Inland Marine

Kirby Inland Marine operates the nation’s largest fleet of inland tank barges and towing vessels which efficiently and safely transport petrochemicals, refined products, black oil, and agricultural chemicals from producers to intermediaries to end users.

Kirby’s service area spans America’s inland waterway network which extends 26,000 miles, of which 12,000 miles is used for significant domestic commerce. This navigable waterway system links the United States heartland to the world. Kirby’s primary inland distribution area encompasses the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (the “canal”) from Brownsville, Texas, to St. Marks, Florida, plus the Mississippi River and its tributaries, including the Ohio and Illinois Rivers. Kirby Inland Marine is capable of transporting liquid bulk cargoes from one end of this inland waterway network to the other without a change of carrier.

Kirby Inland Marine Operates

as of December 31, 2023

Active Inland Tank Barges

Active Towing Vessels

Million Barrels of Capacity

Why Kirby

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Industry leader in safety, customer service and environmental protection

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High quality blue-chip customer portfolio

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Largest tank barge fleet in the U.S. provides flexibility, higher asset utilization, faster turnarounds, and diversity of barge products

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Centralized dispatch provides dedicated operations and customer support 24/7

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Significant infrastructure including:

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22 fleet locations across the U.S. across America’s waterway network with a capacity for over 800 barge spots

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Tankering services

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Barge cleaning facilities

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Fueling docks

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Shipyard

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U.S. Coast Guard accredited training center with an in-house wheelhouse simulator

How We Operate

Unit Tows

Kirby’s unit tow operation transports petrochemical feedstocks, black oil, pressurized products, chemicals, and refined products with barges assigned to a dedicated towboat for a single customer. Unit tows operate similar to a taxi service for one customer.  The service provides non-stop transit, faster delivery, and route flexibility. A unit tow on the canal typically consists of one to three barges, pushed by an 800 to 3000 horsepower towboat. A river unit tow typically includes two to six barges, pushed by a 2000 to 5600 horsepower towboat.

Linehaul

Kirby’s linehaul operation transports petrochemical feedstocks, chemicals, and lube oils for multiple customers on a pre-determined route with a shared towboat.  Linehaul tows operate similar to a passenger bus, with barges being dropped off and picked up along the route. A linehaul tow on the canal usually comprises three to five barges with a 1400 to 2200 horsepower towboat.  A linehaul river tow is much longer, consisting of 10 to 25 barges and using a 3000 to 5600 horsepower towboat. Kirby’s safety initiatives are built around efforts that put people and the environment first. Kirby demonstrates this commitment by investing heavily in its employees through safety training, workplace monitoring, maintenance and new equipment and other programs as partners that allow us to achieve a zero-incident culture. Kirby believes that every incident is preventable, and with a combination of proper training, documentation, equipment, incentives and supervision, we can achieve new standards for safe operations.

Products We Move

Hover over each product for more detail: 

Refined Products

Black Oil

Petrochemicals

Agricultural Chemicals

Fleeting, Shifting, Towing, & Fueling Services

Kirby Inland Marine offers fleeting, towing and shifting services at various locations along the Gulf Coast as well as within the majority of the inland river systems. Kirby owns fleeting locations in Texas, Louisiana, and West Virginia where shifting services are available, and Kirby can assist in towing barges along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and the inland river system. Current rates are provided in the below attachments. Please contact a Kirby Shifting & Towing sales representative listed below under Sales Contacts for further information and bookings. Kirby Inland Marine also offers fueling services at our Channelview, Corpus Christi, and Freeport, Texas locations.  Please contact dispatch@brazosriverfueling.com for further information.

Sales Contacts

Christian O’Neil

President

Clean Products

Cliff R. Stanich

Vice President – Sales

Toby Whitehead

Vice President – Canal

Patrick Kelly

Vice President

Jason Kunz

Vice President

Brian Benoit

General Manager

J.D. Futch

Sales Manager

Linda Young

Sales Manager

Trent Derise

Equipment Optimization Manager

Cecil K. Wattigney

Vice President

Black Oil

Lyle Marshall

Vice President

Jeramy J. Carroll

Vice President

Emiliano Zapata

General Manager

Ruben Barrientes

Sales Manager – Bunkering

Refined Products / Crude

Jeramy J. Carroll

Vice President – Crude

Cecil K. Wattigney

Vice President – Refined Products

Jesse Outlaw

General Manager

Colt Clary

Sales Manager – Refined Products

Pressure

Lyle Marshall

Vice President

Jeramy J. Carroll

Vice President

Jack Swiggett

Sales Manager

Fertilizer/Ammonia

Cecil K. Wattigney

Vice President

Coby Schoettlin

Sales Manager

Shifting & Towing

Richard C. Northcutt

Vice President

Jeff Seymour

Sales Manager

Operations Contacts

Andrew Willoughby
Operations Manager

Mimi Cleary
Operations Manager

Hunter Daigle
Operations Manager

Jim Guidry
Executive Vice President, Vessel Operations

Bob Austin
Vice President – Maintenance & Repair

Todd Behlke
Vice President – Operations

Jimbo Giddens
Operations Manager – River Operations

James Hard
Operations Manager – Canal Operations

Troy Chapman
Vetting Supervisor

Billy Shaver

Personnel Manager

Morgan Johnson

Environmental Compliance Manager

Logistics Management Contacts

Mike Bowman
Manager, Charter Operations

Jeff Marshall
Manager, Tankering Operations

Eric Loy
Manager, Brazos River Fueling

Morgan Bucker
Operations Supervisor, Customer Service

Troy Brubaker
Operations Supervisor, Fleeting

Zachary Harrison
Operations Manager, Facilities

Craig Foret

Vice President, Logistics Management

Bryce Goolsby

General Manager, Logistics Management

Steven Caruselle

General Manager, Logistics Management Facilities

Zach McGavitt

Directory, Fleeting Operations

Shari Don Austin

Facilities Manager

Kenny Swango

Supervisor Corpus Christi Operations

Operations Personnel And Training Contacts

James Werner

Sr. Manager, Training

Tara Kilgore

General Manager, Personnel & Training

Sharon Pruitt

Crew Development Manager

Traffic Contacts

Richard Northcutt

Senior Vice President – Sales HP Manager

Jaclyn Dawson

Traffic Services Supervisor

Tim Linehan

HP Manager West Canal

Michael Keller

HP Manager – River Units

William Swinney

Customer Service Manager

Pat Tierney

HP Manager East Canal