October tonnage up at Port of Muskogee

D.E. Smoot, Muskogee Phoenix, Okla.
·2 min read

Nov. 27—Shipments to and from the Port of Muskogee continue to outpace year-to-date totals reported through the first 10 months of 2020 for cargo moved by barge and truck, but rail still lagged last year's totals.

Tallies released this month by Muskogee City-County Port Authority, however, showed October tonnage was better across all three modes of transportation than numbers reported for the same month a year ago. Still, officials said there is room for improvement.

"Basically barge, rail and truck is all up from this time last year," Port Director Kimbra Scott said. "Oakley continues to look for ways to diversify our tonnage movements — we know we need to get our tonnage up at the Port of Muskogee."

Imported and exported goods shipped by barge in October totaled 34,859 tons, which represents an increase of 26.06% — or 9,084 tons — from the 25,774 tons shipped during the same month in 2020. A year-to-date total of 425,479 tons represents a 13.92% increase from the 366,256 tons recorded for the first 10 months of 2020.

October barge cargo consisted of imported commodities that included steel coils, fertilizer, clay, can molasses and nepheline syenite, which arrived on 22 barges. The only commodity exported in October by barge was scrap steel, which left the port on one barge.

Rail tonnage totaled 16,802 tons, a 64.13% — or 10,744-ton — increase from the 6,028 tons shipped in October a year ago. Year-to-date rail cargo totaled 137,777 tons, down 13.13% from the 155,866 tons reported during the first 10 months of 2020.

Imported commodities that arrived in October by rail consisted primarily of steel coils, steel, pipe, cane molasses and asphalt, which arrived along with nine other commodities on 189 rail cars. The only commodity that left the Port of Muskogee by rail in October was pipe, which left the port on two rail cars.

October truck cargo tracked at the Port of Muskogee totaled 69,667 tons, a 31.51% increase, up 21,949 tons, from the 47,718 tons shipped by truck in October 2020. Year-to-date truck tonnage totaled 797,515 tons, up 158,765 tons, or 19.91%, from the 638,749 tons shipped by truck during the first 10 months of 2020.

Commodities imported by truck consisted primarily of asphalt, steel and scrap steel, which arrived along with nine other commodities on trailers pulled by 550 trucks. Exported commodities included steel coils, asphalt, clay, nepheline syenite and steel, which left the port along with nine other commodities on trailers pulled by 4,288 trucks.