MEMPHIS, Tenn., March 13, 2015 – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Memphis District will offer the public two opportunities to tour the largest diesel towboat operating on the Mississippi River. The tours are offered to the public at no cost.
Public open houses aboard the Motor Vessel MISSISSIPPI will take place:
• Thursday, March 19 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Beale Street Landing in Memphis, Tenn.
• Saturday, March 21 from 8 a.m. – noon at the city front, New Madrid, Mo.
The M/V MISSISSIPPI hosts the Mississippi River Commission (MRC) each spring and fall for their high and low water inspection trips and public meetings. It is 241 feet long and 58 feet wide. The 6,300 horsepower vessel serves as a working towboat 90 percent of the time.
Also a passenger vessel, the MISSISSIPPI has 24 staterooms, and dining rooms with seating for 85 guests and a conference room that seats 115 people. The MRC flagship can accommodate up to 40 overnight passengers.
The vessel’s primary mission is to move barges in support of the Corps’ bank stabilization work on the Mississippi River.
The MRC, established in 1879, uses the M/V Mississippi to host public hearings, a process unique to it and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The hearings allow the public a greater voice in shaping Federal policy by discussing their concerns with those individuals responsible for improving the condition of the river, fostering navigation, promoting commerce, and reducing flood risk within the watershed.
For additional information on the M/V Mississippi or the Mississippi River Commission, please visit www.mvd.usace.army.mil.
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