As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 28, 2004
                           Registration No. 333-72592



                                  UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549
                        _________________________________

                         POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 1
                                       TO
                                    FORM S-8

             REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
                        _________________________________

                                KIRBY CORPORATION
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

            Nevada                                 74-1884980
(State or other jurisdiction of                 (I.R.S. Employer
 incorporation or organization)                Identification No.)

                           55 Waugh Drive, Suite 1000
                              Houston, Texas 77007
          (Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

                        _________________________________

                   2000 NONEMPLOYEE DIRECTOR STOCK OPTION PLAN

                            (Full title of the plan)
                       __________________________________

Joseph H. Pyne                            Copy to:  Thomas G. Adler, Esq.
President and Chief Executive Officer               Jenkens & Gilchrist,
Kirby Corporation                                   A Professional Corporation
55 Waugh Drive, Suite 1000                          1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 3200
Houston, Texas 77007                                Dallas, Texas 75202
(Name and address of agent for service)
(713) 435-1000
(Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)







                                EXPLANATORY NOTE

            On November 1, 2001,  the  registrant  filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission ("SEC") a Registration Statement on Form S-8, No. 333-72592,
pertaining  to its 2000  Nonemployee  Director  Stock Option Plan (the  "Plan"),
which provided for the granting of stock options to eligible  participants under
the Plan.  At its Annual  Meeting of  Stockholders  held on April 27, 2004,  the
shareholders  of the registrant  approved an amendment to the Plan which permits
the registrant to award restricted stock awards to eligible  participants  under
the  Plan  in  addition  to  stock  options.   The  registrant  is  filing  this
Post-Effective  Amendment to file the Plan, as amended, which is attached hereto
as Exhibit 4.4. No additional securities are being registered.


                                     PART I

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(A) PROSPECTUS

Item 1.       Plan Information*

Item 2.       Registrant Information and Employee Plan Annual Information*



                                     PART II

                 INFORMATION REQUIRED IN REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.       Incorporation of Documents by Reference

         The Corporation  hereby  incorporates by reference in this registration
statement the following  documents  previously filed by the Corporation with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission"):

                  (1) the  Corporation's  Annual  Report  on Form  10-K  for the
         fiscal year ended December 31, 2003;

                  (2) the  Corporation's  Current  Report on Form 8-K filed with
         the Commission on January 29, 2004; and

                  (3) the  description of the Common Stock,  par value $0.10 per
         share,  of the  Corporation  (the  "Common  Stock")  set  forth  in the
         Registration  Statement on Form 8-B, dated October 14, 1976,  including
         any  amendment  or  report  filed  for the  purpose  of  updating  such
         description.


--------
*Information  required by Part I to be contained in the Section 10(a) prospectus
is omitted from this  Registration  Statement in accordance  with Rule 428 under
the Securities Act of 1933 and the Note to Part I of Form S-8.



         All documents filed by the Corporation with the Commission  pursuant to
Sections 13(a),  13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended  (the  "Exchange  Act"),  subsequent  to the  date of this  registration
statement,  shall be deemed to be  incorporated  herein by reference and to be a
part  hereof  from the date of the filing of such  documents  until such time as
there shall have been filed a  post-effective  amendment that indicates that all
securities  offered  hereby have been sold or that  deregisters  all  securities
remaining unsold at the time of such amendment.

Item 5.  Interests of Named Experts and Counsel

         Certain  matters with respect to the validity of the Common Stock to be
offered hereby will be passed on for the  Corporation by Jenkens & Gilchrist,  a
Professional Corporation.  Thomas G. Adler, the Secretary of the Corporation, is
a shareholder of Jenkens & Gilchrist, a Professional Corporation.

Item 6.  Indemnification of Directors and Officers

         (a) The Restated  Articles of Incorporation of the Corporation  provide
for indemnification as follows:

