US Gulf:
Harvey Lock navigation continued to be unavailable during the week due to low water conditions on the Mississippi River. Algiers Lock was suggested as an alternate route. Bayou Sorrel Lock guidewall replacement work is scheduled to persist through February 2023, prompting intermittent weekday travel shutdowns between 6:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., while 24-hour navigation resumed on Saturday and Sunday. Wait times were seen as high as 21 hours on Nov. 19-21, down from 3-4 days reported previously.
Commercial travel on the Atchafalaya River was closed at Little Island Pass, Middle Island Pass, and Riverside Pass due to active exposed underwater pipelines in the channel. Detours were available through the Port Allen Lock.
At Algiers Lock, length and width restrictions continued to limit unassisted lockages to four standard barges or two 30,000 mt tankers per turn. Vessels traveling with an assist vessel were reportedly allowed to lock with longer tows, however. Intermittent delays were observed up to seven hours through the early week.
Calcasieu Lock is set to close to daylight-hour navigation on Dec. 4-19, with delays expected. An additional set of shutdowns is anticipated in late January 2023.
Construction underway at Belle Chasse Bridge, located at Mile 3 of the West Canal, was reported to produce sporadic navigation stoppages lasting up to 12 hours at a time. Work at the site was scheduled to run through the end of the year.
Industrial Lock waits were reported at a wide 4-14 hours through the early week. Thirteen hour delays were noted at Colorado Lock, while Brazos Lock saw intermittent nine hour wait times.
Mississippi River:
Low river levels continued to snarl commercial travel on the lower Mississippi River, resulting in both draft limits and reduced barge counts remaining in place during the week.
Recent rains improved levels at Memphis, lifting the NWS gauge to 1.0 feet and falling on Nov. 21, below the region’s 5.0-foor Low Stage. Depths were projected to recede to (-)5.8 feet by Dec. 5. The Vicksburg gauge moved above the 5.0-foot Low Stage on Nov. 18 to sit at 7.79 feet and rising on Nov. 21. Levels in the area were expected to crest at 8.8 feet on Nov. 23-24 before reversing to a forecast 5.8 feet on Dec. 5. St. Louis’ 1.41-foot depth reading, seen on Nov. 21, was likely to fall below the 0.0-foot mark on Nov. 25, the NWS forecast.
Tow lengths were capped at a maximum 25 barges on southbound movements, down from the typical 30-40 barges expected during normal periods. Solid cargoes were reduced to 9.0 feet of draft for both northbound and southbound travel, while tows with liquid cargoes were limited to 8.5-foot drafts. Local loading and unloading drafts were heard at as little as seven feet in some areas. Taken together, per-vessel towing capacity was reduced by 25-50% or more in some cases, sources said.
Draft limits on blue-water vessels were reduced to 41 feet in the Baton Rouge Harbor, down from the typical 45 feet. Dredging was heard kicking off at Mile 839 on Nov. 17. A safety advisory was noted in place at Miles 228-230 due to ongoing repairs to the I-10 bridge, with intermittent navigation shutdowns expected.
Revetment operations were heard to begin at Mile 336.8 on Nov. 17. The project was expected to limit movements daily between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., through Nov. 25.
Delays at Chain of Rocks Lock were seen at 3-8 hours during the week.
Illinois River:
Dredging continued at the Illinois Waterway’s Mile 144.5 limiting travel daily between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. A safety zone reported in place at Miles 19.5-21 due to power line work was disbanded on Nov. 18, sources said. Dredging was also in progress at Miles 215-216.
Ohio River:
Ongoing low water levels on the Ohio River system were noted reducing maximum drafts to nine feet for the full length of the Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland Rivers.
Low water levels in the Cairo area were noted triggering capacity reductions. The Corps was reported dredging in the Mound City area, located at Miles 965-974, reportedly aiming to add one extra foot of draft capacity at Cairo.
At Montgomery Lock, the main chamber was reported shut Oct. 17 through Dec. 19 for repairs and maintenance, necessitating detours through the auxiliary chamber. Tows were reported waiting 3-8 days to pass the site during the week.
Waits were noted at 4-16 hours on the Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock. Corps data showed intermittent 4-8 hour waits times at Wilson Lock.
Arkansas River:
Repairs at Norrell Lock were scheduled to conclude on Nov. 20, ending a period of daytime navigation outages reported blocking movements daily between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Norrell Lock is scheduled to shut down completely on Jan. 30-31, 2023.