Chem Carriers Christens Pair Of Towboats From Steiner Construction
Chem Carriers, a Plaquemine, La.-based marine operator with a fleet of 15 towboats and 52 tank barges and a 174-barge fleet at Mile 207 on the Lower Mississippi River, held a christening ceremony May 2 in Channelview, Texas, to celebrate the company’s two newest towboats, the mv. Jeff O. Norgress and the mv. John R. Williams.
Steiner Construction of Bayou La Batre, Ala., delivered the John R. Williams late last year, with the Jeff O. Norgress following in January. Entech and Chem Carriers’ owner Frank Banta teamed up on the design for the Norgress and Williams, which both feature retractable pilothouses.
The Norgress is named for Chem Carriers’ executive vice president, Jeff Norgress, who has been with the company close to 10 years. He started out handling claims for Chem Carriers, but he later moved over to the sales and operations side of the business.
“I wanted to grow and become well-rounded,” Norgress said. “I didn’t want to stay stagnant.”
Nick Kohnke, director of marketing for Chem Carriers, praised Norgress for his leadership style.
“Jeff is one of the best leaders I’ve ever worked with because he leads from the front,” Kohnke said.
One example Kohnke shared was when Chem Carriers was opening a new fleeting location in the Houston area. Norgress and the port captain there spent all day in a skiff surveying to document the depths throughout the fleet.
“That’s the kind of leader he is,” Kohnke said.
Norgress said he learned of the plan to name a boat after him near the start of construction.
“I was speechless,” Norgress said. “I’m not an emotional person, but that made my emotions rise to the surface.”
Speaking at the christening, Norgress was sure to thank his colleagues at Chem Carriers.
“I told them that I wouldn’t be standing there if it wasn’t for everyone in the organization,” he said. “Any one of Chem Carriers’ employees deserves that honor.”
The Williams is named for John Williams, longtime logistics manager at Chem Carriers who has more than 30 years of experience in the maritime industry. He joined Chem Carriers in 2006.
Williams, like Norgress, learned about his namesake vessel from Chem Carriers owner Frank Banta Jr.
“I was in his office talking about a deal I’d been working on, and when I turned to leave, Frankie said, ‘Wait a minute. I need you to help me name this boat,’” Williams said.
Williams recalled jokingly replying, “I don’t know which Banta to pick.”
“He said, ‘We’re going to build this boat, and we’re going to name it after you,’” Williams said. “His eyes were red, and so were mine. It was a really humbling experience.”
Williams, who earned the nickname “The Professor” from one of the company’s customers for the way he trains others in logistics, said the past 18 years at Chem Carriers have been exciting.
“Frankie is one of the best bosses I’ve ever had,” Williams said. “We’ve built this company up from 16 barges to where we are today, and that’s pretty remarkable.”
The mvs. Jeff O. Norgress and John R. Williams are the first Chem Carriers towboats to carry names other than Banta and Hays. Banta started the company, and his brother, Robert, serves as port captain. Banta’s son-in-law, Ben Hays, is chief operating officer.
Banta said, while he believes everyone in the company is worthy of a namesake vessel, Norgress and Williams’ names rose to the top.
“John’s been here forever, and Jeff’s done such a great job,” said Banta, who later added, “They were both extremely humbled. Both of them took a step back and had a lot of thanks and gratitude. They’re two of the most deserving people, and that’s a pretty long list.”
More About The Vessels
The mvs. Jeff O. Norgress and John R. Williams both measure 76 feet by 32 feet with a 10-foot molded depth and open wheels. Each vessel features a pair of Mitsubishi S6R2 main engines from Laborde Products which produce a total of 1,600 hp. Those main engines, paired with Twin Disc MGX5321 reduction gears from Sewart Supply, turn 82-inch by 65-inch Dominator propellers from Jefferson Propeller.
“They spin bigger wheels at a higher RPM,” Kohnke said. “Frankie believes in bigger wheels and rudders. When you have a larger rudder, it captures the whole force of the wheels.”
For that approach to thrust, along with the hull lines, Banta credited Ken Hoffmeister.
“He’s got a lot of knowledge of water flow and hull design,” Banta said. “He always told me you size the propeller for the horsepower, then design the boat around that.”
The vessels have tankage for 28,345 gallons of fuel, 5,400 gallons of potable water, 506 gallons of lube oil, 506 gallons of slop oil and 1,400 gallons of gray water. Seals are by Simplan, and bearings are by Duramax. Ship service power comes from a pair of John Deere 4045 99 kw. generators from Stanley Parts.
East Park Radiator supplied the cooling system aboard the Jeff O. Norgress and the John R. Williams, Baton Rouge Marine Electric provided the alarms, and Gulf Coast Air & Hydraulics supplied the electric-over-hydraulic steering system.
The mv. Jeff O. Norgress and the mv. John R. Williams both have accommodations for an eight-person crew across four staterooms. Wheelhouse Electronics supplied the vessels’ electronics and communication equipment. Price Refrigeration installed the air conditioning units. Hiller supplied the fire safety equipment. Kern Martin of Coden, Ala., installed the deckhouse flooring, paneling and ceilings. On deck, the Jeff Norgress and John Williams feature a pair of Nabrico DF-1 deck winches. Fendering is by Schuyler Maritime. Coatings are by Sherwin Williams.
The Jeff Norgress and John Williams are similar in design to a pair of retractables Chem Carriers christened in 2021. Kohnke said the company stuck with that design for good reason.
“They’ve gotten rave reviews from both our crews and our customers,” he said. “They’re both retractables, and we need those for operating in Houston under the bridges.”
Caption for top photo: The mv. Jeff O. Norgress and mv. John R. Williams, christened May 2 in Channelview, Texas. (Digital Racquet photo)
For more photos from the christening ceremony, click on the slideshow below (photos by Digital Racquet):
