The Waterways Journal

12/03/2025

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11/30/2025

In this installment of the Old Boat Column, Capt. David Smith tells the story of how a telegram from President Theodore Roosevelt led to the suspension of a towboat master's license.

There is much in the news these days regarding presidential or executive orders. Five score and 18 years ago (118 years), an incident occurred during a steamboat parade down the Mississippi River that resulted in the master of one of the vessels facing a hearing before the local steamboat inspectors...

11/29/2025

In this edition of Washington Waves, WJ's D.C. correspondent Jim Myers a proposed Energy and Water spending bill, NEPA reform and more.

November 26, 2025 Setting aside customary bipartisanship, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) unveiled his own version of an Energy and Water spending bill for fiscal year (FY) 2026, an important measure for the waterways industry. With its proposed 1.1 percent cut in spending, Kennedy said his measure so far...

11/28/2025

Lockport Lock, located at Illinois River Mile 291, is scheduled to close March 31 through May 19 next year to replace cracked pintle sockets, temporarily closing a key section of the route between the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes, including the city of Chicago.

Lockport Lock, lllinois River Mile 291, is scheduled to close March 31 through May 19 next year to replace cracked pintle sockets, temporarily closing a key section of the route between the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes, including the city of Chicago. Locks on the Illinois Waterway have sing...

11/27/2025

Special to The Waterways Journal: Jim Ross recounts how the crew of the Belle of Louisville designated Roger Morgan's dock at Ohio River Mile 339.9 as "Morgan's Landing."

The U.S. Board on Geographic Names may not recognize Morgan’s Landing on the Ohio River as a place, but the people at Belle of Louisville Riverboats do. When the Belle of Louisville tied up at Roger Morgan’s house the evening of October 15, it was the second time the boat had done so since 2020....

11/26/2025

Baton Rouge, La.-based Shamrock Marine has been serving river pilots, towing companies and tug operators on the Lower Mississippi River for more than two decades. Recently, the company announced a dramatic expansion with the acquisition of 21 crewboats and four crewboat docks from Ingram.

Baton Rouge, La.-based Shamrock Marine has been serving river pilots, towing companies and tug operators on the Lower Mississippi River for more than two decades. What started in 2004 as a launch service with a single crewboat and dock in Plaquemine, La., at Lower Mississippi River Mile 199 has grow...

11/25/2025

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11/24/2025

Tracing almost the full length of the Mighty Mississippi is the Great River Road, a federally designated national scenic byway and an “All-American Road.” America's Watershed Initiative hosted a "lunch and learn" webinar November 12 focused on the Great River Road and the communities it connects.

The road, a federally designated national scenic byway was the topic of an America’s Watershed Initiative lunch and learn webinar...

11/23/2025

John R. Miller sent a letter to the editor this week to share memories about the mv. John Paul (see the November 17 Old Boat Column) and some of the mariners who served aboard that vessel.

Click here to read more: www.waterwaysjournal.net/2025/11/21/more-about-the-mv-john-paul

11/23/2025

We've all heard of people having second careers or new chapters. In this edition of the Old Boat Column, Capt. David Smith recounts the story of a Nabrico-built towboat that found new life in South America.

The Nashville Bridge Company, Nashville, Tenn., has long been renowned as a builder of stylish vessels that provided their owners with many years of service. Nashville Bridge, known as simply “Nabrico” by many on the rivers, had origins stretching back to 1902, when Arthur J. Dyer formed the Nas...

11/22/2025

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. (ESG) CEO Joey D’Isernia has confirmed that the shipyard is moving on from its Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) contract with the U.S. Coast Guard, citing financial loss with the program and staffing cuts.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) CEO Joey D’Isernia has confirmed that the shipyard is moving on from its Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) contract with the U.S. Coast Guard, citing financial loss with the program and staffing cuts. “Eastern Shipbuilding Group has made the difficult decision to susp...

11/21/2025

Employees, customers and four generations of the Lowros family gathered November 13 at Parker Towing Company, Inc.'s headquarters to christen the mv. Tony Lowros, a 1,200 hp. towboat named for one of the company’s most enduring voices in logistics.

Employees, customers and four generations of the Lowros family gathered November 13 at Parker Towing Company’s headquarters in Northport, Ala., to christen the mv. Tony Lowros, a 1,200 hp. towboat named for one of the company’s most enduring voices in logistics. The boat, built in 2007 and recen...