Page 19: of Marine News Magazine (October 2022)

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Feature

Tug & Barge writes: “We need to be especially creative with our ? eet re-

Vane Brothers

Vane Brothers, established in 1898, is headquartered in cruiting practices.” Vane cites terri? c pay and bene? ts and a favorable schedule – most Vane Brothers crews work two

Baltimore. Its mission is to “provide customers with pre- ferred, quality service that consistently meets or exceeds weeks on the vessel and then get two weeks off.

On the opportunity side, Vane is closely watching the their expectations. We are committed to developing the safest possible marine transportation system achievable, market for renewable fuels and other alt-energy develop- ments. “The renewable fuel concept is a growth market for with emphasis on preventing injury, loss of life, and dam- us,” Vane writes. It will be ready when supply and demand age to the marine environment and property.”

Vane’s 750 employees provide marine services at major turn into real business.

US coastal ports and Great Lakes and Caribbean ports.

Ingram Marine Group

It is a full-service, Jones Act compliant company special-

The Ingram Marine Group is headquartered in Nash- izing in petroleum transport. Services include ship bunker- ing, lightering, and heating oil and asphalt transport. The ville. The company includes the Ingram Barge Company, ? eet consists of 49 tugboats and 80 barges. In 2022, Vane Custom Fuel Services and Ingram Logistics Services. Top closed-out an aggressive 20-year newbuild program that of? cials are: Orrin Ingram, Chairman; John Roberts, Pres- ident and CEO and Crystal Taylor CFO.

delivered dozens of purpose-built tugboats and barges, in-

Ingram Barge operates throughout the U.S. inland river cluding twenty 3,000-horsepower tugs built in Maryland.

Vane can customize its IT and transportation services to system. Custom Fuel Services has 10 locations along the

Mississippi, Ohio and Illinois Rivers. Ingram Logistics address any customer needs.

By May of this year, 100% of Vane’s tugs had a valid

Subchapter M Certi? cate of Inspection - hitting this im- portant goal nearly two months ahead of the Coast Guard’s

July 19 deadline. Safety is a high priority: preparing for in- spections, audits and vettings is a regular focus for Vane’s crews and personnel.

The company closely tracks its environmental pro? le, seeking ways to lower energy-related impacts. Some of

Vane’s tugs are using biofuel now. The company has started remote monitoring to track vessel fuel consumption and engine performance. This will allow real-time operational adjustments. Earlier this year, Vane donated a retired, 120- foot barge to the Ocean City Reef Foundation so that the vessel could be sunk to create a marine habitat at the bot- tom of the Atlantic. The foundation called this “a fabulous donation from Vane Brothers.”

Some of Vane’s unique operations include assisting with

Deepwater Horizon clean-up efforts in 2010. Vane sent six tugs and six 50,000-barrel barges to the Gulf of Mexico to store and transport recovered crude. In 2018, four tugs and four barges completed Vane’s ? rst Panama Canal tran- sit to launch West Coast operations. In late 2020, Great

Lakes service started, operating a barge specially equipped to handle asphalt.

Looking ahead at challenges, Vane cited the patchwork of regulations that differ from state to state. Vane would prefer to respond to a single, federal regulatory body for consistency. Another critical issue: recruitment. Vane www.marinelink.com MN 19|