James Marine Office

4500 Clarks River Rd
Paducah KY 42003
Phone (270) 898-7392
Founded in 1986 by C. Ronald James, the family owned company has a proud history of extraordinary service and growth to the inland waterways and to the Paducah area.

C. Ronald James gained full ownership in 1988 when he purchased his partner's share of the company. The operation was relatively small and approximately 25 people were employed. Not to be limited by its size, the business quickly expanded and additional services were offered. A dry-dock, top-side water repairs, fueling, and machine shop work were added, which more than doubled employment. The business continued to expand and in July 1994, James Marine purchased the assets of Walker Towing Corporation, a company that can trace its history back to 1945. JMI merged the two businesses and kept the name of James Marine, Inc. This gave the company increased capacity, almost tripling the size of the company in equipment and employment. In 1995, James Marine completed the purchase of Paducah River Fuel Services which added midstream fueling and grocery capabilities to the company. At that point, with over 300 employees, JMI offered tug service, barge fleeting, diesel engine repairs and parts, wheel shop, machine shop, fabrication shop, electric shop, and barge and boat repairs.

In 2000, Paducah River Painting was added to the lineup of James companies. Paducah River Painting gave JMI a state of the art barge painting and transfer facility that is unmatched on the Inland Waterways. In 2004, JMI purchased Walker Boat Yard from the Ingram Barge Company. The purchase of Walker Boat Yard was significant, in that, it doubled the company’s capacity for shipyard boat and barge repair.

Continuing to expand to serve their customers needs, JMI acquired the assets of Tennessee Valley Towing (TVT) in 2006. The TVT acquisition gave the company eight towboats and over 25 years of efficient barge delivery to all points on the Tennessee River system. In 2007, the company launched Jamesbuilt Specialty Vessel Construction which will focus on new construction of deck and tank barges, towboats, and drydocks for the inland river industry. Jamesbuilt is located at Mile 9 on the Tennessee River adjacent to the Paducah River Painting facility. In 2008, the company will open its third shipyard, James Wickliffe, at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. James Wickliffe will give JMI increase shipyard capacity and will offer greater resources for customers towing along the Upper and Lower Mississippi River.