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November 20, 2009

Tulsa Port of Catoosa reports October shipping

CATOOSA, OKLA. - Shipping at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa increased in the month of October, driven by higher figures for both inbound and outbound shipments of agricultural products and liquid bulk cargo, as well as an increase in inbound shipments of general dry cargo.



Nearly 131,000 tons of cargo passed through the Port in October. Notable increases in inbound shipping included steel, which saw the highest totals since July and twice the amount that arrived in September. Outbound shipments of agricultural cargo, such as soy products, also were higher.

The October activity brings the 2009 cumulative figure for shipping through the Port to more than 1.6 million tons.



Were seeing increases in steel, which is generally a good harbinger of increased economic activity in the industrial sectors, said Ed Fariss, Chairman of the City of Tulsa-Rogers County Port Authority.

Once again, while it is too soon to predict economic recovery, more steel moving through the Port is a good sign, he said.



Since the Tulsa Port of Catoosa opened in 1971, 63.5 million tons of cargo has moved through the facility on more than 39,000 barges (pushed by fuel-efficient towboats). That equals the same amount of cargo that would have had to be transported by more than 1.5 million big rigs over the course of the past 38 years if the waterway had not been opened.



While cargo levels at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa were higher in October, the remainder of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System did not fare as well. Total shipping on the waterway dropped to 770,198 tons (down from 931,383 tons in September). Of the McClellan-Kerr system total in October, 17% was handled through the Tulsa Port of Catoosa. Of the nearly 214,000 tons of freight that passed through Oklahomas section of the waterway, the Port handled 61%.





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