New Orleans not hindered by low water

   The Port of New Orleans and other Louisiana ports are operating business as usual, having avoided the problems related to shallow water levels in the upper Mississippi.
   “We do not anticipate any interruptions to deep-draft shipping or cruise operations within the Port of New Orleans as a result of the low river stages,” said Gary LaGrange, port president and chief executive officer, in a statement. “All of the port’s berths are at 100 percent of their authorized depths and no restrictions on the Lower Mississippi River are anticipated.”
   The Army Corps of Engineers has maintained the congressionally-authorized 45-foot-deep channel on the Lower Mississippi River from Baton Rouge, La., to the mouth of the river, the port authority said.
   Liquid and dry bulk commodities, which rely on barge transportation, are the primary cargoes concerned with low river levels in the Midwest. These commodities include agricultural products, such as grain and corn, and other bulk commodities, such as chemicals, petroleum and coal. These commodities are shipped to the Lower Mississippi River and loaded onto oceangoing bulk vessels at deep-draft terminals.
   “These ocean going vessels can be loaded to full capacity. However, if draft restrictions are placed on inland barge traffic in the Midwest, barge transit would become more costly for growers, producers and manufacturers,” the port warned.
   Most of the private grain elevators, petroleum refineries and coal terminals are located upriver and downriver from the Port of New Orleans’ jurisdiction. The port is a general cargo port handling cargoes, such as containers, steel, palletized natural rubber, forest products, rolled paper and bundled copper and aluminum. These cargoes arrive and depart the Port’s terminals primarily by rail and truck, thus there is minimal impact within the Port of New Orleans.
   “We are working closely with the Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard to ensure that all deep-draft facilities along the Lower Mississippi River remain at authorized depths of at least 45 feet and remain open for business for our customers, stakeholders and the shipping community,” LaGrange said.