The Waterways Journal
19 June 2006
By Nelson Spencer Jr.
Brownsville (Pa.) Marine Products slid its first barge into the river April 26.
The shipyard has resurrected barge building at a location where there have been thousands of barges constructed and launched by predecessor companies — primarily Hillman Barge & Construction — dating back to 1939. The yard is located about 40 miles south of Pittsburgh at Mile 57 on the Monongahela River.
Open hopper barge for Heartland Barge Management sits atop marine ways.
Splash marks first barge launch for Brownsville Marine Products.
The barge is the first of 20 that the new shipyard is manufacturing for Heartland Barge Management LLC, which in turn will charter them to the Memphis Division of APAC-Tennessee Inc. for use in its asphalt and concrete paving operations.
The barges are 195- by 35- by 12-foot open hoppers with two-foot coamings. Heavily built, they have 5/8-inch inner bottoms, 1/2-inch hopper walls, 5/8-inch knuckles and 3/4-inch corners.
Successive barges will be launched at a rate of one a week.
After the initial 20, Brownsville Marine will build six similar barges for Greer Industries Inc., Morgantown, W.Va., also for the aggregate trade.
Brian Mueller of Columbia, Ill., and Joe Rose of Scottsdale, Ariz., owners of Heartland, purchased the yard from HBC Barge in November 2005. It had been in bankruptcy since December 2004.