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 March 31, 2023
Active Inland Tank Barges
Active Towing Vessels
Million Barrels of Capacity

Why Kirby
Industry leader in safety, customer service and environmental protection
High quality blue-chip customer portfolio
Largest tank barge fleet in the U.S. provides flexibility, higher asset utilization, faster turnarounds, and diversity of barge products
Centralized dispatch provides dedicated operations and customer support 24/7
Significant infrastructure including:
22 fleet locations across the U.S. across America’s waterway network with a capacity for over 800 barge spots
Tankering services
Barge cleaning facilities
Fueling docks
Shipyard
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 big ben slots 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.
Sales Contacts
Christian O’Neil
President
Clean Products
Cliff Stanich
Vice President – Linehaul
Toby Whitehead
Vice President – Canal
Patrick Kelly
Vice President
Steve Butts
Vice President – River Chemicals
Jason Kunz
Vice President
Brian Benoit
General Manager
J.D. Futch
Sales Manager
Linda Young
Sales Manager
Trent Derise
Equipment Optimization Manager
Black Oil
Lyle Marshall
Vice President
Jeramy Carroll
Vice President
Emiliano Zapata
General Manager
Jack Swiggett
Sales Manager – Bunkering
Refined Products / Crude
Steve Butts
Vice President – Crude
Jeramy Carroll
Vice President – Crude
Cecil Wattigney
Vice President – Refined Products
Jesse Outlaw
Sales Manager – Refined Products and Crude
Colt Clary
Sales Manager – Refined Products
Pressure
Lyle Marshall
Vice President
Jeramy Carroll
Vice President
Jack Swigget
Sales Manager
Fertilizer/Ammonia
Steve Butts
Vice President
Coby Schoettlin
Sales Manager
Shifting & Towing
Richard Northcutt
Vice President
Jeff Seymour
Sales Manager
Operations Contacts
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
Craig Foret
Vice President, Logistics Management
Bryce Goolsby
General Manager, Logistics Management
Steven Caruselle
General Manager, Logistics Management Facilities
Zach McGavitt
Operations Manager, Fleets
Shari Don Austin
Facilities Manager
Kenny Swango
Supervisor Corpus Christi Operations
Operations Personnel And Training Contacts
Tara Kilgore
Training Sr. Manager
Sharon Pruitt
Crew Development Manager
Elizabeth Carlson
Recruiting Manager
John Moyle
Manager – Licensing and Upgrading
Brooke Russell
Occupational Health Nurse
Traffic Contacts
Richard Northcutt
Vice President – Sales HP Management
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