Parker Towing Company Expands Barge, Boat Fleets

Parker Towing Company is focusing on growing its diverse business lines while reinvesting in its fleet of vessels and hopper barges and positioning itself for future demand.

Last year, the company, headquartered in Northport, Ala., added 20 12-foot hopper barges to its fleet, said Jeremy Headley, the company’s vice president of sales. The barges are purpose-built for smaller rivers, including the Black Warrior, Tombigbee and Tennessee, and expected primarily to handle metallurgical coal shipments. For 2026, the company has ordered 30 13-foot covered hopper barges for long-haul operations, Headley said. They are expected to be used primarily for grain shipments.

Additionally, Parker Towing will add two new 30,000-barrel tank barges this year.

“It’s not only reinvestment in our existing fleet but also to allow growth and diversity in our business lines,” he said.

All the barges are being built by Arcosa and are part of Parker Towing Company’s investment in its fleet of roughly 450 hopper barges. With its barges averaging seven to eight years old, the company maintains one of the newest barge fleets in the industry, Headley said.

The company also has three boats under construction to add to its fleet of nearly 40 motor vessels, which include line-haul boats, shift boats and red-flag operations, ranging from 700 hp. to 4,600 hp. While its red-flag unit tows tend to operate throughout the system, Parker Towing’s primary geographic focus is on the Tennessee River and areas farther south, including the Cumberland, Black Warrior, Tennesee-Tombigbee Waterway and Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.

The first of two 1,400-horsepower, twin-screw shift boats from Serodino is expected to be delivered in the second quarter of the year, Headley said. The second one is scheduled to arrive in the fourth quarter.

Last fall, Parker Towing took delivery of the 2,600 hp. mv. Parker Ray Phillips, built by Steiner Construction Company. The boat is named after the 13-year-old eldest son of Alison and Jared Phillips. Alison is director of communications, and Jared is vice president of information services for Parker Towing.

Headley said the investments in its fleet are designed to increase capacity while continuing to ensure reliability, safety and service, both for Parker Towing Company’s existing customers and new ones.

The company has also added to its terminal operations in recent years. Its Nashville Marine Terminal at Cumberland River Mile 164 in Ashland City, Tenn., began operations in July 2023, said Will Sledge, director of ports and terminals.

The terminal currently employs six people and offers a general cargo dock and 25,000 square feet of warehouse space with an overhead crane. Steel coil storage and distribution have been the primary business for the terminal, Sledge said.

Nashville Marine Terminal also has roughly 10 acres of laydown yard for bulk products and steel plate storage, with additional space available for future expansion. A 275-ton crane on site can handle heavy steel coils or plate unloading.

Parker Towing Company also operates terminals in Chattanooga, Tenn., and in Alabama at Decatur, Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and Pickensville. Typical cargo movements include steel, metallurgical coal, grain, aggregates and petroleum products.

Featured image caption: One of 20 12-foot hopper barges Parker Towing ordered last year from Arcosa slips into the river in October. Parker Towing Company has ordered 30 13-foot covered hopper barges from Arcosa this year. (Photo courtesy of Arcosa)