My only thought is, has the ACES addressed any sediment issues that might be preventing the Great Lake barges from operating to full capacity. Domestically the grain farmers are facing many problems. One such problem is climate and the other is continued flooding that brings sediment to the inland waterways, including, the Mississippi and the Great Lakes. I would expect the Army Corp to put these waterways at the top of their priority list as it directly effects agricultural commodities and economics. As the flooding continues to occur due to the Climate Crisis, waterway sediment issues become more frequent. Dredging might have been done every five to ten years, but, the demand may increase. It may be that barges are compensating for a more shallow waterway by reducing their displacement. It would put a drag on agricultural economics.
September 8, 2014
By Corianne Egan
...The volume growth (click here) comes despite barges traversing the seaway later than usual because of a lingering, harsh winter. Grain volume the waterway was up 72 percent through August compared to the same time period of 2013, according to Seaway statistics. A total of just under 3.3 million tons were transported on the seaway.
"The USDA's forecast for near-historic yields of wheat, corn and soybeans is being proven accurate as nearly four times as much U.S. grain moved through Seaway locks this August compared to a year ago," the American Great Lakes Port Association said in a statement. "With total transits increasing monthly following a sluggish opening, the potential for the Seaway to out-do last year is on the horizon."
BNSF Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway has struggled to deal with last year’s grain harvest, largely because of a backlog of cargo caused by a harsh winter and steadily rising demand. As the railroads work to restore network fluidity, some grain shippers worrying about continued delays have other options to get their products to port terminals. One of those options for some shippers is using inland waterways, like the St. Lawrence Seaway.
The six Great Lakes ports using the St. Lawrence Seaway — the Port of Oswego, New York, the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor in Indiana, the Port of Cleveland in Ohio, and the Michigan ports of Monroe, Muskegon and Detroit — all showed positive volume growth, accoridng to Seawway statistics. The Port of Oswego CEO Zelko Kirincich said the inland port is anticipating doubling the ports' usual grain shipments from the U.S. to Europe, especially since the port made improvements to its rail yard....
