Atlantic: Shippers were watching on a low-pressure system over the northwest Bahamas ahead of the official start of the 2015 hurricane season. Forecasters gave the system a 60 percent chance of developing tropical storm-force winds before moving up the Eastern Seaboard. The storm was projected to move onshore over the Carolinas on or around May 10.
The 2015 Atlantic hurricane season will run June 1 through Nov. 30.
U.S. Gulf: An ongoing high-water advisory in the Gulf region was projected to continue through May 21-22, shippers said. A fleet of extra tug boats will remain deployed for precautionary reasons until the advisory expires.
Wait times of 24-26 hours were reported at Algiers Lock, with an average queue of 23 boats. Industrial Lock reported 17 boats queued with delays of 18-24 hours. Navigation through Bayou Sorrel Lock required an extra 10-12 hours, and Port Allen Lock reported 6-8 hour waits.
Daytime closures at Calcasieu Lock, in effect since March 17, eased on May 4. The lock will be open regular hours on weekends from May 5 through June 30, with daylight closures continuing during the week. Intermittent closures at Colorado Floodgates are expected to remain in effect through June 30.
Shippers continued preparations for the upcoming Bayou Sorrel Lock closure, timed to run from July 15 through Sept. 15. Tagged to shutter for dewatering, maintenance, and repairs, boats will detour through Algiers Lock in the West Canal, with significant delays expected.
Lower Mississippi River: Elevated river flows persisted on the Lower Mississippi River last week, leading to pickup and drop-off delay warnings for barges located between Vicksburg, Miss., and the Gulf. Tow sizes were reduced as well, and a high water advisory was in effect for Miles 232-237.
Full or partial daytime closures are anticipated due to weir dike construction at Mile 643 from June 24 through Oct. 8. Service interruptions are also scheduled at Mile 893 from Sept. 5-9, Mile 714 from Sept. 17-22, and Mile 418 from Nov. 7017.
Upper Mississippi River: Passage through Lock 20 on the Upper Mississippi was delayed by 1-2 hours for the week, shippers said, while Lock 27 saw waits of about an hour.
Lock 17 at Mile 437 will shut down entirely between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on May 14, and Lock 12 will be closed for the same schedule on May 15. Lock 20 will shutter between 3:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on May 11 for the installation of temporary miter gate wiring.
The auxiliary chamber at Mel Price Lock, which has been shut down since early in the year, reopened on May 1.
Illinois River: Peoria Lock was offline for approximately 36 hours on May 1-2 for lock gate repairs. Sources reported a complete daytime closure at Lockport Lock on May 6, and further delay warnings were announced for the lock thanks to increased flows through the site measuring upwards of 6,500 cubic feet per second.
High flows opened the Peoria and LaGrange Locks for the week. Vessels were allowed to pass without locking.
Ohio River: Flows on the Ohio River returned to normal levels last week, ending an episode of minor flooding experienced throughout the Ohio system during the past several weeks.
The flooding required main chamber maintenance at Newburgh Lock to be pushed back several days, with work at the site now expected to continue through May 18-19 and transit delays of 12-24 hours anticipated. The site’s auxiliary chamber is scheduled to close for approximately four days following the completion of main chamber repairs.
Significant delays are predicted at Emsworth Lock, where main chamber work will run June 8 through July 10, and again from Aug. 3 through Sept. 18. The Montgomery Lock river chamber remain