MEMBER PROFILE – ASSOCIATE
Of their fleet, 134 are deck barges used for many construction
projects, including large piling projects and bridge construction.
For a New Orleans company, of course, hurricane season may
be top of mind throughout the year.
“We’re now in hurricane season,” said Eaves. “All our barges,
equipment and facilities have a plan and, as soon as the trigger is
pulled, we activate our business continuity plan covering what we’re
going to do and where everybody’s going to be. We have complete
coordination by phone and other systems that cover our people and
equipment, as well as all the boats. In the event of an evacuation or
major threat to continuity, we will have a general meeting every day
to ensure we stay coordinated and safe throughout the event.”
As far as safety, Canal Barge adheres to the American
Waterways Operators’ Responsible Carriers Program and has
been recognized for its emphasis on safety with the “Jones F.
Devlin Awards and Environmental Achievement Awards from
the Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA), and two William M.
Benkert Awards for Marine Environmental Protection from the
U.S. Coast Guard,” according to the company website.
“Internally and externally – even the vendors we use – have
to meet the same standards Canal Barge requires. We have a huge
pride in continuously improving our safety culture and results,”
said Durr.
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Durr says that the company is diverse enough and well placed
to withstand any challenges thrown its way.
“We really focus on bringing value to our customers through
project management, including managing the towing and the barges
to the project, and strive be the logistical solution for our customers,
and not just a barge rental company,” said Durr. “So we really
pride ourselves on being problem solvers.
“From everything I’ve seen from the construction and infrastructure
market, the work coming up in the next five years, to
2020, looks pretty strong. There’s a lot of federal money coming
out for bridgework and infrastructure projects. The other side of
the business, supporting the depressed oil and gas industry, is obviously
affecting the whole economy, so we’re seeing some slowdown
on that end, but the construction market looks promising.”
As for membership to the Pile Driving Contractors
Association, that’s a new thing for the company.
“PDCA is new to us this year,” said Durr. “We’ve supported
the industry for a long time, but being a member of PDCA is new
to Canal Barge. I brought it to CBC’s attention because I knew it
would be a good idea to be involved in the pile driving and construction
community.” t
rpi equipment, llc | 26 W Main Street Mount Ephraim, NJ 08059 | (877) 757-1965 | rpiequipment.com
126 | QUARTER 3 2016
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