Low water halts barge traffic on lower Mississippi

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Low water levels closed a nine-mile
stretch of the Mississippi River near Lake Providence,
Mississippi, on Friday afternoon, industry sources said.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it stopped barge traffic at 11:27
a.m. CST and enacted a safety zone, which requires vessels to
get permission to transit the area, said Petty Officer Jay Sky.

A dredge was in the area to deepen the navigation channel,
he added.

“It’s absolutely shut the river down,” said an industry
executive. “Boats are going to be stacking up there.”

The stretch might remained closed for two to three days,
said a barge operator.

Water levels have been falling the last week on the lower
Mississippi River, a key channel for grain flowing from the
Midwest to the Gulf Coast.

Barges have limited the amount of grain they carry to
reduce their draft, the portion of the boat below water. The
low water also narrowed the navigation channel, forcing boats
to tow fewer barges.

The low water comes just as the United States ramps up its
corn and soybean exports after harvesting bumper crops. The
Gulf accounts for 55 to 65 percent of all U.S. corn, soybean
and wheat exports.