The 2021 navigation season for the Upper Mississippi River unofficially began on March 19, when a motor vessel pushed 12 barges upbound to St. Paul, MN.
Capacity was limited on the entire Upper Mississippi until March 22, however, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reopened Lock and Dam 25 (near Winfield, MO) after repair and maintenance.
While the barge industry busily adjusts upbound logistics for the new navigation season, the Lower Mississippi continues to battle high water, which has delayed grain shipments and raised operation costs since last week. For the week ending March 27, total downbound grain movements reached 851,302 tons, the highest level since early February.
The number of barges unloaded in New Orleans was 627, however, 19% less than the previous week and the lowest weekly number of 2021.
Currently, highwater and flooding persist in the Lower Mississippi, and the industry expects delays of grain barge movements and loading operations in the Gulf for most of this week.
