Loadstar Adds Barge Fleeting Services At Lower Miss Mile 166

Loadstar, a product handling and site logistics company based in Baton Rouge, La., recently expanded its services by offering barge fleeting.

The fleet is located at Mile 166 on the Lower Mississippi near Donaldsonville, La., just below the Sunshine Bridge. It is owned by American Styrenics (AmSty). AmSty contracted with Loadstar to provide a crewed 1,250 hp. vessel, the Cristo Santo, to operate and continuously monitor the fleet which supports the AmSty plant located there.

The fleet is open to the industry. Services include shifting, vessel inspection, fleeting, make-ready and other support services. Fleeting space is available for up to 28 barges, depending on vessel size.

“We are very pleased to add barge fleeting to our service offerings,” said Loadstar CEO Brian Haymon, adding, “Fleeting complements our other services to AmSty including operating the dock and providing tankermen to load and unload barges.”

“Loadstar offers the industry a prime fleeting location,” said Brett Murray, Loadstar vice president. “In addition, our proprietary Aegis logistics software gives customers real-time information on vessel movement and status through a secure portal. AmSty management at the plant and Houston headquarters have a dashboard of key information accessible from their smart phones or desktop.”

“This technology is available to any company using the fleet,” Murray added.   

The mv. Cristo Santo is equipped with Aegis logistics software, which provides a dashboard of vessel information and other key personnel to American Styrenics personnel in the plant and at the company’s corporate office in Houston. These technologies could be expanded to other customers interested in fleeting services.

JCW Creative developed the Aegis software for Loadstar. Aegis is also used in Loadstar’s tankerman operations and allows barge companies to receive product transfer information in real time. Aegis also tracks hours worked, incidents and procedures, and provides extensive analytics capabilities.

Loadstar began its operations in 2021. It has been recognized for safety and operational excellence, and as one of the Best Places to Work for two consecutive years. To learn more, visit www.loadstar.com.

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Featured photo caption: The 1,250 hp. mv. Cristo Santo, operated by Loadstar, has been assigned to work American Styrenic’s new barge fleet at Mile 166 on the Lower Mississippi River. (Photo courtesy of Loadstar)