Largest diesel towboat in US to dock in Cape, host public tours

Motor Vessel MISSISSIPPI, known as MV Mississippi, will dock from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, at Cape Girardeau's Riverfront Park, with a public open house offered.

Army Corps of Engineers reports the 6,300-horsepower diesel-powered towboat is the largest of its kind in the United States at 241-feet-long and 58-feet wide.

Built in 1993, the towboat may accommodate 152 total passengers and has 43 staterooms.

MV Mississippi's conference room is used for Mississippi River Commission meetings and gatherings of the general public.

Ninety percent of the vessel's operational duty is as a working towboat, moving barges, equipment and supplies on the Mississippi River.

The watercraft is powered by three Caterpillar engines and has triple screw propellers, which can reach speeds between eight and 15 miles per hour.