Bouchard Transportation Co. christens two new vessels M/V Donna J. Bouchard & Bouchard B. No. 272

Bouchard Transportation Co., the nation’s largest independently owned oceangoing petroleum barge companies celebrated the naming of the M/V Donna J. Bouchard and the B. No. 272 at the christening ceremony held on Thursday, February 18th  in New Orleans, LA., the Company said in a press release.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of VT Halter Marine and ExxonMobil / SeaRiver Maritime.

Vessel sponsor Mrs. Joan Lesniewski, wife of Robert Lesniewski of ExxonMobil/SeaRiver Maritime performed the ceremonious breaking of the champagne bottles.

The barge, B. No. 272, was launched at VT Halter’s Pascagoula Operations in Pascagoula, Mississippi, on November 20, 2015. The tug, Donna J. Bouchard, was launched at VT Halter’s Moss Point Marine facility in Escatawpa, Mississippi, on September 15, 2015, and is named after the sister of Morton S. Bouchard III, President/CEO of Bouchard Transportation Co., Inc. Constructed independently of each other, and now paired, the M/V Donna J. Bouchard and B. No. 272 are now classified alongside the Kim.

M Bouchard & B. No. 270 as the largest vessels to date in Bouchard's ongoing fleet expansion program. These are the second of two Articulated Tug Barge (ATB) units constructed by VT Halter Marine, Inc. (VT Halter Marine), a company of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems).

The B. No. 272 measures 628 feet by 91 feet by 47 feet, has a 255,000-barrel capacity, and is ABS and USCG certified for Jones Act service. The Donna J. Bouchard is a 10,000hp twin screw ATB tug and is classed by ABS as A1 Towing Vessel, Dual Mode ATB, USCG Subchapter M, and is equipped with an Intercon Coupler System. Paired with Barge B. No. 272, the unit will be used to transport petroleum products for Bouchard Transportation Co., Inc.

About Bouchard Transportation Co., Inc. Bouchard Transportation’s history dates back to its incorporation in 1918 by founder, Capt. Fred Bouchard, the youngest tugboat captain in the Port of New York. Bouchard is a family owned business and the nation’s largest independently-owned ocean-going petroleum barge company. The company’s areas of operation span all four coasts of the United States: East, Gulf, West and Great Lakes. The fleet consists of 25 barges ranging from 25,000 to 252,000 barrels and 26 tugs ranging from 3,000 to 10,000 horsepower.