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[July 23, 2012] Port barge traffic down in '12 Tweet Jul 23, 2012 (Muskogee Phoenix - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- After a busy year of barge tonnage in 2011, barge traffic at the Port of Muskogee is down. So far this year, the port handled 250 barges carrying 363,658 tons of cargo. For the same period in 2011, the port handled 286 cars carrying 434,303 tons. In June, the port handled 23 barges carrying 29,107 tons of cargo. In June 2011, the port handled 39 barges carrying 58,742 tons of cargo. Port Director Scott Robinson described it as a "moderate decrease" and cited several reasons for the decrease. "The economy is still not good," he said. "There is a lot of uncertainty." The drought spreading across the Midwest also could hamper barge traffic. "The Mississippi River is extremely low," Robinson said, explaining that the low river level impedes traffic into the Arkansas River. Robinson said the Arkansas River is within its normal levels. However, the river could get lower if the drought continues, he said. "Then, maybe you decide to ship by rail," he said. Robinson said increases in rail traffic so far this year helped make up for the downturn in barge traffic. So far in 2012, the Port handled 2,172 rail cars, containing 203,136 tons of cargo. In the first six months of 2011, the Port handled 1,440 cars with 141,359 tons. The port had an exceptional year in barge traffic in 2011. In 2011, the port handled 414 barges carrying 835,224 tons of cargo, a 15.7 percent increase from 2010. In August 2011, the Port handled more than 120,000 tons of cargo, a 71 percent increase over August 2010. Barge traffic for the first six months of 2010 was 363,779, slightly more than what's been shipped so far this year. Johnston Terminal Manager Josh Taylor said on Thursday that he didn't expect any barges until Monday. "Historically, June and July are slow months, not much fertilizer is moving," Taylor said. Barge traffic picks up in August and September, when barges move fertilizer, he said. Reach Cathy Spaulding at (918) 684-2928 or cspaulding@muskogee phoenix.com. ___ (c)2012 the Muskogee Phoenix (Muskogee, Okla.) Visit the Muskogee Phoenix (Muskogee, Okla.) at muskogeephoenix.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]