Cooper Marine and Timberlands (CMT) recently handled its first liquid vessel transfer, or lightering operation, at its facility on the Mobile River. Working hand-in-hand with the cargo’s receiver and the U.S. Coast Guard, approximately 8,000 metric tons of product were successfully discharged from the tanker, then transported by barge to the customer’s facility, as well as various other facilities along the Mobile River and Tombigbee River.

Historically, these barges were loaded in the New Orleans region along the Mississippi River and then towed to Mobile. The new approach of bringing the vessel directly to Mobile saved the customer substantial transportation costs and created a more efficient way of meeting the customer’s growing need for reliable delivery.

CMT looks forward to serving our customer and other chemical facilities in its network for many years to come.