U.S. Gulf: Fog warnings were issued throughout the Gulf shipping region last week.
Shippers put wait times at Industrial Lock in the range of 7-12 hours with 10 boats queued for service. Algiers Lock reported delays of 5-10 hours for the week on an average seven vessels in line, and the Corps called Port Allen Lock wait times 8-10 hours.
Bayou Sorrel Lock restrictions continued last week, pushing the maximum lock queue time to 16 hours on just three vessels in line. A persistent 3.6-foot differential between the flood-side and land-side gauges kept the restrictions in place.
The Charenton, East Calumet, and West Calumet floodgates were also affected by elevated differentials, closing those locations. The Bayou Boeuf Lock saw waits of 2-4 hours.
Harvey Lock is slated to close for repairs on Feb. 29 and remain out of service through April 30. Shippers said the Corps would route all Harvey Lock traffic through Algiers Lock while work is underway, with significant delays expected.
The Baton Rouge river gauge showed depths of 27.73 feet on Feb. 25, down from 30.81 feet one week earlier. The reading remained shy of the area’s 30-foot minimum action stage, but was projected to rise to 28.1 feet by Feb. 29. The gauge at New Orleans showed 10.29 feet and holding, below the prior week’s 11.83 feet.
Calcasieu Lock reported 2-4 hour delays for the week. Clearance through the West Port Arthur Bridge remained reduced by a minimum three feet due to ongoing maintenance and painting operations, shippers said. The efforts are scheduled to continue through April 30.
Navigation through Brazos Lock was estimated at 6-12 hours for the week, and ten vessels were in line to lock on Feb. 25. An intermittent closure notice remained in effect at Brazos. Repairs to both the east and west floodgates were expected to slow daylight-hour traffic, Monday through Friday.
Lower Mississippi River: The National Weather Service (NWS) put Vicksburg-area river levels at 32.46 feet and rising on Feb. 25. Depths were forecast to increase to 34.5 feet by Feb. 29, just shy of the region’s 35-foot action stage.
The Memphis gauge was also on its way up, logging 21.47 feet on Feb. 25. The gauge was predicted to hit 24.9 feet on Feb. 29, south of the 28-foot action stage.
Upper Mississippi River: Both the main and auxiliary chambers at Lock 27 were scheduled to close during daylight hours on Feb. 25, 26, and 29, shippers said, due to planned diving operations. The closures will effect a complete river closure during working hours.
Mel Price Lock delays were called 1-2 hours last week. Lock 27 wait times averaged about 1.5 hours, shippers said.
NWS data put St. Louis depths at 15.17 feet on Feb. 25, with river levels predicted to slowly decline over the next 13 days.
Upper River locks shuttered for the winter remain on schedule to reopen in mid-March, shippers noted. Locks 13-21 were expected to renew operations on March 4, while the Corps listed March 17 as the planned opening date for Lock 9.
Illinois River: Shippers reported flowing ice on the Illinois River last week, but said conditions were improving. The ice had a minimal impact on transit times, several sources said.
An increase in traffic through T.J. O’Brien Lock was reported in response to the improved conditions, swelling wait times at the lock to an average of 1-2 hours for the week. Lockport Lock delays were upgraded from the previous report, with transit times falling to an hour or less.
Both the Dresden Island and Marseilles Locks reported waits of about an hour, and Starved Lock saw 1-2 hour transit times. The Peoria and LaGrange Locks restarted locking last week after high water levels had allowed vessels to pass freely in recent weeks.
The Havana river gauge was steady at 9.62 feet on Feb. 29.
Ohio River: Shippers continued to note the presence of high-water operating conditions along the Ohio River last week, blaming recent rains and continued snowmelt for keeping levels elevated.
Most shippers claimed the conditions had little impact on navigation, however, and Cincinnati was expected to crest at 45.6 feet on Feb. 27. The action stage at Cincinnati begins at 40 feet.
Locks 52 and 53 remained out of operation for the week, allowing vessels to pass freely. Transit times were negligible at Lock 52, but Lock 53 waits were called about an hour.
Emsworth Lock navigation was quoted at an hour or less, the same as both the Dashields and Montgomery Locks. Passage through New Cumberland Lock was reported at 1-2 hours, and R.C. Byrd Lock navigation was quoted at roughly an hour.
Later this year, the Montgomery Lock main chamber is scheduled to undergo maintenance between May 9 and June 19, with delays expected. The lock will also close from Aug. 15 through Nov. 18. An Emsworth Lock main chamber closure is slated for June 20 through Aug. 5.
Sources reported high-water operating conditions on the Allegheny, Kanawha, and Big Sandy Rivers. Elevated depths were also noted on the Monongahela River, and the Braddock Lock and Dam river chamber remained offline due to equipment failure, forcing navigation through the site’s land chamber.
High-water conditions on the Cumberland River aggravated delays in the Nashville area, where CSX railroad bridge maintenance was already reportedly causing backups. Work on the bridge was projected to wrap up in late February. Barkley Lock delays, on record since Feb. 8, were resolved on Feb. 22, shippers said.
High water was also reported on the Tennessee River. Chickamauga Lock electrical maintenance, responsible for 10-11 hour intermittent shutdowns since Jan. 26, was expected to conclude Feb. 23.
Arkansas River: Down the road in 2016, Webbers Falls Lock is scheduled to shut down May 16-22 in the upstream direction, followed by a downstream closure Aug. 24 through Sept. 11.