LONDON: Shipping activity at the Port of Muskogee increased significantly in 2017, posting double-digit gains for all modes of transportation available at the inland port.
Barge tonnage outpaced 2016 tallies by more than 20 percent. Rail and truck tonnage posted gains of more than 38 percent and 82 percent respectively when compared with previous year totals.
Port Director Scott Robinson attributed the brisk shipping activity to the oil and gas industry. Baker Hughes, which has been tracking rig count since 1944, reported on Jan. 19 that there were 936 active rigs in the United States, which is up 242 from the same week in 2017.
Imported and exported goods shipped by barge in December totaled 43,242 tons, which represents an decrease of 19.42 percent — or 10,421 tons — from the 53,663 tons shipped during the same month in 2016. While monthly totals for barge tonnage slipped in December compared with the same period a year ago, the annual total of 696,719 tons was the best since 2014, when 708,399 tons of commodities were shipped by the marine highway.
Robinson said the Port of Muskogee differs from most other inland ports along the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, where barge tonnage is fairly balanced between imported and exported commodities. Nearly 88 percent of the barge tonnage reported at the Port of Muskogee, he said, consists of imported commodities — about 41 percent is used at Dal-Tile.
December barge cargo consisted of imported commodities that included clay, molasses, nepheline syenite, steel coils, rebar and wire rod coils, which arrived on 21 barges. Exports consisted entirely of calcine coke and scrap steel, which left the port on seven barges.
“There’s positive momentum,” Robinson said, citing 2017 tonnage numbers. “The test will be if we can increase it by 20 percent in 2018.”
December rail tonnage totaled 17,746 tons, a 61.84 percent — or 6,781-ton — increase from the 10,965 tons shipped during the same period a year ago. Year-to-date rail cargo totaled 271,281 tons, up 38.56 percent from the 195,793 tons reported in 2016 — the highest tally since 2014.
Imported commodities that arrived in December by rail consisted primarily of calcine coke, pipe, steel and asphalt, which arrived along with nine other commodities on 183 cars. Commodities that left the Port of Muskogee by rail in December included pipe and petroleum coke, which left the port on 17 cars.
Truck cargo tracked in December totaled 40,334 tons, bringing the year-to-date total to 592,755 tons. December tonnage was up 126.6 percent, or 22,534 tons, from the same period a year ago and 82.27 percent, or 267,543 tons, for the year — Robinson said annual totals may be skewed due to partial data available for 2016.
