VESSEL REVIEW | Callaway Parker – New inland pusher tug to support Parker Towing's liquid cargo transport activities

Parker Towing Company of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has been operating the pusher tug Callaway Parker on the Black Warrior and Warrior-Tombigbee rivers since taking delivery of the vessel from Verret Shipyard of Plaquemine, Louisiana, in March 2025. The 2,000hp (1,500kW) twin-screw boat joined the company's liquid division, where it pushes tank barges for Hunt Refining in Tuscaloosa.

Registered gross and net tonnages are 344 and 103, respectively, under Subpart B, and 313 gross and 257 net under the regulatory measurement rules.

The boat measures 86 by 30 by 11 feet (26 by 9.1 by 3.4 metres) overall, and Verret describes it as a conventional three-deck pusher built to the yard's own design. At the christening, Verret Shipyard owner Ted Verret told guests that Callaway Parker is based on the yard's standard 2,000hp model, a design long used by inland operators.

Propulsion comes from two Caterpillar C32A main engines that each produce 1,000 hp (750 kW) at 1,800 rpm. Power passes through Karl Senner-supplied Reintjes WAF 573 reduction gears with a 7:1 ratio to fixed-pitch steel propellers that measure 80 by 62 inches (2,000 by 1,600 mm) and turn on seven-inch shafts fitted with Duramax seals.

Proven propulsion coupled with comprehensive electronics suite

East Park Radiator grid coolers manage engine cooling. Two Caterpillar 4.4 marine generator sets, rated at 75 kW each, supply the ship's service power.

Steering is provided by two main rudders and four flanking rudders, controlled by a fully redundant electric-over-hydraulic system from Custom Hydraulic Components. Machinery is monitored by an Eagle Controls vessel alarm system that covers 42 points.

The hull's tanks hold 28,000 gallons (110,000 litres) of fuel, 12,250 gallons (46,370 litres) of freshwater, 6,700 gallons (25,000 litres) of potable water, 5,400 gallons (20,000 litres) of dirty bilge and 260 gallons (980 litres) each of dirty, hydraulic, lube and gear oil.

The wheelhouse has an eye level of 29 feet (8.8 metres). Its equipment includes Furuno radars and a 19-inch LCD monitor, along with three VHF radios, a swing meter, a sounder and a bridge watch system. Mounted above the wheelhouse are two Carlisle and Finch xenon searchlights and a Kahlenberg duplex air horn.

Interiors laid out to ensure enhanced comfort

On deck, the boat carries two 40-ton Patterson winches, and the tow knees and hull are protected by fenders from M&M Bumpers.

The accommodation is heated and air-conditioned, providing four staterooms for a crew of seven, two baths and showers, and a 12-person Ahead sanitation system. Fire-resistant paneling and ceilings designed to dampen sound and vibration are installed in the crew quarters, galley and wheelhouse.

The builder said that its system for reducing noise and providing insulation leaves the boat free of vibration and that the interior was finished to feel like a home for crew coming off watch.

On the boat's maiden voyage from the shipyard, Captain William "Freddy" Sheppard was at the helm and described Callaway Parker as, "tough, reliable and handles like a pro." He said the new vessel, "ain't no love boat. It's a work boat."