Tulsa Port of Catoosa cargo volumes drop in 2015

The inland river port in northeastern Oklahoma handled 1.55 million tons of waterborne cargo during the past year, a 34.3 percent decline from 2014.    The Tulsa Port of Catoosa handled 147,723 tons of waterborne cargo in December 2015, a 0.9 percent increase month-over-month, but a 28.8 percent decline year-over-year, based off of figures released by the port.
   In 2015, the Tulsa Port of Catoosa’s waterborne cargo throughput reached 1.55 million tons, a 34.3 percent decline from 2014.
   However, the volumes were substantial considering the number of external factors the port had to contend with during the year, the port said.
   Factors that hindered waterborne cargo throughput at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa in 2015 included:
     • A strong U.S. dollar, which made U.S. exports more expensive; 
     • The sharp decline in the price of oil; 
     • The weak grain harvest in Oklahoma, combined with a decline in demand for U.S. grain exports; 
     • Slow global growth, particularly in key emerging markets; 
     • And excessive rain. 
   Total shipping for the entire McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System in 2015 reached 9.9 million tons, a 14.7 percent decline from 2014. 
   Overall, the port handled 16 percent of cargo shipped on the navigation system in 2015 and 35 percent of the cargo that moved through Oklahoma.
   The McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System is a 445-mile navigation channel that starts at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa and runs southeast through Oklahoma and Arkansas to the Mississippi River.