2026 IMX Offers Packed Agenda
Barge industry leaders, ports, vendors and customers are getting ready to converge in Nashville, Tenn., once again for the annual Inland Marine Expo (IMX) May 27– 29. It’s an event that has continued to grow since it was launched in 2014.
Attendees can learn about the latest products and services offered to vessels and shoreside facilities on the tradeshow floor, which is an opportunity to interact with the suppliers they depend on for support year-round. Attendees and exhibitors can share best practices, learn and build connections with peers at networking opportunities and at the lunch provided on the tradeshow floor. Exhibitors can form partnerships with other suppliers and manufacturers. IMX is both a buyer and supplier show.
All are also welcome to take advantage of an ever-improving educational lineup that is supported by industry leaders and industry-led organizations that have an eye on present-day solutions and preparing for an even stronger future. Choosing which panels and presentations to attend in person may be a challenge! Some panels and presentations will be given in pairs in “port” and “starboard” presentation rooms. The topics covered, organized under headings like “workforce development,” “safety,” “cybersecurity,” “compliance,” “ports and terminals,” “shipyards” and “funding and finance,” will appeal to many interests and give a broad overview of the issues and concerns that industry leaders are focused on.
Maritime Throwdown
The opening evening features competition and demonstrations by Maritime Throwdown, always an eagerly anticipated highlight of the event. Since the very first Maritime Throwdown held in 2017 by Capt. Kenny Brown, a licensed towboat captain with extensive deckhand experience, it has grown and evolved. Starting as an individual effort to demonstrate towboating deck skills in friendly competition, today Maritime Throwdown is an organized industrial-skills competition and training program. It emphasizes real-world line-handling, throwing, knot-tying and related vessel crew skills, framed as competitive sports to boost safety, efficiency, skill development, retention and workforce recruitment in the maritime industry (particularly inland and towing sectors).
Over the first few years, MTD evolved from a speed-based competition into a more comprehensive system with scoring matrices that highlight specific skillsets, safety protocols and measurable performance. Brown and his team identified skills gaps in the industry and positioned MTD as “incentivized maritime training,” using patent-pending rigs and curricula that simulate real vessel tasks. The current curriculum is focused on addressing the maritime workforce shortage (e.g., projected need for tens of thousands of new deckhands) by making training engaging, building pride/culture, improving retention and attracting younger talent.
Informative Agenda
Thursday, the first full day, will be packed. This year’s opening remarks and welcome to Nashville will be delivered by Kent Furlong, president of Hines Furlong Line, Inc., a fifth-generation leader in an inland maritime family whose legacy stretches back for 150 years.
Matt Woodruff, vice president for public and government affairs for Kirby Corporation, will host the opening session on industry priorities. Woodruff’s 21-year-long service with Kirby in this role has included stints in many industry boards of directors and organizations. Before joining Kirby, Woodruff had 20 years of experience in maritime law, both in private practice and as corporate general counsel.
Lithium Batteries
A session and discussion on lithium batteries large and small, the risks they pose and the safety issues they raise — presented by The American Waterways Operators — should open a lot of eyes on this under-studied and under-presented topic (WJ, May 11).
From Concept to COI
The Towing Vessel Inspection Bureau (TVIB) is returning with a panel of experts to share important compliance and COI related subject matter to help vessel operators best manage and prepare for compliance requirements. The timely session is titled “From Concept to COI: Navigating the Realities of a New Construction TSMS Option for Vessels” and there will be opportunities both during, before and after the session to address other questions in the realm of compliance.
Workforce Development
Workforce development is on everyone’s top of mind. We Work the Waterways — a pioneer organization whose influence and mission are expanding, and an old friend of the IMX — is hosting a session on workforce development titled “Navigate Your Path, Build Your Future. Building the Next Generation Maritime Workforce.”
WWW founder Errin Howard and presenters have a lot of exciting news to share about new connections, new opportunities, new funding sources and new ways to reach out to young people to let them know about the expanding opportunities on boats, in shipyards, in terminals and in many parts of the inland maritime world.
Vessel Medical Response Programs
Another session under the “workforce” heading, “Building an Effective Vessel Medical Response Program,” will be presented by HealthWorks Medical LLC.
Construction, Infrastructure
The session hosted by Waterways Council Inc., titled “Studies, Studies, Studies: What Have We Learned?” should be well-attended, especially in light of the surprise recent announcement by the Nashville Engineer District of the termination of the contract for the Chickamauga Lock and Dam replacement with Shimmick Construction Company, Inc., effective May 8, 2026, due to failure to meet project requirements.
