Terral Acquires Three Kinder Morgan Fleets
Terral RiverService Inc. announced March 21 the purchase of Kinder Morgan’s river assets in Blytheville, Ark., and Decatur, Ala. The purchase, which closed on December 31, 2017, includes three fleets: The Barfield fleet at Mile 810 and the Hickman fleet at Mile 823, both on the Lower Mississippi River, and the Decatur fleet at Mile 298 on the Tennessee River.
“This is a completely new service area for us as far as our fleeting operations go, but it complements our towing operations very well,” said Johnny Martin, Terral chief operating officer.
With this acquisition, Terral added six push boats to its fleet, two wash docks and cranes, and various other barges and equipment. In addition to the equipment, Terral also added 56 employees to its team and fleeting space for 250 barges.
“This expands both our landside operations through the wash docks and our marine operations by adding the three fleets and the boats,” added Johnny Martin. “The purchase was a strategic move for Terral with the recent addition of the Vulcan Mid America contract. This gives us a great position on the mid-Mississippi River to stage employees and vessels.”
Gabe Gattle, vice president-transportation, led the team at Terral during the purchase negotiations and worked diligently with the management of Kinder Morgan to ensure a smooth transition for both companies. He is currently leading the transition team as Terral moves forward in the operation of the new locations, the Terral announcement said.
Stephen Corby with Kinder Morgan said, “Terral rose to the top of our RFP process based on their strong marine industry presence and their commitment to values and policies that we share.”
The vessels in the transaction, and their fleets, are: mv. Bo Huffman, Decatur Fleet; mv. Austin Stone, Hickman Fleet; mv. Elmer Stone, Hickman Fleet; mv. Dortha Stone, Barfield Fleet; mv. Rick Ellis, Barfield Fleet; and mv. Paulette K, Barfield/Hickman Fleets.
The services offered at the new locations are on/off tow, barge fleeting and shifting, barge cleaning, setting barge covers, and top water repairs.
