Parker Towing Company of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, recently held a dual naming ceremony for two of its inland pusher tugs.
The tugs that were christened earlier this month are the recently delivered Callaway Parker and the 2021-built Olive Parker. The vessels' namesakes are the two daughters of Parker Towing President and CEO Tim Parker.
Callaway Parker was delivered earlier this year following completion at Verret Shipyard in Plaquemine, Louisiana. The tug has a length of 86 feet (26 metres), a beam of 30 feet (nine metres), and two Caterpillar C32 1,000hp (750kW) diesel engines that drive propellers via Reintjes gearboxes.
Callaway Parker will be operated primarily along the Black Warrior River and the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway.
Olive Parker was built by Belle Chasse, Louisiana-based C&C Marine and Repair. She measures 147.5 by 34 feet (45 by 10 metres) and is powered by two Caterpillar 3516 diesel engines that each produce 2,200 hp (1,640 kW).
The tug will handle barges transporting grain, steel and coal along the Tennessee River, the Black Warrior River, and the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway.