                  "TWELFTH:  1. The  Corporation  shall indemnify any person who
                  was or is a party or is  threatened  to be made a party to any
                  threatened,  pending or completed action,  suit or proceeding,
                  whether  civil,  criminal,  administrative  or  investigative,
                  except an action  by or in the  right of the  Corporation,  by
                  reason  of the  fact  that he is or was a  director,  officer,
                  employee or agent of the Corporation,  or is or was serving at
                  the  request  of  the  Corporation  as  a  director,  officer,
                  employee or agent of another corporation,  partnership,  joint
                  venture,   trust  or  other   enterprise,   against  expenses,
                  including attorneys' fees,  judgments,  fines and amounts paid
                  in  settlement  actually  and  reasonably  incurred  by him in
                  connection with the action,  suit or proceeding if he acted in
                  good faith and in a manner which he reasonably  believed to be
                  in or not opposed to the best  interests  of the  Corporation,
                  and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, has no
                  reasonable  cause to believe  his conduct  was  unlawful.  The
                  termination  of any action,  suit or  proceeding  by judgment,
                  order,  settlement,   conviction,  or  upon  a  plea  of  nolo
                  contendere or its  equivalent,  does not, of itself,  create a
                  presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a
                  manner which he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to
                  the best interests of the Corporation,  and that, with respect
                  to any criminal action or proceeding,  he had reasonable cause
                  to believe that his conduct was unlawful.

                           2. The Corporation shall indemnify any person who was
                  or is a party  or is  threatened  to be  made a  party  to any
                  threatened,  pending or completed  action or suit by or in the
                  right of the Corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by
                  reason  of the  fact  that he is or was a  director,  officer,
                  employee or agent of the Corporation,  or is or was serving at
                  the  request  of  the  Corporation  as  a  director,  officer,
                  employee or agent of another corporation,  partnership,  joint
                  venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses, including




                  amounts paid in settlement  and  attorneys'  fees actually and
                  reasonably  incurred by him in connection  with the defense or
                  settlement of the action or suit if he acted in good faith and
                  in a  manner  which  he  reasonably  believed  to be in or not
                  opposed   to  the   best   interests   of   the   Corporation.
                  Indemnification  shall  not be made  for any  claim,  issue or
                  matter as to which such a person has been  adjudged by a court
                  of competent  jurisdiction,  after  exhaustion  of all appeals
                  therefrom, to be liable to the Corporation or for amounts paid
                  in settlement to the corporation unless and only to the extent
                  that the court in which  the  action  or suit was  brought  or
                  other  court  of  competent   jurisdiction   determines   upon
                  application that in view of all the circumstances of the case,
                  the person is fairly and reasonably  entitled to indemnity for
                  such expenses as the court deems proper.

                           3. To the extent that a director,  officer,  employee
                  or agent of a corporation has been successful on the merits or
                  otherwise  in  defense  of  any  action,  suit  or  proceeding
                  referred to in sections 1 and 2 of this Article Twelfth, or in
                  defense  of any  claim,  issue or matter  therein,  he must be
                  indemnified by the  corporation  against  expenses,  including
                  attorneys'  fees,  actually and reasonably  incurred by him in
                  connection with the defense.

                           4. Any indemnification  under section 1 and 2 of this
                  Article  Twelfth,  unless  ordered  by  a  court  or  advanced
                  pursuant to section 5 of this Article Twelfth, must be made by
                  the Corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a
                  determination that  indemnification of the director,  officer,
                  employee  or  agent  is  proper  in  the  circumstances.   The
                  determination must be made:

                                    (a) By the stockholders;

                                    (b) By the board of  directors  by  majority
                           vote of a quorum consisting of directors who were not
                           parties to the act, suit or proceeding;

                                    (c)  If  a   majority   vote  of  a   quorum
                           consisting  of directors  who were not parties to the
                           act,  suit or proceeding  so orders,  by  independent
                           legal counsel in a written opinion; or

                                    (d) If a quorum  consisting of directors who
                           were  not  parties  to the  act,  suit or  proceeding
                           cannot be obtained, by independent legal counsel in a
                           written opinion.

                           5. The expenses of officers and directors incurred in
                  defending a civil or criminal action,  suit or proceeding must
                  be paid by the Corporation as they are incurred and in advance
                  of the final  disposition  of the action,  suit or  proceeding
                  upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the director
                  or officer to repay the amount if it is ultimately  determined
                  by a court of competent  jurisdiction  that he is not entitled
                  to be indemnified by the  Corporation.  The provisions of this



                  section 5 of this  Article  Twelfth do no affect any rights to
                  advancement  of expenses to which  corporate  personnel  other
                  than  directors or officers may be entitled under any contract
                  or otherwise by law.

