Christening Ceremony for 3 Towboats at Middle River Marine

Middle River Marine, based in Mokena, Illinois, added three towboats—namely, the M/V Carmalee Rose, Macey Lauren, and Ava Renee—to its fleet by acquiring Kindra Lake Towing in 2022. The christening ceremony for these vessels took place at the South Chicago Terminal this fall. With these additions, Middle River Marine now has a total of 11 vessels, along with nearly 100 barges and over 120 employees.

Within the Great Lakes and the inland river system, Middle River Marine provides marine and terminal services.

Special guests, including the Ozinga family, attended the event alongside team members from Middle River Marine. During the ceremony, President Aaron Halcomb extended a warm welcome and shared his knowledge of the boat christening traditions.

Marty Ozinga was honored to give Bibles to the captains of the three towboats and the namesakes of the ships, Macey and Ava (Carmalee was not present) in the event. 

Aaron Ozinga said a touching prayer at the end of the dedication ceremony, asking for a special blessing for the crews' and the ships' well-being. A shared dinner and moments of friendliness among the attendees marked the end of the celebration. The concluding remarks of Halcomb in the ceremony were: “We are pleased to expand our fleet and service capability from St. Louis to Lake Michigan”.