IMS To Manage Five ARTCO Line Boats
A week after announcing a vessel-management agreement with Tennessee Valley Towing, Inland Marine Service (IMS) made another major announcement on September 24: the Hebron, Ky., firm will be responsible for operating five of the large line-haul towboats in the American River Transportation Company (ARTCO) fleet. Under the agreement, IMS will manage more than 90 ARTCO crew members.
“It’s an honor to be working with ARTCO’s marine transportation team,” said Dave Hammond, president of IMS. “The entire 800-plus proud, professional mariners of Inland Marine Service are excited to maintain health and safety standards, ensure navigational safety, take on complex compliance issues, and provide continuous improvement for each ARTCO vessel we are entrusted to operate. Our primary goal is to add great value to ARTCO.”
The new agreement is just the latest in what has been a busy year for IMS. In May, IMS partnered with James Marine to form Mavericks Towboat Solutions. That partnership just completed its first purchase of seven harbor boats from Ingram Barge Company. Earlier this month, IMS completed a deal with TVT, resulting in the operation of TVT’s entire fleet of more than 20 towboats on the inland waterways. IMS currently employs more than 800 professional mariners, manages 57 vessels, owns seven vessels, and is still growing.
Inland Marine Service’s turnkey solutions ensure that each client is instantly compliant with personnel and shoreside management requirements of Subchapter M. IMS undergoes all audits in place of its clients and saves them from having to hire safety and compliance personnel. IMS compliance programs are immediate, approved and certified in the changing regulatory worlds of the Responsible Carrier Program, TMSA, and SIRE.
ARTCO’s operations include line-haul vessels, harbor boats, covered hopper barges, tank barges, harbor and fleeting services, and a full-service shipyard. ARTCO also provides a third-party towing service on the Lower Mississippi, Upper Mississippi, Illinois, and Ohio rivers.
Inland Marine Service is one of the largest vessel management providers in the U.S. The company’s services include vessel management, planned maintenance, compliance management, harbor services, training, safety, and marine insurance.
