Page 14: of Marine News Magazine (February 2016)

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INSIGHTS

Cenac Towing’s acquisition of Main Iron Works (MIW) is noteworthy in that it marries an experienced, well-re- garded shipyard to an established transportation lead- er. What was the thought process behind the move?

MIW has built the majority of the Cenac ? eet. My mother’s father started MIW and built the majority share of Interstate Transportation’s ? eet, Dixie Carrier’s ? eet, and Harvey Gulf’s ? eet, and most of those boats are still in operation today. We have always been a company that believes in internal repairs and construction of our ? eet, so this acquisition was the perfect ? t for our company’s overall goals.

With the addition of MIW to the Cenac portfolio,

Cenac joins a number of other companies who own and operate their own tonnage but also can build from within at their own yards. Does this allow for less expensive tonnage, better logistics of getting what you want, when you want it, or is it a combination of both metrics?

For Cenac, it’s not a question of less expensive tonnage, but the internal controls of the equipment and being able to assure our customers, construction staff and repair staff that jobs are completed in a professional and timely manner.

The new 2000 Hp Twin Screw Conventional Tug – the Jean Pierre Cenac – is a notable addition to the

Cenac ? eet. Will it replace an existing hull, or will it augment your already robust pushboat ? eet?

The Jean Pierre is new horsepower added to the ? eet in order match additional power already in service. We have been very fortunate to build barges faster than we have been able to build horsepower. This has allowed Cenac to have the newest, most cutting-edge ? eet in the industry.

The Jean Pierre Cenac is a 72’x30’, Tier 3 compliant in- novative push boat, named after my great-great grandfa- ther. Jean Pierre Cenac was a French immigrant, oyster ? sherman and ? rst person in the family to build a busi- ness on the water.

Adding to a ? eet during an industry downturn shows intestinal fortitude, but also con? dence in what will come next. That said; can you share with us your long and short-term vision for the oil markets, inland trans- portation and where Cenac ? ts into that equation?

Our short-term goal has been to build out our ? eet to have enough boats for our large amount of barges. This way, we will be ahead of the game when the industry gets back on track. For the long term, we believe the quality and newness of our ? eet as well as the expertise of our people will guide us through an industry slowdown, ensur- ing Cenac will always have a place in the industry.

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