Page 28: of Marine News Magazine (February 2012)

28MNFebruary 2012 Inland BulkBy Susan Buchanan Houston-based Higman Marine moves crude oil, petro- leum products and chemicals by barge from the U.S. Gulf to the Midwest and across the South. In addition to its Houston headquarters, the firm has operations offices in Channelview and Orange, TX; Covington, LA, and Mobile and Decatur, AL. The company, which provides service through its sub- sidiaries ? Higman Marine Services, Higman Service Corp. and Higman Barge Lines ? kept expanding in recent decades through an acquisition, vessel building and innovations. As the nation's barge industry continues to consolidate into fewer players, Higman Marine is more than keeping pace.FLEETANDSTAFF HAVE DOUBLEDINTENYEARSGordie Keenan, Higman's vice president of training told MarineNews in January, ?We have 54 inland towboats, the majority of which are rated at 2,000 horsepower, and 116 inland tank barges. Today our vessels are bigger with more horsepower, pushing more barrels, than 10 years ago.? The company carries a myriad of crude oils and refined products for its clients on a fleet of barges and inland towboats that has doubled in number over the last ten years. Today, Higman has a workforce of 415 employ- ees, also nearly twice what it was a decade ago. Most of Higman's barge fleet is comprised of double- hull tank barges, equipped with vapor control and pollu- tion systems, to meet requirements of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 ? passed by Congress after the Exxon Valdez accident ? and to meet the 1970 Clean Air Act. Higman's operating territory is vast. ?Our business occurs mainly on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway from Brownsville, Texas to Panama City, Fla. and up the Higman Marine Grows Gulf Coast Bulk Transportation Provider Doubles its Size in 10 Years (Photo: courtesy of Higman) Higman Marine By the NumbersFounded:1917 Barges (today/2002):116 / 59 Inland tow boats(today/2002):54 / 28 Bulk Commodities Carried:Crude oil, condensate, # 6 fuel oil, natural gasoline, xylene, para xylene, benzene, gasolines, naphtha, raffinate, reformate, diesels, jets fuel and others. Total Mariners (today/2002):356 / 162 Total Employees (today/2002):415 / 201 Offices :5Earnings:Proprietary Source: Higman Marine Higman Captain in the Wheelhouse.While it is one the oldest U.S. inlandmarine companies, it nevertheless hasone of its newest fleets of pushboats andtank barges in the business. MN#2 (18-31):MN 2011 Layouts 2/3/2012 11:32 AM Page 28