The northern lights, as photographed by Justin Hoffman, relief captain aboard the mv. Thelma Parker II, Parker Towing Company. As the crew of the mv. Thelma Parker II pushed a… Read More
Features
Stories on some of the unique and colorful people who populate the barge industry. Human-interest articles on companies and individuals who make a difference in people’s lives, all while keeping the boats and barges moving.
When considering a career in the maritime industry, many young people are drawn to the wheelhouse first. There’s no denying the appeal of standing between the sticks of a towboat. Read More
It’s been a busy summer for Mike’s Inc. After several decades of calling Upper Mississippi River Mile 198.8 home, the East Alton, Ill. shipyard has officially moved. The Mike’s Inc. Read More
Johnny Holt Johnny Holt was already a painter and a welder in 1988 when he began decking for Tuscaloosa, Ala.-based Parker Towing Company at the suggestion of his father-in-law, Capt. Read More
They may not spend a watch in the wheelhouse or appear in line-handling reels on TikTok, but they’re nonetheless indispensable to the 24-hour movement of towboats on the nation’s waterways. Read More
Robert Yount For more than 30 years, deckhands, tankermen, pilots and captains have come and gone on the mv. Charles Southern, a 3,600 hp., twin-screw towboat owned by Sulphur, La.-based… Read More
David Wiley For David Wiley, the dream to work on the river started as a boy watching his brother-in-law work as a “deckineer” on the Tennessee River. “I lived right… Read More
Mike Fanshier After spending more than 30 years as a welder, Mike Fanshier was looking for a change. He found it as part of a new career at Riverview Tug… Read More
Vern Gore in the engineroom of the mv. Kevin Michael. (Photo courtesy of Vern Gore) It’s a rare feat for a single individual to be associated with the same towboat… Read More
Warren Clay “I started in June of 1980 when I stepped on my first towboat, and I’ve been here ever since,” said Warren Clay, shipyard project manager for Canal Barge… Read More
