Page 59: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2016)

Please give an overview of your com- We made the decision to make these in- In your career, can you point to the dustry and the environment is without a pany. vestments well before the contracts were one technology that has helped to doubt, double hulls. I think back to when

Bouchard Transportation Co., Inc. is signed. The investment decision was based make your operations more safe and legislation was passed to mandate double the nation’s largest independently-owned on how we felt we could improve and po- ef? cient? hulls, and about their initial discussions oceangoing petroleum barge company. sition our ? eet to better serve our existing The one technology that has bene? tted and fear that they would be unsafe because

Our ? eet consists of 26 barges and 25 customers, as well as new customers. not only our operations, but the entire in- vapors could accumulate between the tugs, with services operating throughout the United States, Canada, and the Carib- bean. All barges are double-hulled, and all vessels include top-line equipment and fuel-ef? cient technologies that ex- ceed industry standards. Bouchard’s ? eet is faster, larger and better equipped than ever before, and the recent investment made to expand in ATBs has increased fuel-ef? ciency, capacity and speed. The measures Bouchard has taken to con- struct vessels with state-of-the art equip- ment and fuel-ef? cient technologies not only exceeds industry standards, but acts as an ef? cient transporter for their cus- tomers, as well as a comfortable, reliable and safe ? eet for their crew.

Your company is closing in on 100 years; has the business philosophy stayed the same?

Since Bouchard’s incorporation in 1918, progressive thinking and a strong commitment to service and safety has fostered the company’s continued growth and greater recognition. Ex- pansion continues to be driven by our founding fathers and ? ve generations of Bouchard’s philosophy of investing pro? ts in new, modern equipment to ser- vice customers in the most ef? cient and environmentally safe manner possible.

Today, Bouchard looks toward the fu- ture with further progress and adaptation in mind. However, three things will al- ways remain constant: commitment to customers; safety; and a strong corpo- rate identity founded on a rich heritage of barging experience and family pride.

Bouchard has a well recorded history investing in new boats and barges.

Can you put in perspective for our readers your investment in new equip- ment over the last ? ve years? What have been the driving factors in this development?

During the past ? ve years, Bouchard has invested close to $300 million dol- lars into new equipment. This invest- ment included two 260,000 bbl ATBS (M/V Kim M. Bouchard & B. No. 270 and M/V Donna J. Bouchard & B. No. 272), two 4,000 hp Intercon Tugs (M/V

Morton S. Bouchard Jr. & M/V Frederick

E. Bouchard), and the conversion of the

B. No. 210 and B. No. 220 to Intercon.

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