US Gulf:

Hurricane Ian’s Sept. 28 landfall north of Fort Myers, Fla., as a Category 4 storm reportedly had little impact on commercial navigation in the Gulf and Canals. The Port of Tampa was moved to Port Condition Normal on Sept. 30, marking a return to full operation. The port was set to Port Condition Zulu in advance of the storm on Sept. 27, halting operations at the site.

Ongoing guidewall construction at Bayou Sorrel Lock was expected to sporadically limit Monday-through-Friday movements between 6:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., until February 2023. Delays were noted peaking around 14 hours on Oct. 2.

Daytime travel was unavailable through Mile 34 of the Port Allen Route on Oct. 1-5 due to dredging, sources said, shutting the area from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily.

Low water conditions were reported shutting Harvey Lock to navigation starting on Oct. 2. With no reopening timeline available on Oct. 5, tows were advised to detour through Algiers Lock.

On the Atchafalaya River, commercial travel was completely unavailable through Little Island Pass, Middle Island Pass, and Riverside Pass due to the presence of exposed underwater pipelines, according to a Coast Guard posting.

Tows passing Algiers Lock without industry assistance were subject to length and width restrictions, effectively limiting tows to four standard barges or two 30,000 mt tankers per turn. Tows with larger barge counts were permitted to lock when accompanied by an assist tug. Wait times were noted up to 7.5 hours early in the week.

Intermittent travel stoppages were anticipated through Belle Chasse Bridge due to a construction operation, scheduled to run through the end of the year. Travel outages had the potential to last up to 12 hours. The bridge is located at Mile 3 in the West Canal.

Most Port Allen Lock delays topped out around seven hours for the week, while Industrial Lock transits were posted up to nine hours. Fourteen-hour waits were recorded through the Colorado Lock’s western chamber, while boats traveling through the site’s eastern lock were delayed up to 25 hours.

Mississippi River:

Reduced water levels continued to affect barge movements on the lower Mississippi River, with some describing the level of impact as unseen since the late 1980s.

Tows traveling in both the northbound and southbound directions were restricted to 9.5 feet of draft, effectively reducing towing capacity by 20% or more per barge. Additionally, tows traveling in the southbound direction were limited to a maximum 25 barges. Barge limits on the lower river typically span 30-40 barges, depending on location.

Taken together, the conditions were estimated to reduce total southbound towing capacity by upwards of 50% in some areas. Vessel groundings were noted stopping traffic for 12-48 hour stretches.

The river gauge at Baton Rouge, La., was posted at 6.66 feet on Oct. 5, while the Vicksburg, Miss., gauge returned a 3.14-foot reading. A (-)1.38-foot depth reading reported on Oct. 5 for St. Louis was projected to fall to (-)2.30 feet on Oct. 12.

Dredging work at Mile 485 was delayed to Oct. 1 due to a vessel grounding in the area. The area was reported as completely shut to navigation on Oct. 1-4. A planned reopening on Oct. 5 was expected to see staggered one-way operation, with northbound vessels tentatively slated to pass during overnight hours. Dredging at the site was expected to require 14 days of work.

Channel maintenance in progress at Mile 618 since Sept. 26 was expected to halt southbound navigation during daytime hours through Oct. 10.

Pipeline removal operations at Mile 167 were expected to limit daylight-hour travel on Oct. 6-23. Additional work scheduled at Mile 189 from Oct. 17 to Nov. 8 will trigger overnight stoppages from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.

Intermittent shutdowns were anticipated on Oct. 5-7 at Miles 232-234, blocking travel daily from 8:00-11:00 a.m. and 2:00-5:00 p.m.

A blanket safety advisory has reportedly been in place since Aug. 1 at Miles 228-230 due to repair work at the I-10 bridge. The effort is anticipated to continue through June 2023, with intermittent navigation delays predicted for the duration of the project.

Old River Lock is closed through Nov. 13 for planned miter gate replacement, blocking access to the Red River. Vessels were advised to detour through the Atchafalaya River instead.

The Mississippi River’s impending winter navigation shutdown was expected to trigger last-call on NOLA barge loadings in October, sources indicated. Barges traveling to Dubuque, Iowa, or above were generally slated for final release in the second week of October, while tons scheduled for delivery below Dubuque were projected to continue loading through the third week of October.

Delays at Lock 18 were reported up to nine hours on Oct. 5.

Illinois River:

Drawbridge repairs reported at Mile 160.7 on the Illinois River were expected to block navigation between 6:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. daily on Oct. 4-6. A single daytime opening was planned every day between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.

Wickets remained raised at Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock due to reduced river depths, requiring tows to lock through the sites. Waits were posted up to six hours at both locks. Lockport Lock wait times peaked at five hours on Oct. 4.

Looking into 2023, a series of full 90-120 day shutdowns beginning in June at Brandon Road Lock, Dresden Island Lock, Marseilles Lock, and Starved Rock Lock will effectively close the Illinois River to commercial navigation. Fertilizer suppliers managed a similar shutdown in the third quarter of 2020 by filling warehouses and terminals ahead of the shutdown, supplementing inventories as needed via rail and truck deliveries.

Ohio River:

Low water levels on the Ohio River prompted nine-foot draft limits throughout the waterway during the week. Drafts were also cut to nine feet on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers.

Intermittent shutdowns at Belleville Lock since Sept. 7 due to lock maintenance were reported concluding on Sept. 30.

An ongoing miter gate replacement project at the Cannelton Lock main chamber forced tows to lock through the secondary chamber. The project is scheduled to end on Nov. 11. Wait times were reported at 24-48 hours during the week.

Primary chamber miter gate and quoin repairs at Hannibal Lock were scheduled to end on Oct. 8. Lockages were limited to the secondary chamber while work is underway. Minimal delays were reported during the week, but intermittent 3-8 hour waits were reported at Meldahl Lock.

On the Tennessee River, Kentucky Lock delays ran up to 12 hours during the week. Most Wilson Lock wait times were noted at five hours or less.

Daytime shutdowns were anticipated from Oct. 13 through Nov. 4 at the Cumberland River’s Barkley Lock due to dive inspections, halting movements daily from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Arkansas River:

Norrell Lock is closed to daytime navigation through Nov. 30 for planned maintenance, blocking movements daily between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Navigation is available during overnight hours with a 70-foot width limit. The lock is scheduled to undergo a complete travel shutdown on Jan. 30-31, 2023.

Joe Hardin Lock is reportedly closed to navigation until Oct. 9. Emmet Sanders Lock will shut completely for planned electrical work on Oct. 2-6, sources indicated.