May 22 - The Tulsa Port of Catoosa in Oklahoma witnessed an increase in shipping activity across its low water wharf and ro-ro facility in April.
The port said that the increase was a result of Barnhart Crane & Rigging loading eight 120-tonne convection modules, which were manufactured by Express Metal Fabrications in Big Cabin, Oklahoma and were destined for the Dow Chemical facility in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The shipments contributed to more than 1,000 tonnes of cargo being handled at the port's ro-ro facility in April - the highest monthly total through that facility so far in 2015.
To help increase waterway shipping activity, Tulsa Port hosted a project cargo workshop from May 4-5, which was designed to provide regional manufacturers with the tools and information they need to transport over-dimensional cargo via road, rail, and water.
Presenters at the workshop included Canal Barge; Barnhart Crane & Rigging; Mammoet; the Oklahoma Department of Transportation; AEP River Operations; Osprey Line; Perkins STC; BNSF Logistics; the Port of New Orleans; Coastal Cargo; and Argosy Transportation Group.
"We want to make it easier for our regional manufacturers to get their project cargo from point A to point B - whether they utilise the waterway or not, " said David Page, chairman of the City of Tulsa-Rogers County Port Authority.
Total shipping for the entire McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System in April was 907,240 tonnes. Of that total, 443,400 tonnes were shipped through Oklahoma.
