OpenTug

What does the barge industry look like in 2026? We're asking the people who know it best.

OpenTug has launched the 2026 State of the Barge Industry Survey to better understand the priorities, challenges and changes shaping inland marine transportation.

The anonymous survey covers key topics including operational workflows and challenges, workforce and industry outlook. It takes under 10 minutes to complete and will be turned into a full state of the industry report.

Following the survey, opt in for early access and the chance to win one of ten $25 gift cards.

Let your voice be heard! Take the survey today: https://na2.hubs.ly/H07Zblz0

What does a fully connected barge operation actually look like?

Today we're proud to announce that LeBeouf Bros Towing, LLC has completed the deployment of BargeOS across its commercial voyage and dispatch operations, invoice intelligence, marketing and performance indicator workflows.

The announcement represents more than a customer milestone. It reflects a broader shift as operators modernize the way voyages are planned, managed, and analyzed.

Read the full announcement here: https://na2.hubs.ly/H0708Fz0

🌊 Recent news in inland & coastal maritime

Federal investment is moving, but the Great Lakes shipping season is a reminder of what happens when it moves too slowly:

✔️ The Coast Guard finalized $3.3B in Arctic Security Cutter contracts. A scheduled WRDA 2026 markup was postponed in the same week. https://na2.hubs.ly/H06XHS90

✔️ The Lake Carriers' Association reported that U.S.-flagged Great Lakes shipping lost 82 ship days due to inadequate icebreaking. https://na2.hubs.ly/H06XHTZ0

✔️ Ports of Indiana secured a $25M BUILD grant from USDOT for a $32M expansion of its Jeffersonville port on the Ohio River. https://na2.hubs.ly/H06XKvF0

Want more updates like this? Subscribe to our newsletters here: https://na2.hubs.ly/H06XJZ30

The OpenTug team is headed to the Southwest Fertilizer Conference in New Orleans this week.

We're looking forward to connecting with customers, partners, and industry peers and hearing what's top of mind across the fertilizer and agricultural supply chain.

If you'll be there and would like to connect, reach out! We'd love to meet.

This week in industry news: Congressional action, infrastructure repairs, and private capital are all converging on the nation's waterways

✔️ CGB broke ground on a $47M expansion at Ports of Indiana–Mount Vernon, tripling soybean processing capacity and adding http://4.25 million bushels of grain storage.

✔️ The House Appropriations Committee passed a $http://9.8B FY27 Energy & Water bill including $250M for Lock and Dam 25 on the Upper Mississippi and $http://167.2M to complete Montgomery Lock on the Ohio River.

✔️ Lockport Lock fully reopened May 19 after a 49-day closure for major gate repairs, a critical choke point back online for commercial barge traffic.

✔️ The Waterways Journal is calling on public and private stakeholders to accelerate dredging project delivery and contracting efficiency, as more frequent flood and drought events increasingly threaten channel depths and supply chain reliability across the inland network.

Want more updates like this? Subscribe to our newsletters here: https://na2.hubs.ly/H0698V20

🌊 Recent news in inland & coastal maritime

Season openers, infrastructure milestones, and a major policy shift are all hitting at once:

✔️ A 60-day Jones Act waiver has opened U.S. coastal energy routes to foreign vessels, drawing strong pushback from inland operators over supply chain stability and long-term impact
✔️ The Port of Virginia completed a 55-ft channel expansion, positioning itself to handle the largest vessels calling the East Coast
✔️ The Soo Locks opened for the 2026 season, kicking off Great Lakes cargo movement as spring demand begins to build

Want more updates like this? Subscribe to our newsletters here: https://na2.hubs.ly/H04G_y70

OpenTug is hiring!

We’re looking for a full-time junior to mid-level full stack engineer to join our Seattle team.

You’ll work across all layers of BargeOS™, contributing to a fast-moving product in a uniquely complex industry.

If you’re interested in making a meaningful impact at a startup focused on transforming barge logistics, we’d like to hear from you!

Apply here: https://na2.hubs.ly/H04DyXb0

There is a hidden cost structure in barge logistics.

Most freight discussions focus on rate negotiations, but some of the biggest cost drivers sit inside operational workflows.

Across many inland logistics teams we see the same friction points:
• Tracking and planning happening in spreadsheets
• Limited visibility into barge utilization and cycle times
• Dedicated programs constrained by operational capacity
• Freight invoices validated manually
• Demurrage exposure identified too late

When those processes become digitized and connected, several things start to happen:
✔ Teams manage more volume with the same people
✔ Idle or buffer capacity drops
✔ Freight strategies become easier to execute consistently
✔ Invoice validation and demurrage attribution improve

The result goes beyond operational convenience exposing structural cost improvement across entire logistics portfolios.

Explore our invoice intelligence tools here: https://na2.hubs.ly/H04tLvh0

Planning decisions in marine logistics aren’t made with a lack of data, they’re made with too many disconnected signals.

✔️ Refinery schedules
✔️ Equipment availability
✔️ Cleaning requirements
✔️ Contract terms

Most teams are still stitching those together across spreadsheets and inboxes, then making high-stakes calls on incomplete context.

That’s why we developed Signal Optimization as a part of BargeOS Commercial Planning Module to bring those inputs into a single planning workflow. Now teams can compare options and assign the right asset with more clarity.

Signal Optimization is now in beta.

Read our full press release here: https://na2.hubs.ly/H04nFsz0

OpenTug Introduces Signal Optimization to Help Marine Logistics Teams Plan Smarter /PRNewswire/ -- OpenTug today announced Signal Optimization, a new BargeOS capability designed to help marine logistics teams plan demand by matching the right...

The agricultural supply chain is shaped by forces far beyond the farm.

Looking ahead to the rest of 2026, a few factors are becoming impossible to ignore from trade policy shifts to climate volatility affecting waterways and export logistics.

In our latest blog, we break down "five forces likely to impact agricultural supply chains this year", including:

• Trade policy and global market dynamics
• Climate volatility and waterway reliability
• Infrastructure and freight capacity constraints
• Changing global demand patterns
• The growing role of digital visibility in logistics

Understanding the macro forces shaping the system helps logistics teams make better operational decisions on the ground.
Read the full breakdown:
https://na2.hubs.ly/H04jWpy0