Terral RiverService Purchases Three Towboats, Plans Gulf Coast Expansion

Terral RiverService Inc., headquartered in Lake Providence, La., recently purchased three boats to be added to its fleet, the company announced. Two of the boats are 2,000 hp. boats, currently named the mv. Cajun and the mv. Grace. The boats are  at the Lettsworth, La., location, where they are being repainted in company colors. They will be renamed the mv. Bailey B after CEO Tom Gattle’s granddaughter and the mv. Neil Martin after the company’s vice-president of services, the announcement said. 

“We’re proud to honor Neil by naming this boat for him,” Chief Operations Officer Johnny Martin said. “Neil has been with the company for 21 years, is a member of the executive committee and is an invaluable asset to our operations.” 

The Bailey B and the Neil Martin, both previously owned by Magnolia Fleet LLC, are twins at 72 feet long. They were built by Eymard Marine Construction & Repair in 2013 and 2014, respectively. 

The plans are to operate the two boats, and a third boat that has 1,000 hp., out of the Lettwsorth fleet and expand operations into areas along the Gulf Coast. “We’re excited about what’s next,” Martin said. The third boat is the mv. Houston Foret, formerly owned by D&S Marine Service LLC. 

Terral RiverService is also currently building a new boat to be named the mv. Travis Terral after the youngest son of John C. Terral, co-founder of the company. He is on the board of directors of TRS.

The new boat is being built by NewSouth Marine and is scheduled for launching in the third quarter of 2021. It will be a 4,600 hp. boat powered by GE engines. It comes on the heels of TRS’s latest boat, the mv. John C. Terral, which was launched last November and is currently operating on the Lower Mississippi River. 

“All of our expectations on the John Terral have been met,” Martin said. “We are very pleased with its performance, and we are also looking forward to adding the Travis Terral to our fleet of boats.”