Evansville Marine Purchases Two Towboats

Evansville Marine Service Inc. has bought and renamed two vessels from Hines Furlong Line Inc.

The mv. Bobby Johnson is now the mv. Brooks Andrew, and the mv. Carolyn Lampley is now the mv. James S, said Kyle Aldrich, Evansville Marine’s executive vice president. Both are Super Tiger Class boats built by Serodino Shipyard Inc. of Chattanooga, Tenn.

Each is a 2015 model twin-screw 56-foot-by-24-foot, 1,200 hp. towboat originally owned by Hunter Marine Transport Inc. of Nashville, Tenn., and sold to the Hines Furlong Line in 2018, according to the latest edition of the Inland River Record.

The James S is named after Captain James Scott, operations manager at the company’s Evansville, Ind., office. Evansville Marine bought the vessel in early November.

The Brooks Andrew is named after the 3-year-old son of Aldrich’s girlfriend, Meagan Gander. Evansville Marine acquired the vessel in late December.

No formal christening is planned.

Building A Younger Fleet

“As a whole, our company is trying to build a fleet with newer vessels and do away with some older vessels to better prepare ourselves for the longevity of the company, moving forward with Subchapter M,” Aldrich said.

As a result, he said, 45 percent of Evansville Marine’s fleet of 23 vessels is now model year 2000 or newer.

“We’re taking steps every day to make sure we are here for our customers for the long haul,” Aldrich said.

The company plans to take two of its older vessels, the mv. Angela B and the mv. Edna Hicks, out of service.

Evansville Marine is primarily a harbor service with its main office in Evansville, an office on shore in Owensboro, Ky., and a floating office housed on a barge at the mouth of the Green River.