                           6. The  indemnification  and  advancement of expenses
                  provided by this Article Twelfth:

                                    (a) Does not  exclude  any  other  rights to
                           which a person seeking indemnification or advancement
                           of expenses may be entitled  under these  articles of
                           incorporation  or  any  bylaws,  agreement,  vote  of
                           stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise,
                           for either an action in his  official  capacity or an
                           action in another  capacity while holding his office,
                           except  that  indemnification,  unless  ordered  by a
                           court  pursuant to section 2 of this Article  Twelfth
                           or for the advancement of expenses of any director or
                           officer, if a final adjudication establishes that his
                           acts or omissions  involved  intentional  misconduct,
                           fraud  or a  knowing  violation  of the  law  and was
                           material to the cause of action.

                                    (b) Continues for a person who has ceased to
                           be a director,  officer, employee or agent and inures
                           to  the   benefit   of  the  heirs,   executors   and
                           administrators of such person.

                           7.  The   Corporation   may   purchase  and  maintain
                  insurance or make other  financial  arrangements  on behalf of
                  any  person who is or was a  director,  officer,  employee  or
                  agent of the Corporation,  or is or was serving at the request
                  of the Corporation as a director,  officer,  employee or agent
                  of another corporation,  partnership,  joint venture, trust or
                  other  enterprise for any liability  asserted  against him and
                  liability  and  expenses  incurred by him in his capacity as a
                  director,  officer,  employee or agent,  or arising out of his
                  status  as  such,  whether  or not  the  corporation  has  the
                  authority  to  indemnify   him  against  such   liability  and
                  expenses.

                           8.  The  other  financial  arrangements  made  by the
                  corporation  pursuant to section 7 of this Article Twelfth may
                  include the following:

                                    (a) The creation of a trust fund.

                                    (b)  The   establishment  of  a  program  of
                           self-insurance.

                                    (c)  The  securing  of  its   obligation  of
                           indemnification  by  granting a security  interest or
                           other lien on any assets of the Corporation.

                                    (d) The establishment of a letter of credit,
                           guaranty or surety.

                  No  financial  arrangement  made  pursuant to this section may
                  provide  protection  for  a  person  adjudged  by a  court  of
                  competent  jurisdiction,   after  exhaustion  of  all  appeals
                  therefrom, to be liable for intentional misconduct, fraud or a



                  knowing   violation  of  law,   except  with  respect  to  the
                  advancement of expenses or indemnification ordered by a court.

                           9. Any insurance or other financial  arrangement made
                  on behalf of a person  pursuant to this Article Twelfth may he
                  provided by the  Corporation  or any other person  approved by
                  the  board  of  directors,  even if all or  part of the  other
                  person's   stock   or  other   securities   is  owned  by  the
                  Corporation.

                           10. In the absence of fraud:

                                    (a) The  decision of the board of  directors
                           as to the  propriety of the terms and  conditions  of
                           any  insurance or other  financial  arrangement  made
                           pursuant  to this  Article  Twelfth and the choice of
                           the  person  to  provide  the   insurance   or  other
                           financial arrangement shall be conclusive; and

                                    (b)  The   insurance   or  other   financial
                           arrangement:

                                            (1) is not void or voidable; and

                                            (2) does not  subject  any  director
                                    approving it to personal  liability  for his
                                    action,  even if a  director  approving  the
                                    insurance or other financial  arrangement is
                                    a  beneficiary  of the  insurance  or  other
                                    financial arrangement."

         (b)  The  Corporation's  Bylaws  provide  that  the  Corporation  shall
indemnify  each and  every  present  and  former  director  and  officer  of the
Corporation,  and each and every person who may have served at the Corporation's
request as a director or officer of another corporation in which the Corporation
owns shares of capital stock or of which the  Corporation is a creditor (each of
which  other  corporation  is  individually  referred  to  herein  as an  "Other
Enterprise"),  against any and all expenses (including attorneys' fees) actually
and  necessarily  incurred by him in connection  with the defense of any action,
suit or  proceeding  in which he was or is a party by  reason of being or having
been a director or officer of the Corporation or Other Enterprise to the fullest
extent  permitted by law. The rights of  indemnification  provided in the Bylaws
are in addition to any other rights to which a person may  otherwise be entitled
by any other provisions of the Corporation's Restated Articles of Incorporation,
statute, agreement, vote of stockholders or otherwise.

          The  Corporation's  Bylaws further provide that the Corporation  shall
indemnify  officers and directors of the  Corporation,  as well as other persons
who serve as agents and employees of the Corporation, to the extent set forth in
the Corporation's Restated Articles of Incorporation.

