Déjà vu, Or Maybe “Who’s on First”
Rivermen on the Upper Ohio were scratching their heads somewhat over some recent interesting vessel name changes. In order to tell which was which, it was almost like the old ballgame adage: “You can’t tell the players without a program.”
This little saga began back in March when it was noted that the towboat Catlettsburg of Marathon Petroleum had been sold to Excell Marine Corporation of Cincinnati and renamed Rick Hay. That is straight forward and non-confusing. Then, last week another towboat named Catlettsburg made a first trip into the upper reaches of the Ohio valley. Documentation details available online indicated that this was formerly the David Goin of Florida Marine and was now owned by Hardin Street Marine (Marathon).
The head scratching began as this boat was on the downbound leg of the trip. Above Parkersburg, W.Va. a photo was taken of it passing Florida Marine’s Eric Livingston, which was tied up at Neale’s Fleet awaiting dock space. By the time the Florida Marine boat departed southbound several hours later, though, it was sporting nameboards proclaiming it to be the David Goin.
In order to keep up with all the name changes of vessels these days, one needs the latest edition of the Inland River Record and must also pay very close attention.
The Rick Hay, formerly Catlettsburg, was built by Greenville Shipbuilding in 1971 as the David McAlister for McAlister Construction Company of Memphis, Tenn. It is 111 feet by 30 feet and has 3,200 hp. from a pair of GM 16-567BC engines. It was later owned by RECO Transportation, then was sold in 2003 to Tri-River Fleeting & Harbor Service, Bethel Park, Pa., where it was renamed Phil Mossesso. It was then sold to Marathon and renamed Catlettsburg in 2005.
The boat now named Catlettsburg was built in 2019 by Steiner Shipyard of Bayou La Batre, Ala., as the David Goin for Florida Marine. That vessel measures 100 feet by 34 feet and has 3,200 hp. from two MTU 12V4000 M54 Tier III engines. This boat was very recently acquired by Marathon and renamed.
The vessel recently renamed David Goin was built in 2022 at Steiner Construction, also in Bayou La Batre, and named Eric Livingston. The hull size is 120 feet by 34 feet, and it is rated 3,400 hp. from two Mitsubishi S16R Tier III engines. The 2025 Inland River Record has it listed as owned by Maritime Partners LLC of Metairie, La., and operated by Florida Marine Transporters Inc. of Mandeville, La.
Featured image caption: The former David Goin, recently renamed Catlettsburg, is in the background. In the foreground is the Eric Livingston, which would be renamed David Goin within hours of the picture being taken. (Photo by Capt. C.R. Neale)
