Basin Fleeting Adds Mv. John G. Morgan
Basin Fleeting Inc., which operates a fleet at Mile 97.5 WHL on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway near its confluence with the Atchafalaya River at Berwick, La., recently acquired the mv. John G. Morgan from Morgan’s Boat Rental Inc., Abbeville, La. A triple-screw towboat built in 1998 by Seaport Marine Builders, the 65-foot vessel is powered by GM 12V-71 diesel engines rated at 1,200 hp. total.
“We’ve got the boat out on charter now to a good customer,” said Ross Clark, general manager of Basin Fleeting. “It is one of several new developments taking place this year.”
In addition to buying the John G. Morgan, Basin Fleeting is currently in the process of acquiring fleeting space that will double its capacity, and the company is enlarging its staff. “We’ve added two new all-stars to our leadership team,” Clark said, “Tommy Crosby, director of sales and business development, and Larry Barras, director of marine operations.”
Both Crosby and Barras have spent their entire careers in the marine field, mostly offshore, Clark said. Crosby, who grew up in the family business—Crosby Tugs—was most recently manager of sales and marketing for Crowley Maritime. Barras was previously with IntraTug.
Basin Fleeting operates what is already one of the largest deck barge fleets along the Gulf Coast, mobilizing and demobilizing the equipment of several major companies at its facility in Berwick.
Before the downturn in the offshore oil business, the company, known then as Basin Offshore/Basin Marine, owned nine boats, Clark said. “We ended up having to sell all of them except one, the mv. Basin Endeavor, and instead concentrated on the fleeting part of our business. Now, we intend to start growing again.”
Clark, a 2017 graduate of Nicholls State University, St. Thibodeaux, La., with a degree in maritime management, is the son of the company’s owner, Mikel, who founded Basin Fleeting in 1993. His sister, Alex LeBlanc, is the firm’s office manager or in Clark’s words, “the sticky glue that holds us all together,” and his first cousin, Jesse Simoneaux, “‘the man who keeps our customers’ equipment moving,’ is in charge of maintenance and repair,” he said.
“It’s my job to find and recruit the best talent for Basin,” Clark added, “and I believe the team we have put together will be the biggest contributing factor to the future success of Basin. Together we’re going to make some waves.”
Cutline for photo: The John G. Morgan at Basin Fleet. (Photo courtesy of Basin Fleeting)
