• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Shipping Surges at Port of Catoosa: Authority Records Best Numbers Since August '04

Posted on: Monday, 20 March 2006, 15:00 CST

By John Dobberstein

Tonnage at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa increased for the second- straight month in February, due in part to shipping levels returning to normal in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans.

The shipping recovery at the Port of New Orleans is slightly ahead of the six-month goal set by the port's president and CEO, Gary LaGrange.

This is wonderful news for shippers who use the Port of New Orleans en route to their destinations, said Steve Kissee, chairman of the Tulsa-Rogers County Port Authority.

Last September, when Hurricane Katrina laid waste to New Orleans' cargo docks, shipping along the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas was severely disrupted. The Port of Catoosa shipped only 121,000 tons of cargo on 67 barges last October, before the numbers slowly began to recover.

February was the best shipping month for the port since August 2004, the port authority said. About 216,000 tons of cargo on 131 barges was shipped to or from the port, compared to 196,000 tons on 118 barges in January. In February 2005, 170,000 tons were shipped on 98 barges.

February's outbound shipments came to 147,000 tons on 84 barges, and inbound shipments included 70,000 tons on 47 barges.

A total of 1.25 million tons of cargo was shipped on the entire McClellan-Kerr system in February, with 17 percent of the cargo passing through the Port of Catoosa.

The Oklahoma segment of the McClellan-Kerr reported 384,000 tons in February, compared to 409,000 tons shipped in January.

John Dobberstein reports from The Journal Record's Tulsa bureau.

Source: Journal Record - Oklahoma City

More News in this Category