In February, the Corps announced its “Build Infrastructure, Not Paperwork” initiative. Adam Telle, assistant secretary of the Army-civil works, has called it “the greatest transformation of the Army Corps of Engineers’ civil works mission since at least 1986.”
MarAd Capital Construction Fund
After lunch on the tradeshow floor, attorneys from Jones Walker LLP, along with the Small Shipyard Grant Coalition, will present a panel on the Maritime Administration’s Capital Construction Fund and Small Shipyard Grant Programs. It’s a topic that the IMX has covered before, but one that requires continual updates due to the push for shipbuilding revitalization and the infusion of federal money, incentives and opportunities that ports, shipyards and towing operators need to be aware of.
Safety Online And Off
Cybersecurity is another topic that moves fast and constantly evolves. KVH Industries has been serving the maritime community for 40 years, developing from hardware to networked services and solutions. It began expanding its mission in 2018, when it announced a “Six-Level Cybersecurity” initiative to protect its maritime VSAT network and hardware, which includes crew training and, later, advanced, managed firewall services. Its session is called “Clarity Over Complexity: A Practical Guide to U.S. Coast Guard Cybersecurity Compliance.”
Man Overboard Prevention
Physical safety is the focus of “Eyes on the Edge: Building a Proactive Culture of Prevention from Man Overboard,” presented by Weeks Marine Construction and Kiewit Corporation.
State Of The Industry Keynote
On Friday, May 29, Bryson Person, president of NABRICO Marine, newly spun off from Arcosa Marine Products after being purchased by Wynnchurch Capital — and now again the nation’s leading barge-builder, as it was in the past — will welcome attendees and introduce keynote speaker Ken Eriksen, managing director and founder of Polaris Analytics & Consulting and a longtime friend of the maritime industry and The Waterways Journal.
Eriksen will deliver his state of the industry overview, titled “At, On and Over the Horizon: Delivering for the World’s Cups in an Era of Transition and Reinvestment.” As a long-time preparer of the Annual Barge Report for The Waterways Journal, Eriksen offers an unrivalled perspective on the barge industry, its commodities and all the market and regulatory forces impinging on it.
Bridge Resource Management
In Shipyards
Friday panels include a session on Bridge Resource Management in Shipyards, offered by VSM Associates. VSM says its mission is to “unite two opposing worlds: the frontline filled with the real-time realities of a working shipyard – fraught with major, high-stakes, hands-on challenges – and the war room’s constant pressure to innovate and modernize to maintain a shipyard’s relevance in a rapidly changing maritime world.” In today’s accelerating push to modernize shipyards and build more vessels, this session has obvious relevance.
Mariner Wellness
The Seamen’s Church Institute will present a first ever and highly anticipated session on “U.S. Inland Mariner Wellness Assessment – From Recommendations to Results: Examining What Has and Has Not Worked.”
Port Captains’ Panel, Awards
The IMX will culminate with two of the most popular and well-attended events. The IMX Port Captains’ Panel, featuring some of the most experienced and respected professionals on the river. These licensed mariners and leaders in the field of towing vessel operations have generously volunteered their time to share best practices and lessons from real life experience.
The Class of 2026 “40 Under 40” awards lunch will be followed by the presentation by TVIB of the Mike Rushing Legacy Service Award to honor Capt. Joseph “Joe” M. Tyson posthumously. Accepting the award on Tyson’s behalf will be Mason Eustis, senior director of operations at Canal Barge Company, Inc.
Tyson passed away on August 1, 2025, at the age of 63. He was born April 27, 1962, in the Bronx, New York. Tyson dedicated his 41-year career to Canal Barge Company, a career that TVIB has described as profoundly influential to the industry, committed to safety and mentoring the next generation of maritime leaders.
Editor’s Note: For a complete schedule of events please see page 63 of the May 18, 2026 issue or visit www.inlandmarineexpo.com or see the official IMX Show Directory onsite of IMX.
Featured photo caption: The Inland Marine Expo tradeshow floor features exhibitors from across the inland waterways industry, offering attendees a look at the latest products, services and technologies for towboat, barge, terminal and marine operations. (Photos courtesy of Event Coverage Nashville)
Maximize The IMX Experience With The App
To get the most out of the IMX experience, attendees and exhibitors can download the Inland Marine Expo Event App to their Apple or Android devices. The app includes the show schedule, floorplan, exhibitor listing, education session descriptions, speaker bios and more. The app also includes a “My Planner” feature and the “Mile Marker Challenge,” which allows attendees to collect points for each QR code scanned at exhibit booths. The three attendees with the most points will win a Visa gift card. To download the app, scan the QR code.
