage and later delivery.

“We have boat companies in this area — throughout the country, really — that ship their supplies here,” Barnes said. “It makes it convenient for the boat companies when they need something shipped here. It could be a freezer, refrigerator, power pack for an engine, parts and cleaning supplies, deck supplies, lock lines, leaving lines — everything that a towboat is going to use can all be warehoused right here.”

Barnes said upgraded facilities will help the company keep pace with changing conditions on the rivers and continue meeting demand in its niche. One of the most noticeable shifts in recent years, he said, has been adapting to low-water conditions and reaching towboats impacted by those constraints.

“Anytime you’re on the Mississippi River, a lot of those boat ramps in those areas are just unapproachable,” Barnes said. “There’s no water on the ramps. The concrete needs to be pushed on out in the river, so to speak, where you can launch your boats and vessels. There have been some communities, as of late, that have worked on their ramps, but there’s still several out there. It’s pretty drastic. It’s made an impact. A normal launch would take you running one, two, three miles, and now it takes you about 20 miles sometimes one way.”

Low water levels and drought conditions have added stress on the towing industry, Barnes said, forcing reductions in draft and tow sizes. Inclement weather also remains a challenge, he said. Barnes Marine Service continued operating through recent winter storms without slowing down, Barnes said, with company team members sometimes having to clear boat ramps themselves to complete deliveries.

Barnes said he believes the river industry has an outsized impact on Paducah and McCracken County, and he expects the expanded warehousing capacity to position the company well as regional river commerce grows. He pointed to ongoing efforts tied to riverport development, including work to establish a Riverport Authority West at the Triple Rail Site in addition to the existing Paducah-McCracken County Riverport Authority.

Featured image caption: A view of Barnes Marine Service’s new warehouse, located just across the levee from the Ohio River Boat Launch in Paducah, Ky. (Photo courtesy of Barnes Marine Service)