USPS Honors “Barging Fleet” In Series of Forever Stamps

Posted in Barge Accidents,Government,Jones Act on October 4, 2012

It can’t just be injuries all the time, now can it?

This week’s feel good story comes to us from the United States Postal Service which this month has issued a series of Forever stamps, one of which includes a tribute to the U.S.-flagged barge industry.

The stamp is part of the “Earthscapes” collectors series that includes 15 different stamps each depicting America’s diverse landscapes in aerial photographs and categorized into three categories; natural, agricultural, and urban. The barge stamp, named “Barge fleeting” and issued via Houston Texas, depicts two towboats owned by Kirby Corporation Apollo and Enterprise Marine Services LLC just doing what they do. The USPS provides us with this description.

A pair of towboats “wrangle” commercial barges in the Old River barge fleeting area near the Houston Ship Channel in Texas. The channel allows access from the Gulf of Mexico to the Port of Houston, a major industrial center. The photograph of the Apollo (top) and Taurus (bottom, formerly named Marie Cenac) was taken by Jim Wark of Pueblo, CO.

The series is of particular importance because October is National Stamp Collecting month, plus it is some what of an honor that the barge industry was included. Good to see the industry’s importance getting some recognition.