Asset Management Systems and Logistics Manager

Canal Barge takes delivery of Cabby H. Boone. June 5, 2026 By Shelley Byrne Listen to this Article 0:00 Canal Barge LLC took delivery of the third of four sister vessels April 26 from C&C Marine Repair of Belle Chasse, La., and the word sister is key. President and CEO Merritt Lane said the newest boat, the mv. Cabby H. Boone, is named after his cousin Caroline "Cabby" Huger Boone. The last boat in the series, the mv. Mimsy H. Lindner, is named after her twin sister and is on schedule to be delivered in mid-July, he said. The Huger family includes five sisters, and with the conclusion of this series, all will have boats named after them. The first of the series was the mv. Al Sloss, delivered in December 2025. The vessel honors Alexander "Al" Dimitry Sloss, who was the son of one of the sisters, Elizabeth "Liz" Huger Sloss, namesake of the mv. Liz Sloss, along with her husband Lynes "Poco" Sloss, a former Canal Barge board member. The second vessel, named after another of the sisters, is the mv. Deborah H. Valentine, which was delivered in February. The mv. Sally Lapeyre, named after the oldest of the daughters of Eugenie and Killian L. Huger, a former Canal Barge executive, is a twin-screw, 4,400 hp. vessel built by Steiner Construction that went into service in 2021. The Huger sisters are the granddaughters of Canal Barge founder Joseph Merrick Jones Sr., who started the marine transportation firm in 1933. The Cabby H. Boone, like the three others in the current series, is a twin-screw vessel with Tier 4 Mitsubishi S12R engines each rated at 1,260 hp. at 1,600 rpm., providing a total of 2,520 hp. The boats are the first new construction towboats that C&C Marine and Repair has built for Canal Barge. Mike Stone, Canal Barge's manager of vessel engineering, said the company was looking for versatility in horsepower with the boats, which will be capable of pushing anywhere from one to 12 barges. They can be used to navigate and push tows on both the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and the inland river system. He also noted that the vessel class is among the first non-engineered Tier 4 boats operating on the inland waterways. Designed by C&C's in-house engineering team, unique aspects include the fleeting deck at the bow, adjacent to the tow knees, along with barge access ramps installed forward and aft, port and starboard. Laborde Products supplied both the engines and the generator sets, each rated at 99kW, supporting onboard electrical systems. Canal Barge noted that, as the program moves forward, each vessel is built around a shared foundation across propulsion and onboard power, allowing the fleet to operate with a common setup from one vessel to the next. "This setup gives our crews and maintenance teams a more familiar platform from one vessel to the next," said Mark Allen, vice president of asset management and engineering at Canal Barge. "That kind of consistency helps us operate and support these boats more effectively over time." Laborde Products worked closely with C&C Marine and Repair and Canal Barge throughout the construction process. "This is part of a series where everything is tied together from one boat to the next," said Bradley Matte, sales representative at Laborde Products. "The engines and generator sets were selected to match that approach and keep things consistent across the build." Tony Cibilich, president and owner of C&C Marine and Repair, expressed his pleasure with the boat series. "Three boats in and the whole program just keeps getting better," he said. "Little things get picked up along the way, small tweaks here and there. By the third one, the whole thing is running smooth." Vessel Specs The Cabby H. Boone measures 87 by 34 by 11 feet and is open wheel, so it has no kort nozzles. It has a pilothouse eye level of 33 feet, 10 inches. The Tier 4 Mitsubishi S12R engines from Laborde turn two 82-inch by 62-inch four-blade, stainless steel propellers supplied by Kahlenberg. Grid coolers were provided by Fernstrum. Laborde also supplied the 99kW gensets. The boat is equipped with REINTJES WAF 665L reduction gears with a 5.95:1 ratio, supplied by Karl Senner, LLC. Eagle Control Systems provided both the steering and engine alarm systems. Electronics and communications equipment are from GMENI Marine Electronics and Supply. Lemoine Marine Refrigeration provided the air conditioning and heating. Fire safety equipment is from Hiller. Wastewater treatment is from Seahorse MFR, provided by Disalvo Marine. Sound and vibration damping is courtesy of a soft-core joiner system with Vulkan resilient mounts for the main engines. Fendering was provided by Schuyler Maritime, and paint and coatings supplied by Hempel. The Cabby H. Boone can hold 32,000 gallons of fuel and 7,300 gallons of potable water. Crew quarters include three two-man rooms and two one-man staterooms, along with a lounge. Interiors were completed by Kern Martin Services. On deck are two 40-ton deck winches supplied by Wintech. Featured photo caption: The Cabby H. Boone is the third of a four-boat series for Canal Barge from C&C Marine Repair. It was delivered April 26. The boat's namesake is Caroline "Cabby" Huger Boone. (Photo courtesy of Canal Barge)

Redwood Holdings, a family-owned company, will acquire Canal Barge Company, marking its second investment in the U.S. Jones Act market after acquiring Marquette Transportation in May 2024. The acquisition will be through a new holding company that will also own Marquette. Merritt Lane will be CEO of the holding company, with David Lane and John Eckstein in leadership roles. The partnership aims to expand services and leverage shared values and expertise in marine transportation.