Amherst Madison Buys Towboat, Changes Name

Amherst Madison Inc., serving the Ohio River and its tributaries with towing, marine construction and repair services since 1893, has restored the vessel name Ohio to the river.

The nearly-130-year-old company, based in Charleston, W.Va., recently bought the mv. Michael J. Grainger from Ingram Barge Company and renamed it the mv. Ohio. The company had sold its original mv. Ohio to a firm that operated it in South America in the early 2010s. It bought this latest version March 4.

The 168-foot, 6,140 hp. towboat was built by Dravo Corporation in 1970 for Ohio Barge Line, which operated it as the mv. Steel Courier. Ingram bought it in 1984 and changed its name to Michael J. Grainger in 1996.

Amherst Madison intends to use the new “Ohio” as a spare boat to fill in for others in its fleet as they go in for scheduled major overhauls, said Robert McCoy, president.