The Waterways Journal is the news journal of record for the towing and barge industry on the inland waterways of the United States, chiefly the watershed of the Mississippi River and its tributaries and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Our customers are the barge companies, ports, terminals, fleets, shipyards, refuelers, shippers, suppliers and marine contractors that form the inland waterways transportation industry. Our audience operates over 25,000 barges and over 3,500 towboats and tugs.

Known as “The Riverman’s Bible,” the periodical has published continuously from St. Louis, Missouri, since 1887. It is the only American maritime publication that focuses exclusively on the inland waterways, and one of the few remaining family-owned, advertiser-supported trade weeklies of any description.

The publication’s wide-ranging news articles provide a window into the people and technology behind a thriving major sector of industrial transport in the United States. Topics covered include inland shipyards, lock and dam construction, the Corps of Engineers, dredging news, inland ports and terminals, barge and towboat construction and launches, new technology relating to towboats, and regulations of the U.S. Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency, and other federal agencies that affect inland waterways commerce, as well as news about major commodities that travel the waterways, such as grain, coal, steel and fertilizer.

The Waterways Journal also closely covers the actions of organizations that support waterways interests, including the Waterways Council Inc. (WCI), the American Waterways Operators (AWO), National Waterways Conference, Inland Rivers Ports and Terminals, and the Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association (GICA).

Editorials in the journal often discuss government regulation as it relates to the rivers and those who use the river for transport.

The Waterways Journal publishes authoritative reference works for the river industry. These include the Inland River Record, a complete listing of inland commercial vessels updated annually, and the Inland River Guide, an annual directory of companies with waterways-related business, including barge and towing companies; harbor fleeting companies; terminals; shipyard and repair facilities; refuelers and boat store companies; contractors and dredging companies; marine brokers, surveyors and insurers; diving and salvage companies; and distributors and manufacturers that have an inland waterways customer base.

The Herman T. Pott National Inland Waterways Library, housed at the University of Missouri at St. Louis, is developing a keyword-searchable archive of past Waterways Journal issues.

Since 1989, The Waterways Journal Inc. has published HeartLand Boating, a Midwestern pleasure boating magazine that publishes 8 times a year.
It also annually publishes Quimby’s Cruising Guide, an authoritative guide for pleasure boaters to 9,436 miles of waterway on 22 rivers and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Arranged by river, then river mile, it includes information on locks, towns, restaurants, bed and breakfasts, landmarks, and local history.

Since 2009, The Waterways Journal Inc. has also published the bi-monthly International Dredging Review. Edited by founder Judith Powers, the IDR covers the international dredging industry, related industries, and their customers, including but not limited to public and private ports and government agencies, environmental and land reclamation interests, hydrographic surveyors, and vendors to the dredging industry.

Since 2012, The Waterways Journal Inc. has published Marina Dock Age. For more than 20 years MARINA DOCK AGE has been the only business-to-business publication serving the educational and informational needs of the U.S. waterfront facilities segment of the marine industry. In each issue marina industry professionals, service center operators, and boatyard managers will find the timely and relevant information they need to perform their jobs more effectively and efficiently. From ever-changing government regulations to ways to improve profitability, MARINA DOCK AGE is the industry leader. MARINA DOCK AGE is the only magazine in the field that offers an annual Buyer’s Guide that goes out free of charge to its subscribers. 

For further history on The Waterways Journal please visit the link below or purchase Backing Hard Into River History.

A history of The Waterways Journal was published in the Journal’s 125th anniversary issue in 2012.

www.wjinc.net