         Additionally, the Corporation's Bylaws provide that the Corporation may
purchase  and  maintain  insurance  on behalf  of,  and  contractually  agree to
indemnify,  any person who is or was a director,  officer,  employee or agent of
the  Corporation,  or is or was serving at the request of the  Corporation  as a
director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation,  partnership, joint



venture,  trust or other enterprise  against any liability  asserted against him
and incurred by him in any such capacity,  or arising out of his status as such,
whether or not the  Corporation  would have the power to  indemnify  him against
such liability under the provisions of the Bylaws.

            (c) The  Corporation  has entered into agreements with each Director
and certain key officers,  including C. Berdon Lawrence,  Joseph H. Pyne, Norman
W. Nolen,  Mark R. Buese, Jack M. Sims, Howard G. Runser, G. Stephen Holcomb and
Thomas G.  Adler,  and  certain  officers of  subsidiaries  of the  Corporation,
including  Steven P.  Valerius  and  Dorman L.  Strahan,  that  provide  for the
indemnification  of such  individuals for certain  liabilities  incurred in such
capacity.

Item 8.  Exhibits.

         (a) Exhibits.

                  The   following   documents  are  filed  as  a  part  of  this
         registration statement.

         Exhibit           Description of Exhibit

         4.1      Restated   Articles  of  Incorporation  of  Kirby  Exploration
                  Company,  Inc.,  as amended  (incorporated  by reference  from
                  Exhibit 3.1 to the  Corporation's  Registration  Statement  on
                  Form S-3,  Reg. No.  33-30832,  filed with the  Commission  on
                  August 30, 1989).

         4.2      Certificate of Amendment of Restated Articles of Incorporation
                  of the Corporation (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 3.2
                  to the  Corporation's  Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
                  ended December 31, 1990).

         4.3      Rights  Agreement,  dated as of July 18, 2000,  between  Kirby
                  Corporation  and  Fleet  National  Bank,  a  national  banking
                  association,   which   includes   the   Form  of   Resolutions
                  Establishing Designations,  Preferences and Rights of Series A
                  Junior  Participating  Preferred Stock of Kirby Corporation as
                  Exhibit  A, the form of Rights  Certificate  as Exhibit B, and
                  the Summary of Rights as Exhibit C (incorporated  by reference
                  from Exhibit 4.1 to the  Corporation's  Current Report on Form
                  8-K filed with the Commission on July 20, 2000).

         4.4*     2000   Nonemployee   Director  Stock  Option  Plan  for  Kirby
                  Corporation

         5.1*     Opinion of Jenkens & Gilchrist, a Professional Corporation

         23.1*    Consent of Jenkens &  Gilchrist,  a  Professional  Corporation
                  (included in their opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1)

         23.2*    Consent of KPMG LLP




         24       Power  of  Attorney  (included  with  signature  page  of  the
                  Company's  Registration Statement on Form S-8 (No. 333-72592))

____________________

*        Filed herewith.

Item 9.  Undertakings.

         A. The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

                  (1) to file,  during any  period in which  offers or sales are
         being made, a post-effective  amendment to this registration  statement
         to  include  any  material  information  with  respect  to the  plan of
         distribution not previously disclosed in the registration  statement or
         any material change to such information in the registration statement;

                  (2) that, for the purpose of determining  any liability  under
         the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be
         deemed to be a new  registration  statement  relating to the securities
         offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall
         be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof; and

                  (3) to remove from  registration by means of a  post-effective
         amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at
         the termination of the offering.

         B. The undersigned  registrant  hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining  any liability  under the  Securities  Act of 1933 (the  "Securities
Act"),  each filing of the registrant's  annual report pursuant to section 13(a)
or section 15(d) of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable,
each filing of an employee  benefit  plan's  annual  report  pursuant to section
15(d) of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference
in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered therein,  and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

         C.  Insofar  as  indemnification  for  liabilities  arising  under  the
Securities Act may be permitted to directors,  officers and controlling  persons
of the  registrant  pursuant to the  foregoing  provisions,  or  otherwise,  the
registrant  has  been  advised  that  in  the  opinion  of the  Commission  such
indemnification  is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and
is,  therefore,  unenforceable.  In the event  that a claim for  indemnification
against such  liabilities  (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses
incurred or paid by a director,  officer or controlling person of the registrant
in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director,  officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been  settled by  controlling  precedent,  submit to a court of  appropriate
jurisdiction  the  question  of whether  such  indemnification  by it is against
public  policy as  expressed in the  Securities  Act and will be governed by the
final adjudication of such issue.







