Cargo Business Newswire

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Illinois River ice halts transport of grains by barge this week

Icy waters brought barge traffic to a halt on the Illinois River this week, slowing the transport of grains and other raw materials to terminals on the U.S. Gulf Coast, with no relief expected as weather forecasts call for more bitter cold temperatures in the coming days, officials said on Friday.

Some barge operators were "tying up" their vessels while others were sailing single-file through a break in the ice on the Illinois River near Peoria Lake in the central part of the state. Tows were restricted to six or eight barges, down from 15 or more normally, since the ice buildup thinned the chambers on the river's locks.

"They're having a hard time getting through the ice," said Ron Fornier, public affairs officer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Rock Island district.

Shipments of grain along the Illinois River become more important in the winter after shipping stops on the upper- and mid-Mississippi River. The Illinois flows into the Mississippi, the main channel to U.S. Gulf export facilities, north of St. Louis.

For more of the Reuters story: reuters.com