Page 33: of Marine News Magazine (November 2026)

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“Uptime is where they make their money. Anytime a vessel is down for any reason, it’s a loss of revenue and it’s a loss of revenue that’s not easily able to be recaptured later on.” –Gary Sarrat Jr., Caterpillar Marine’s

Global Segment Team Leader for Inland

Waterways and Commercial Fishing rat said. “Operators can get 40, 50 years or more out of a well-built steel hull.”

Steel prices, shipyard availability and competition for yard capacity from government programs can all affect the newbuild-versus-repower decision. Inland engines can accumulate 4,000 to 6,000 hours annually, mean- ing an engine block can reach 60,000, 80,000 or even 100,000 hours while the vessel itself still has decades of useful life remaining.

That market reality is already translating into orders.

Caterpillar opened the C32B order board for commercial production at the end of last year, and Sarrat said orders are arriving for both new construction and repower projects.

“We’re seeing orders come in at a decent pace,” he said. “We’re happy with the results.”

For Caterpillar, Grif? n connects the two sides of that equation. It provides the manufacturing ? exibility to put a substantially redesigned engine into production without forcing inland operators into an unfamiliar installation package. And six years of operation with ACBL provides the ? eld evidence behind the engineering proposition.

On the inland waterways, where an engine’s value is ul- timately measured by how long it keeps a towboat moving cargo, those 33,000-plus hours may be the C32B’s most important speci? cation.

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