CUSTOMER:

Golding Barge Line

Segment:

Inland Waterway, Barge

PRODUCT:

Engines

LOCATION:

Vicksburg, MS, USA

SCOPE OF ENGINE USE:

Cat^® 3512E Tier 4

Carrying petrochemical products throughout the entire U.S. inland waterway system requires a fine-tuned fleet. Since forming in 1995, Golding Barge Line has earned customers’ trust through efficient and dependable service on the water from Kentucky to Texas.

A SPECIALTY IN EFFICIENCY 

Golding Barge runs a highly specialized operation. The company’s boats are custom-built to the company’s unique specifications and powered by Cat^® marine solutions, including 3500 series engines.

That practice continues with the company’s current build expected for delivery in 2023. Golding Barge’s new boat will be its first vessel built for U.S. EPA Tier 4 emission standards and will be powered by three 3512E Cat engines.

CONTINUING TO COUNT ON CATERPILLAR

When starting the design process back in 2021, the company considered all components of the new vessel’s construction – accounting for owning and operating costs in addition to performance and reliability.

“We’re building a boat that we designed from the ground up, and we designed it around what we know,” says Rusty Moore, vice president of operations for Golding Barge. “The efficiency and reliability of the Cat 3500 engine series, which we know very well, was the determining factor in choosing the new boat’s engines.”

The Golding Barge team consulted its Cat dealer, Puckett Power Systems, to determine the best engine solution: “Puckett has been really important in our planning and making sure we’re getting the right Cat engine package for the job,” says Moore.

CAT® 3512E ENGINES: A FUEL-EFFICIENT FIT

Engine selection was a critical factor. In coordination with Puckett, Moore and the Golding Barge team chose the Cat 3512E engine system, optimized for fuel-efficiency. It was the right fit for maximum performance and low operating costs and offered the same powerful, reliable core engine the company has come to count on.

“The 3512 Cat engine in the current configuration is the backbone of our operation,” says Moore. “We like the engine, the performance and the cost to operate. All of those things are heavily weighted toward us staying with the 3512 in our future builds.”

Powered by a triple-screw 3512E configuration, Golding Barge has confidence that its first Tier 4 vessel will move efficiently – in terms of fuel consumption and operating costs – when the new vessel takes to the mainline river in 2023.

“This boat is a 40- to 50-year investment and was built with flexibility in mind,” says Moore. “It will be able to push anything from aggregate to oil. We trust that this vessel is going to work a long time.”