Economy
December 9, 2014
MID-SHIP Reports Tight Barge Availability
Written by Sandy Williams
Barge availability is still tight in the U.S. due to large cargo volumes of southbound grain, and northbound volumes of steel and salt, according to the Dec 4 MID-SHIP report.
The US Department of Agriculture reports rates for southbound grain have dropped to 426 percent of tariff after reaching 800 percent or more in November. Northbound barge rates were at historical levels in November but are now trending downward. MID-SHIP expects prices to remain elevated well into first quarter 2015 and contract levels to be higher than 2014.
