U.S. Gulf:
Extreme winter weather impacted logistics throughout the eastern river system, including the U.S. Gulf. Snow and ice interrupted operations at both Houston and New Orleans on Feb. 15-16, and movements of larger ocean-going vessels between the Gulf and lower Mississippi River were reportedly halted on Feb. 15 until conditions improved.
Movements in the East Canal fared somewhat better, sources said, while Gulf and West Canal movements were projected to remain limited through at least Feb. 19.
Towing restrictions persisted at Port Allen Lock during the week after a January barge collision resulted in damage to the guidewall. Tows moving westward with more than one barge were permitted to pass with the use of an assist vessel, while boats running one or no barges were cleared to lock unassisted. Tows traveling eastbound were required to utilize an assist vessel on lengths above 650 feet.
Combined with winter weather noted in the area, delays through Port Allen were reported up to 61 hours on Feb. 13-16, rising from 10-24 hours noted previously.
Sources continued to report restrictions at Algiers Lock for the week. Tows with widths above 60 feet were capped at 600-foot lengths, while tows running narrower than 60 feet were allowed to run 700-feet long. The restrictions effectively capped lockages at four standard barges or two 30,000 mt tankers per turn. Dolphin repair scheduled for Feb. 22 was expected to block Algiers Lock travel between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
The East Canal’s Rigolets Bridge is closed through March 12 for repairs, limiting access to the Pearl River. Marine transit is being permitted three times daily through the site, at 5:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 9:30 p.m. As a result, substantial delays were reported.
Bayou Sorrel Lock travel was delayed up to 18 hours for the week, while Industrial Lock delays spiked to 37 hours on Feb. 15-16. Intermittent Algiers Lock waits were noted at 9-13 hours, and Calcasieu Lock passages were reported taking up to 24-27 hours during the week. Brazos Lock delays ran in an 11-32 hour range, sources said.
Mississippi River:
Extreme winter weather forced a complete navigation shutdown at St. Louis on Feb. 15, sources said. Movements south of St. Louis were severely restricted as well, with a number of fleets reporting a voluntary halt to operations until conditions improve.
Prior to the storm, ice formation between St. Louis and Cairo, Ill., prompted towing restrictions, reducing northbound towing capacity from a combined 15 loaded barges and nine empty barges to 15 loaded barges and three empties, while all-empty tows were reduced from 30 barges to 24. Southbound tows were cut from the typical 25 loaded barges to 15-20 cargoes, determined on a case-by-case basis.
River levels at St. Louis measured 3.98 feet on Feb. 17, but were forecast to fall below the 0.00-foot mark on Feb. 21, likely hindering movements and setting up potential towing restrictions, sources said.
Planned dike work at Mile 770 on the lower river was expected to begin in late February. Once underway, the project will likely block southbound travel daily from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The Lock 27 main chamber was shut through Feb. 18 for planned maintenance and repairs, prompting detours through the smaller auxiliary chamber. Delays were reported up to 50 hours on Feb. 17. Ice accumulation reported around the Lock 27 miter gate limited tows to 105 feet of width for the week.
Upper Mississippi River travel is unavailable for the winter season. Locks 13-19 are tentatively slated to begin reopening for spring travel on March 15, while Lock 25 is scheduled to resume lockages as early as March 31.
Illinois River:
Illinois River travel has remained limited since Feb. 8 due to extreme winter weather and rapidly thickening ice conditions.
Width restrictions on tows more than 89 feet were in place on vessels transiting LaGrange Lock, Peoria Lock, Starved Rock Lock, and Marseilles Lock, while a number of fleets were noted opting to halt movements altogether. Operations were projected to begin improving in the Feb. 18-24 window.
The cold weather extended indefinite delays to the planned Utica Bridge demolition project, previously slated for Feb. 11. No new date for the work had been announced as of Feb. 17. Navigation through the site will be unavailable for at least 24 hours while demolition and cleanup efforts are in progress.
Mile 47 dredging activities were scheduled to conclude on Feb. 16, ending a spate of overnight navigation shutdowns that began on Feb. 10.
Marseilles Lock delays were clocked in a general 4-7 hour range for the week. Sources reported LaGrange Lock wait times up to 65 hours.
Ohio River:
The 1,200-foot primary chamber at Meldahl Lock returned from fill valve repairs on Feb. 12, sources said, reopening the chamber to navigation. An additional planned shutdown for repairs to gate machinery was expected to halt main chamber operations from April 12 through June 12, prompting detours through the 600-foot secondary chamber. Delays are expected.
The Markland Lock auxiliary chamber is projected to remain shut through Oct. 29 due to cracks in the miter gate. Locking is available through the primary chamber, sources said.
A secondary chamber closure has been underway since Feb. 1 at Smithland Lock. Following the current 30-day shutdown, the site’s second auxiliary chamber is set to close for an estimated 30 days, taking the total project through approximately April 1. Navigation was said to remain available through the primary chamber.
The secondary chamber at New Cumberland Lock is scheduled to shut between March 8 and June 10.
Greenup Lock auxiliary chamber repairs reportedly concluded on Feb. 15, ending a weeklong emergency shutdown that kicked off on Feb. 9. A main chamber shutdown at the site, previously set to begin on Feb. 11, was rescheduled for Feb. 16 through March 5, forcing traffic through the newly-repaired secondary chamber. Following the main chamber work, a Corps posting pointed to additional auxiliary chamber repairs slated for March 11 through April 11.
Looking further ahead, the main chamber at Cannelton Lock is scheduled to halt operations from June 21 through Nov. 19, with significant delays predicted.
The Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock was reportedly closed to unassisted navigation on Feb. 15 due to heavy ice at the lock, pushing wait times to as high as 12 hours. Delays at Pickwick Landing Lock tracked up to seven hours on Feb. 17.
Cheatham Lock on the Cumberland River will undergo a primary chamber closure from April 12 through June 21, with heavy delays expected. Sources have predicted a total of four multiday opening windows sprinkled throughout the shutdown to clear waiting tows.