Steel Values News

Backlog of New Ethanol Barge Orders

According to reports, the logistics problems in the U.S. ethanol industry are expected to spread to waterborne transportation in the near future, industry sources said. The industry is already facing a transport crunch due to limited rail time and dedicated pipeline capacity, and a lack of trucks and drivers as the country switched to ethanol, a gasoline additive recently adopted by the U.S. oil industry for use in anti-smog blends, from MTBE in early May. The reliance on inland barges for ethanol and corn transportation is expected to increase in the future, in line with the rising ethanol demand, they said. However, most shipyards in the United States are facing an order backlog up to 2008, industry sources said.