General Marine Services
Family-owned inland marine transportation company operating one of the largest barge fleets in the U.S. Southeast, transporting dry and liquid bulk commodities across inland waterways for industrial, utility, steel, and chemical customers via a barge-truck-rail terminal network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1933
- HeadquartersBaton Rouge, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What General Marine Services does
General Marine Services operates as a family-owned inland marine transportation platform under the Parker Towing Company, Inc. brand, headquartered in Tuscaloosa, Alabama with a Liquid Division in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The company traces its origins to 1933 (with formal incorporation in 1940 under Captain Tim Parker) and has been continuously family-controlled across generations. It operates one of the largest barge fleets in the U.S. Southeast, consisting of 400+ open and covered hopper barges, 30,000 BBL of tank barge capacity, and 20+ towboats ranging from 700 to 4,600 horsepower, supported by seven company-owned intermodal terminals across Alabama and Tennessee (Port of Decatur, Birmingham Marine Terminal, Tuscaloosa County Riverport, Pickens County Port, Centre South Port, Mobile Barge Terminal, and Nashville Marine Terminal).
The business serves industrial and manufacturing customers — including utilities, steel manufacturers, cement producers, mining operators, petroleum refiners, and chemical manufacturers — through four revenue streams: dry cargo transportation (coal, DRI, cement, aggregates, steel products, forest products, project cargo), liquid cargo transportation (asphalt, petrochemicals, refined products, black oil products, agricultural chemicals), terminal/intermodal operations linking barges, trucks, and rail, and machine shop services via affiliated partners. The technology platform centers on pioneering electronic charting with Differential GPS and radar integration for navigation safety; the company is certified under the American Waterways Operators Responsible Carrier Program and targets zero injuries and zero environmental incidents.
The go-to-market is direct B2B enterprise contracting, with named long-term relationships such as dedicated vessels for Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa (Miss Morgan) and Alabama Electric Cooperative (Touchstone), and the legacy DeBardelaben Coal relationship dating to the 1940 founding. Service coverage spans the Black Warrior, Tennessee-Tombigbee, Tennessee, Cumberland, Ohio, Mississippi, Intracoastal, and Mobile Bay waterways, with extended reach to Minneapolis, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Houston. Pricing is contracted transaction-fee based and not publicly disclosed. Leadership includes Gene Moore as CEO and President and Timothy Mize Parker III in a president role, reflecting the multi-generational family management structure.
General Marine Services firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- General Marine Services
- Legal name
- Parker Towing Company, Inc.
- Website
- https://gmsbr.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1933
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Family-owned inland marine transportation company operating one of the largest barge fleets in the U.S. Southeast, transporting dry and liquid bulk commodities across inland waterways for industrial, utility, steel, and chemical customers via a barge-truck-rail terminal network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
General Marine Services industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Inland Marine Transportation
- NAICS
- Inland Water Transportation (48321), Marine Cargo Handling (488320)
- SIC
- Water Transportation (4400)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Barge & Offshore Towage (Barge Moves, Rig/Platform Tows) (TLAHAHAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Bulk Transloading & Intermodal Bulk Transfer Facilities (Rail/Truck/Conveyor/Barge) (TLAHABAN)
Keywords
Where General Marine Services is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Baton Rouge
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
General Marine Services business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Dry Cargo Transportation: Transportation of dry bulk commodities including coal, DRI, cement, cement clinker, metallic ores, petroleum coke, aggregates, ferro-alloys, steel products, scrap metals, forest products, machinery and project cargo using a fleet of open and covered hopper barges. Services include movement to domestic coal plants, utilities, and export to New Orleans/Mobile areas.
- Liquid Cargo Transportation: Transportation of liquid commodities including asphalt, petrochemicals, refined products, black oil products, and agricultural chemicals using a fleet of 30,000 BBL tank barges. Provides consistent transit times and frequency with maximum flexibility for schedule changes.
- Terminal Operations: Operation of terminals for loading and unloading barges at multiple Alabama and Tennessee locations. Provides intermodal transfer services linking barges, trucks, and rail. Handles broad range of dry cargo commodities.
- Machine Shop Services: Marine and industrial machine shop services including repair, rebuild, new machining, and fabrication of parts and equipment. Specialized services include gearbox and pump rebuilds, welding capabilities, and time-critical jobs.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
General Marine Services product offering
Product offeringCore offering
General Marine Services operates inland waterway barge transportation for dry bulk and liquid commodities via its fleet of over 400 open and covered hopper barges, 30,000 BBL tank barges, and towboats ranging from 700 to 4,600 horsepower. The company also operates seven ports and terminals across Alabama and Tennessee that provide intermodal transfer between barges, trucks, and rail, supplemented by marine and industrial machine shop repair services through affiliated partners.
Product overview
Parker Towing Company operates as a unified barge transportation platform offering dry cargo and liquid bulk shipping services through its fleet of over 400 open and covered hopper barges and 30,000 BBL tank barges, pushed by towboats ranging from 700 to 4,600 horsepower. The company integrates vessel operations with a network of seven ports and terminals across Alabama and Tennessee that provide intermodal transfer links between barges, trucks, and rail. Supporting these core operations are machine shop services through affiliated partners for marine repair and industrial fabrication. The fleet serves the Warrior-Tombigbee, Tennessee-Tombigbee, Tennessee, Cumberland, Ohio, Upper and Lower Mississippi, Intracoastal East Waterways, and Mobile Bay, with extended service to Minneapolis, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Houston.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Liquid Division: Tank barge operations for asphalt, petrochemicals, refined products, black oil products, and agricultural chemicals on the inland waterway system.
