(Bloomberg) —
American wheat shipments dropped to the lowest ever, hampered by a shrinking Mississippi River and competition from ample global grain supplies.
Drought has dried up the Mississippi, where roughly two-thirds of US grain exports historically have been shipped on barges to the US Gulf. Water levels have improved slightly from last month’s record low, but the world’s crop buyers have already been purchasing more supplies from elsewhere. That’s limited demand for US grain and contributed to the country losing its status as the shipper of choice.
Export inspections of American wheat in the week ended Nov. 2 totaled only 71,608 metric tons, with some wheat shipped from Duluth, Minnesota, through the Great Lakes but virtually nothing on the Mississippi River, according to the US Department of Agriculture. That is the smallest total on record in weekly USDA data going back to 1983.
© 2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 108,819 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
The iconic SS United States, holder of the transatlantic speed record, has departed Philadelphia after nearly three decades at berth, embarking on its final journey to become the world’s largest...
Three oil tankers have been damaged by blasts in the last month in separate incidents around the Mediterranean, with the causes unknown, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday.
The MF Ampere, the world’s first fully electric ferry, is celebrating 10 years of successful operations in Norway’s Sognefjord. Designed and built by Fjellstrand Shipyard in 2015, the vessel has...
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 108,819 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
