Liquid Bulk Barge Operations
Companies transporting chemicals and petroleum by inland barge.
Market snapshot
These figures describe Inland Waterway & Barge (10.4.4), the segment that Liquid Bulk Barge Operations sits within — not Liquid Bulk Barge Operations on its own.
- Market size
- ~$8B
- Growth
- ~5.3%CAGR (2017–22, nominal)
- Companies
- ~380
U.S. Census Bureau 2022 CBP/Economic Census, NAICS 483211 (inland water freight transportation).
Business model & economics
Revenue model
Barge freight rates and towing fees
Key economics
- Recurring revenue
- Moderate
- EBITDA margin
- Cyclical with commodity and barge rates
- Capex intensity
- High
recurring bulk-commodity movements
Characteristics
- Moves grain, energy, and bulk on U.S. rivers.
- Led by Kirby, Ingram, ACBL.
- Critical artery for U.S. agriculture exports.
Geographic concentration
Inland waterway and barge operations concentrate overwhelmingly in Louisiana, the convergence point of the Mississippi River system and the Gulf.
U.S. Census Bureau — 2022 County Business Patterns (establishments by state), NAICS 483211. Concentration shown by location quotient.
M&A deal context
Who’s acquiring
- Barge operators (Kirby, Ingram, ACBL)
- PE-backed and strategic consolidators
- Maritime investors
What’s driving deals
- Barge-operator consolidation.
- Ag-export and energy-movement demand.
- Infrastructure and water-level dynamics.
Find Liquid Bulk Barge Operations acquisition targets
Search Acquisera’s index for companies classified under Liquid Bulk Barge Operations (10.4.4.3) and build a targeted deal pipeline.
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