                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets
all of the  requirements  for  filing  on  Form  S-8 and has  duly  caused  this
post-effective  amendment  no. 1 to  registration  statement to be signed on its
behalf by the undersigned,  thereunto duly  authorized,  in the City of Houston,
State of Texas, on April 27, 2004.

                                        KIRBY CORPORATION


                                        By:      /s/ Joseph H. Pyne
                                           ------------------------------------
                                            Joseph H. Pyne
                                            President and Chief Executive
                                            Officer

         Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Act of  1933,  this
registration  statement  has  been  signed  by  the  following  persons  in  the
capacities and on the dates indicated:



                    Signature                                       Capacity                             Date
                    ---------                                       --------                             ----
                                                                                              


 /s/ *                                                 Chairman of the Board and  Director          April 27, 2004
--------------------------------                       of the Company
C. Berdon Lawrence


 /s/ Joseph H. Pyne                                    President,   Director   and   Chief          April 27, 2004
--------------------------------                       Executive  Officer  of the  Company
Joseph H. Pyne                                         (principal executive officer)

/s/ *                                                  Executive      Vice      President,          April 27, 2004
--------------------------------                       Treasurer   and   Chief   Financial
Norman W. Nolen                                        Officer of the  Company  (principal
                                                       financial officer)
/s/ Ronald A. Dragg
-------------------------------                        Controller   (principal  accounting          April 27, 2004
Ronald A. Dragg                                        officer)

/s/ *                                                  Director of the Company                      April 27, 2004
-------------------------------
C. Sean Day

/s/ *                                                  Director of the Company                      April 27, 2004
-------------------------------
Bob G. Gower


-------------------------------                        Director of the Company                      April 27, 2004
Walter E. Johnson


/s/ *                                                  Director of the Company                      April 27, 2004
-------------------------------
William M. Lamont, Jr.


/s/ *                                                  Director of the Company                      April 27, 2004
-------------------------------
George A. Peterkin, Jr.




/s/ *                                                  Director of the Company                      April 27, 2004
-------------------------------
Robert G. Stone, Jr.


/s/ *
-------------------------------                        Director of the Company                      April 27, 2004
Richard C. Webb

*By: /s/ Joseph H. Pyne
    ---------------------------
         Joseph H. Pyne
         Attorney-in-fact








                                 EXHIBIT INDEX

        Exhibit           Description of Exhibit

         4.1      Restated   Articles  of  Incorporation  of  Kirby  Exploration
                  Company,  Inc.,  as amended  (incorporated  by reference  from
                  Exhibit 3.1 to the  Corporation's  Registration  Statement  on
                  Form S-3,  Reg. No.  33-30832,  filed with the  Commission  on
                  August 30, 1989).

         4.2      Certificate of Amendment of Restated Articles of Incorporation
                  of the Corporation (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 3.2
                  to the  Corporation's  Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
                  ended December 31, 1990).

         4.3      Rights  Agreement,  dated as of July 18, 2000,  between  Kirby
                  Corporation  and  Fleet  National  Bank,  a  national  banking
                  association,   which   includes   the   Form  of   Resolutions
                  Establishing Designations,  Preferences and Rights of Series A
                  Junior  Participating  Preferred Stock of Kirby Corporation as
                  Exhibit  A, the form of Rights  Certificate  as Exhibit B, and
                  the Summary of Rights as Exhibit C (incorporated  by reference
                  from Exhibit 4.1 to the  Corporation's  Current Report on Form
                  8-K filed with the Commission on July 20, 2000).

         4.4*     2000   Nonemployee   Director  Stock  Option  Plan  for  Kirby
                  Corporation

         5.1*     Opinion of Jenkens & Gilchrist, a Professional Corporation

         23.1*    Consent of Jenkens &  Gilchrist,  a  Professional  Corporation
                  (included in their opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1)

         23.2*    Consent of KPMG LLP




         24       Power  of  Attorney  (included  with  signature  page  of  the
                  Company's  Registration Statement on Form S-8 (No. 333-72592))

____________________

*        Filed herewith.