The United States Coast Guard has issued an update on river closures, restrictions and advisories for sections of the Mississippi, Illinois and Missouri rivers in response to high waters and flooding in the Midwest.
The United States Coast Guard has issued an update on river closures, restrictions and advisories for sections of the Mississippi, Illinois and Missouri rivers.
Last week, USCG closed the Mississippi River between mile markers 179 and 184 near St. Louis to vessel traffic and further restricted traffic on the Mississippi River from mile marker 110 near Chester, Ill. to mile marker 34 near Billings Landing, Miss.; and on the Illinois River, which is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, between mile marker 0, near the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, and mile marker 50.
The closures were in response to high waters and flooding in the Midwest caused by heavy rains from the winter storm Goliath.
Because the closures completely halted barge traffic on those sections of the important freight corridors, many agricultural shippers began storing grain or using rail to get their commodities to export markets.
As of 8 a.m. this morning, the Coast Guard reopened the Mississippi River surrounding the St. Louis Harbor from mile marker 179 to mile marker 185. USCG noted, however, that vessels operating in this area must continue to comply with horsepower and barge restrictions in accordance with the Western Rivers Waterways Action Plan.
In addition, the Coast Guard has reopened the Mississippi River from mile marker 110, near Chester Ill., to mile marker 34, near Billings Landing, Mo.
“A safety advisory is in place from mile marker 110 to mile marker 0,” the agency said. “While river stages are decreasing, mariners are advised that drift, debris, and strong currents may be a hazard to navigation.”
On the Lower Mississippi River, USCG issued a high water safety advisory from mile marker 869, near Caruthersville, Mo., to mile marker 303 near Natchez, Miss. and a safety zone between mile markers 737 and 734.
USCG also reopened the Illinois River with restrictions between mile markers 0 to 50 from Hardin, Illinois to Valley City, Ill., but asked that operators “minimize wake and avoid laying vessels against saturated levees.”
The Illinois River remains closed between mile marker 50 and mile marker 100, and USCG is “strongly” discouraging any recreational traffic due to debris and dangerously fast currents.
USCG said the Missouri River is fully open to vessel traffic.
In the New Orleans area, the agency is limiting high water towing near Morgan City for southbound vessels with a length no greater than 600 feet, and issued a high water safety advisory from mile marker 219 to mile marker 240 near Baton Rouge, La.
Meanwhile, U.S. grain prices skyrocketed last week amid the myriad closures and restrictions on barge traffic as flooding not only shut down important waterways, but threatened crop yields as well.
As farmers looked to find storage for grain crops and alternative transportation, the sudden dip in supply spurred a surge in physical prices of corn and soybeans, according to reports from news service Reuters.
“The sudden jump in prices could complicate a months-long stand-off between farmers who are unwilling to sell their bumper crop at low prices and buyers who have refused to budge on their cash offers amid plentiful supplies,” said Reuters.
“It could also further curb export demand, with U.S. traders struggling to compete with their cheaper Latin American rivals.”
This would mean more bad news for shipping companies that move those commodities after a 2015 year that saw the entire commodities market fall off a steep cliff. North American railways in particular suffered from dramatically lower volumes of coal, thanks to new EPA regulations requiring companies to burn it cleanly, and petroleum products, due to the massive decline in the price of crude oil caused by global oversupply.
The United States exported 10.63 million metric tons of DDGS (Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles) last year through October, a 7 percent increase from the same 2014 period, according to data from the U.S. Grains Council. China remains the largest consumer of U.S.-produced grains with 5.79 million MT imported so far in 2015, a 38 percent year-over-year increase.
U.S. Coast Guard reopens midwestern rivers to vessel traffic
