By KWGS News
Tulsa, OK – 2010 The Tulsa Port of Catoosa began 2010 with a strong month, as inbound and outbound shipping reached 222,448 tons in January.
While slightly lower than December, the figure represents an above average month and many of the same commodities that helped make 2009 an excellent year for the Port were also shipped through the facility in January in relatively large quantities: Soy products, fertilizer, and steel related products.
The total for inbound shipping was 40,231 tons. The outbound figure was much higher, at 182,217.
The Port is off to a good start in 2010, said Ed Fariss, Chairman of the City of Tulsa-Rogers County Port Authority. These are positive numbers, and if the global economy continues to improve even though it may be a slow process we will continue to see good numbers from our Port in the upcoming year.
Hopefully, we will see employment figures improve for our industries this year as well, Fariss said.
Freight transported into and out of the Port on the navigation channel in January was the task of 134 barges. Each barge can carry as much freight as 15 rail cars or 60 semi trucks. When considering that a single tow boat can push as many as twelve barges, the economic and environmental benefits of water transportation are evident.
The Port of Catoosa contributed 24% of the approximate 933 thousand tons shipped along the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System in January. Oklahomas share of this total barge cargo volume was 379,000 tons with 59% of it shipped into or out of the Port.
Since the Tulsa Port of Catoosa opened in 1971, more than 64.1 million tons of cargo has moved through the facility on more than 39,600 barges.
The Tulsa Port of Catoosa is the head of navigation for the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. The 445-mile long waterway links Oklahoma and the surrounding five-state area with ports on the 25,000 mile long U.S. inland waterway system, and foreign and domestic ports beyond by way of New Orleans .
The 2,500-acre Port complex offers industrial sites for lease, and its Riverview Business Park , adjacent to the Port, offers property for sale. Together they are home to more than 60 companies employing nearly 3,000 employees.