M/V Marne B repowered with Mitsubishi Tier 3 engines

The Marne B. (Credit: Industry Terminal & Salvage)

A towboat operating on the inland waterways has been repowered with new main engines as part of an effort to extend its service life and maintain operational performance.

The M/V Marne B, owned by Pa.-based Industry Terminal & Salvage Inc., has been fitted with twin Mitsubishi S12R Tier 3 engines, each rated at 1,350 horsepower at 1,600 rpm. The project replaced a pair of Caterpillar 3512 engines previously installed on the vessel.

The vessel, which formerly operated under the name Kimberly Jane, was updated to align engine output with its operating profile while supporting continued service on inland routes.

According to Laborde Products, the repower represents its second project involving the replacement of Caterpillar 3512 engines with Mitsubishi R-series engines on a towboat platform commonly used across the inland fleet.

For the vessel’s owner, the work focused on maintaining reliability while transitioning away from its previous engine configuration.

“This boat has a long working history, and the goal was to keep it moving forward with a strong repower,” said Donald Checkan, vice president of operations at Industry Terminal & Salvage Inc. “Laborde understood the application and handled the conversion in a way that made sense for how the Marne B operates today.”

The repower also builds on prior experience with similar conversions, with an emphasis on matching engine performance to vessel requirements and minimizing disruption to operations.

“These projects come down to understanding the existing platform and applying the engines correctly,” said Dan Walsh, sales representative at Laborde Products. “With the Marne B, the focus was on horsepower, operating speed, and getting the vessel back into service with a straightforward, supportable setup.”

Industry Terminal & Salvage operates towing vessels, shipyards and stevedoring operations supporting terminal and vessel activity across inland waterways.