Barge woes continued on the Mississippi River, though brief rains on Tuesday, Oct. 25, brought some relief to the Lower Mississippi. Sources said the restrictions have resulted in total capacity reductions of 25-50% or more from typical levels.
Two sections of the river were shut near Tunica, Miss., and Memphis on Oct. 25 for dredging amid low water levels. Some 84 vessels and 1,303 barges were in line at Tunica, with 14 vessels and 339 barges at Memphis. However, one-lane northbound traffic was slated to temporarily reopen later in the day at both locations.
The river gauge at Memphis was reported at (-) 9.25 feet and holding on Oct. 26, while Vicksburg, Miss., levels stood at (-)0.07 feet, with both locations below the Low Stage threshold. St. Louis rose to 1.08 feet from the week-ago (-)1.57 feet, with this attributed to the brief rain in Missouri on Oct. 25, but was expected to return to a negative depth reading on Nov. 3. All three gauges were forecast to remain at critically low levels through at least Nov. 10.
The latest USDA Grain Transportation Report (GTR) offered some hope, saying that by mid-November, the slightly above-normal rain forecast may begin to provide relief and help stabilize some portions of the river. However, for the week of Oct. 25 it reported that St. Louis spot barge rates increased almost 22% to $88.46/st from the week-ago rate, though the increase is still lower than the all-time peak of $105.85/st during the week of Oct. 11.
Because of the low water levels, barge companies have little capacity in the spot market as they struggle to meet current commitments, said GTR. In the meantime, future barge rates are higher than normal due to low barge availability combined with new export sales of soybeans, prompting a need for barges from November through early next year.