- Parker Mobile Fleet
Products and services
- Dry Cargo Services Transportation of dry bulk commodities including coal, DRI, finished cement, cement clinker, metallic ores, petroleum and metallurgical cokes, aggregates, ferro-alloys, steel products, scrap metals, forest products, machinery, and project cargo using a fleet of open and covered hopper barges for industrial and manufacturing customers.
- Liquid Division Movement of liquid commodities including asphalt, petrochemicals, refined products, black oil products, and agricultural chemicals using a fleet of 30,000 BBL tank barges on the inland waterway system, providing consistent transit times and maximum scheduling flexibility.
- Vessels (Towboat Fleet) Operation of towboats ranging from 700 to 4,600 horsepower, including named vessels such as Alice Parker, Bobby Joe James, Charles Haun, Megan Parker, and Olive Parker, serving the Warrior-Tombigbee, Tenn-Tom, Tennessee, Cumberland, Ohio, Mississippi, Intracoastal, and Mobile Bay waterways.
- Ports and Terminals Operation of seven intermodal terminals for loading and unloading barges across Alabama and Tennessee, including Port of Decatur, Birmingham Marine Terminal, Tuscaloosa County Riverport, Pickens County Port, Centre South Port, Mobile Barge Terminal, and Nashville Marine Terminal, linking barges, trucks, and rail.
- Machine Shop Services Marine and industrial repair, rebuild, new machining, and fabrication services delivered through affiliated partners Whistler Machine Works and Snow's Machine, including gearbox and pump rebuilds, welding capabilities, and CNC machining for time-critical jobs.
Quantifiable outcome
- One barge hauls equivalent to 65 tractor-trailer trucks or 15 rail cars, reducing highway congestion and emissions
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use General Marine Services
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
General Marine Services technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
General Marine Services partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
General Marine Services competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Marquette Transportation Company: Marquette is an inland marine transportation operator running towboats and barges on the Mississippi River, Ohio River, Illinois River, and Gulf Intracoastal Waterway — a direct comparable to Parker Towing's fleet and corridor business.
- Ingram Marine Group: Ingram Barge Company is one of the largest U.S. inland marine transportation operators, moving dry and liquid bulk on the Mississippi River System and connecting waterways — directly comparable to Parker Towing's bulk barge and terminal model, with materially larger geographic footprint.
- American Commercial Lines: ACL operates one of the largest fleets of barges and towboats on the U.S. inland waterways, transporting dry and liquid cargo comparable to Parker Towing's dry cargo and liquid division offerings.
- Kirby Corporation: Kirby is the largest U.S. operator of tank barges, transporting petrochemicals, refined products, and black oil — directly comparable to Parker Towing's Liquid Division tank barge business and a model for scaling regional liquid operations.
- Canal Barge Company: Canal Barge operates a fleet of inland towboats and barges on the Mississippi River system for liquid and dry bulk, with a comparable diversified commodity profile to Parker Towing's dry cargo and liquid division.
- SCF Marine (St. Louis Cargo/Four River): SCF Marine provides barge transportation and fleeting services on the Mississippi River and connecting inland waterways, overlapping with Parker Towing's towboat/barge operations and terminal-handling model.
Regional players
- Vane Brothers: Vane Brothers operates tugboats and barges primarily along the U.S. East Coast and Mid-Atlantic — comparable to Parker Towing's towboat fleet deployment but serving different regional waters, making it a regional rather than direct competitor.
- Cooper/Consolidated (Consolidated Marine Partners): Regional Gulf/Inland barge operators and terminal providers handle dry and liquid bulk similar to Parker Towing's commodity mix; they compete for Gulf-intercoastal and lower Mississippi cargoes that touch Parker Towing's Mobile Barge Terminal reach.
- Genesis Marine LLC: Genesis Marine operates inland towboats on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and Mississippi River system moving dry bulk, comparable to Parker Towing's dry cargo business in adjacent regional waters.
Broad incumbents
- SEACOR Holdings: SEACOR is a diversified marine services holding company whose inland and nearshore operations overlap with Parker Towing's inland barge transport, though SEACOR operates across multiple marine segments at a larger scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
General Marine Services social profiles
Digital presenceGeneral Marine Services compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
General Marine Services financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
General Marine Services leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
General Marine Services funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
General Marine Services M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about General Marine Services
What does General Marine Services do?
General Marine Services operates inland waterway barge transportation for dry bulk and liquid commodities via its fleet of over 400 open and covered hopper barges, 30,000 BBL tank barges, and towboats ranging from 700 to 4,600 horsepower. The company also operates seven ports and terminals across Alabama and Tennessee that provide intermodal transfer between barges, trucks, and rail, supplemented by marine and industrial machine shop repair services through affiliated partners.
Is General Marine Services a public or private company?
General Marine Services is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was General Marine Services founded?
General Marine Services was founded in 1933. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is General Marine Services based?
General Marine Services is headquartered in Baton Rouge, United States, in the North America region.
How does General Marine Services make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Dry Cargo Transportation is the primary driver. The others are liquid Cargo Transportation, terminal Operations and machine Shop Services.
Who are General Marine Services's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Marquette Transportation Company, Ingram Marine Group, American Commercial Lines, Kirby Corporation, Canal Barge Company and SCF Marine (St. Louis Cargo/Four River). Regional players are Vane Brothers, Cooper/Consolidated (Consolidated Marine Partners) and Genesis Marine LLC. SEACOR Holdings is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does General Marine Services have an API?
No public API is recorded for General Marine Services.
What industry is General Marine Services in?
General Marine Services's product category is Inland Marine Transportation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAHAHAF, Barge & Offshore Towage (Barge Moves, Rig/Platform Tows), with a secondary code of TLAHABAN, Bulk Transloading & Intermodal Bulk Transfer Facilities (Rail/Truck/Conveyor/Barge). Its NAICS code is 48321 and its SIC code is 4400.