NEW YORK: Tonnage figures rebounded sharply at the Port of Catoosa in October, with gains fueled by increased outbound shipments of agricultural products.
The total inbound/outbound water-borne cargo total for October through the Port was 170,751 tons.
Exports of both soybeans and fertilizer showed renewed strength. Good weather in the late spring and early summer of this year produced a bountiful harvest of soybeans.
Jay Boucher, manager of the Gavilon Grain terminal at the Port, said this time of the year is also good for exporting beans grown in the region.
“Exports of beans increase from the USA from September through February, while South American growers benefit the most from March through August,” Boucher said.
Most of the soybeans moving through the Port are destined for export, primarily to Asia. From the Port of Catoosa to the entry ports of China, it is likely that soybeans grown here never see the inside of a truck or a rail car after they are loaded into a barge, proof that the McClellan-Kerr waterway is truly a fifth “seacoast” with direct access from Oklahoma to the world.
“We see evidence every day of the Port’s contribution to global trade, and soybeans are an important part of that equation,” said David Page, Chairman of the City of Tulsa-Rogers County Port Authority. “Without the Port and the waterways making shipments of grain much cheaper than rail or truck, our country would find it more difficult to compete in this market.”
Total shipping for the entire McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System in October was 1,049,063 tons. Of that total, 366,459 tons were shipped through Oklahoma.
The Port handled 16 percent of the cargo shipped on the navigation system last month, and 47% of the cargo that moved through Oklahoma.
