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Midwest Rivers News

17 Sep 2021

US Barge Costs Spike Weeks After Hurricane Ida

© kiravolkov / Adobe Stock

Barge freight costs for moving grains in the Midwestern United States spiked on Thursday due to ongoing logistical problems more than two weeks after Hurricane Ida, while CHS Inc said the timeline to reopen its terminal remains uncertain.CHS Inc, a farmer cooperative and grain trader, said it expected its Myrtle Grove, Louisiana, grain export terminal to be operational by the height of the U.S. corn and soy harvest but could not be more specific.The terminal, which unloads grain barges and loads ocean-going vessels for export…

26 Sep 2018

Barge Breakaway Halts Mississippi River Traffic North of St. Louis

The Mississippi River closed to vessel traffic north of St. Louis on Wednesday after barges carrying loads of corn broke free from one another and struck a river lock, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said.The accident took place at Lock and Dam 25 near Winfield, Missouri, and involved a vessel towing 12 barges south on the river, said Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Scott Ross."It's a slowdown," he said. "Commerce can't go north or south."The Mississippi River and its tributaries are a key pipeline for moving grain from Midwest farms south to export terminals along the Gulf Coast, where about 60 percent of U.S. grain and soybean exports exit the country.The closure at Lock 25 sent spot barge freight rates sharply higher on Midwest rivers, barge brokers said.

01 Jan 2016

US Midwest Rivers Closures, Restriction

The Coast Guard has issued a number of river closures and restrictions in response to floods in the Midwest. To keep the public and professional mariners apprised of changes to river traffic, the 8th District will continue to issue press releases capturing all closures and restrictions throughout this period of high water and flooding. Upper Mississippi River closed between mile markers 184 and 179 near St. Louis, Missouri. Illinois River closed between mile markers 0 to 50 from Hardin, Illinois to Grafton, Illinois. Restrictions on Mississippi River from mile marker 110, near Chester Illinois, to mile marker 34, near Billings Landing, Missouri.

11 Jan 2001

Barge Traffic Still Slow On Mississippi

Barge traffic on U.S. Midwest rivers continued slow as low water levels on the upper and lower Mississippi River and ice buildup on the Illinois River kept navigation treacherous, Reuters reported on Wednesday. "At the Memphis gauge, the water level is about three feet below the desired level," said Lt. Brian Meier, U.S. Coast Guard spokesman, Memphis office. "The forecast is for water levels to stay pretty steady for next couple days," he said. Low water levels and a barge grounding about 30 miles south of Memphis this week caused river officials to issue a travel advisory from Cairo, Illinois, to Vicksburg, Mississippi. Southbound tows were limited to 30 barges and northbound tows limited to 36 barges with a 10-foot draft or less. In the St.

12 Feb 2001

Rivers Are On The Rise

Water levels on U.S. Midwest rivers were rising after recent warm temperatures and weekend rains mixed with snow hit the upper Midwest but no navigational problems were expected, river officials said. "We're experiencing a bubble effect with a rise and fall of water -- which will continue over the next couple of days," said Lt. Chris O'Neil, spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard in St. Louis. Water levels on the upper-Mississippi River near St. Louis were more than three times levels reached a week ago but were expected to drop gradually by Wednesday, said Charles Camillo, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman at St. Louis. "Water was forecast to reach 20.5 feet on Monday, then drop to 19.3 feet on Tuesday and 17.1 on Wednesday at the St. Louis gauge," Camillo said.

18 Feb 2000

Sunken Vessel Backs Up Mississippi Traffic

The Mississippi River near the Kentucky-Tennessee border reopened to southbound barge traffic early Thursday (Feb. 17) after the motor vessel Navigator sank Tuesday night and backed up barge traffic, the U.S. Coast Guard said. About 20 southbound tows were awaiting passage when the river was reopened at 8:15 a.m. CST (1415 GMT) Thursday, said Lt. Cmdr. Bruce Fisher, the Coast Guard's chief of port operations in Memphis. "At this point it will take about a day and a half to move that line of vessels," said Fisher. There should be no delay for northbound barges. The river was reopened to northbound traffic Wednesday afternoon and the tows that were awaiting passage had cleared the area by Wednesday night, Fisher said.