Pittsburgh, Pa.- headquartered Campbell Transportation (CTC) recently repowered its 48-year-old towing vessel Lincoln Thomas, replacing its original 850-hp Cummins KTA38s main engines with a pair of 850-hp Mitsubishi S12A2s main power plants.
The new lighter and smaller Mitsubishi engines were supplied by Texas-based Laborde Products and the replacement work was carried out at the Amherst Madison shipyard in Charleston, W.Va. The vessel successfully completed its sea trials with the new engines in late March.
The Lincoln Thomas was built in 1975 as the Venture II by F.B. Walker & Sons in Pascagoula, Ms.
The twin-screw, steel-hulled towboat is officially rated at 1,000 hp and is equipped with ZF reduction gears, at a ratio of 7:1. Her engines turn two, stainless steel, fixed pitch propellers.
The vessel was one of eight towboats and 25 dry- and liquid-cargo barges operated by E Squared Marine Service LLC, the marine operations of which were acquired by Campbell Transportation in April 2022.
At the time, Campbell said the acquisition “is a significant expansion of Campbell’s tank barge operations providing an operating and fleeting location in Houston, Texas.”
In March 2023, Campbell Transportation signed a definitive purchase agreement to acquire the majority of the marine assets owned by NGL Marine, LLC.
Once the acquisition is completed, CTC will own or operate over 1,250 barges throughout the inland waterway system, including 95 tank barges. The company’s fleet is comprised of assets working in both the dry cargo and liquid cargo trades and is supported by the operation of more than 60 towboats.