By Karl Plume CHICAGO, Oct 2 (Reuters) - U.S. farmers are running out of options for their just-harvested corn and soybeans as delays on the Mississippi River, the main conduit for crops to export markets, cause shipping backlogs, while grain storage on the river's banks is filling up. Low river levels and back-ups at aging locks have slowed navigation on the … [Read more...]
Ohio River Closed to Shipping After Lock Failure
By Karl Plume CHICAGO, Oct 2 (Reuters) - The Ohio River was closed to commercial navigation on Monday near Brookport, Illinois, after a hydraulic system used to open and close lock gates at lock and dam 53 failed, the Waterways Council said. A queue of more than 65 towboats was waiting to pass through the area on Monday morning, the group said in a news release. The … [Read more...]
Barge Accidents Shut Parts of Mississippi, Ohio Rivers
By Karl Plume April 7 (Reuters) - Two separate barge accidents halted navigation on the flood-swollen Mississippi and lower Ohio rivers on Friday, severing the flow of grain from the upper Midwest to export terminals along the Gulf Coast, government officials said. A section of the Mississippi River was closed to navigation on Friday morning after nine grain barges broke … [Read more...]
Coast Guard Responds to Breakaway Barges on Ohio River
The U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday responded to a report of a breakaway barges at the Racine Lock and Dam on the Ohio River near Huntington, West Virginia. Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley received a report that UTV Austin C. Settoon, pushing three barges loaded with approximately 3,780,000 gallons of natural gas condensate, allided with the lock wall at approximately 5:30 a.m, … [Read more...]
Barge Glut Chokes U.S. Shipping Sector Despite Record Harvest
By Karl Plume and Michael Hirtzer CHICAGO, Feb 23 (Reuters) - A glut of idled river barges is clogging Mississippi River shorelines from St. Louis to New Orleans, leaving U.S. barge companies that haul grain, coal and other bulk goods counting their losses. Even with record-large exports of corn and soybeans, typically a boon for shippers that haul grain to Gulf Coast … [Read more...]
Hungary, Bulgaria Shipping on Danube as River Freezes Over
BUDAPEST, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Hungary and Bulgaria have banned shipping on the Danube as the river is freezing over and floating ice poses a risk. Gabriella Siklos, spokeswoman for the Hungarian General Directorate of Water Management, told Reuters on Tuesday that the ban was effective from 1500 GMT. Bulgarian river supervision authorities have also banned shipping on the … [Read more...]
Low Water Hampers Shipping on Rhine, Danube River
HAMBURG, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Low water levels persist on the Rhine and Danube in Germany and cargo vessels cannot sail fully loaded on the German sections of both rivers, traders said on Monday. The Rhine is too shallow to allow vessels to sail with full loads south of Cologne and Duisburg, traders said. Water levels have been unusually low since early … [Read more...]