Ingram Expands Intermodal River Transportation Prospects
Proving the viability of intermodal river transportation, Ingram Barge Company’s towboat the M/V Miss Shirley arrived at America’s Central Port in Granite City, Illinois, transporting containers up river via barge. This method of moving cargo has the potential to support new growth across many industries, including import and export businesses, and greatly benefit the nation's economy.
“Currently our nation’s highways and railways are operating near full capacity, while our inland waterways are vastly underutilized,” said Dan Mecklenborg, Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, Ingram Barge Company. “We know there is substantial room to grow in transporting goods on the rivers with minimal investment. And the inland waterways network is the safest and most environmentally friendly mode of transporting cargo in the U.S.”
America’s Central Port organized a press conference today to talk about the importance of transporting goods via container on barge and to raise awareness of the capabilities of intermodal river transportation.
"The Maritime Administration predicts the U.S. will need to move an additional 14 billion tons of cargo by 2050 to accommodate population growth,” said Mayor Francis Slay, City of St. Louis, MO. “This means we will need to almost double our freight movement capacity within 35 years. If we are to meet this demand, remain competitive in the global marketplace, and reduce our carbon footprint, then the inland waterway system should be used as a competitive option."
The transportation of goods, like agricultural commodities, construction materials, or consumer goods, via intermodal containers on the inland river system could serve cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, St. Louis, Louisville, Cincinnati, or Pittsburgh.
The trial run began at the Paducah McCracken County Riverport Authority, utilizing the Paducah Riverport Authority’s flat-top, Comansa tower crane to load the 20-foot containers onto the Ingram barge. Ingram has been working closely with the Paducah Riverport Authority to prepare and plan for this test run.
Ingram and the Paducah Riverport Authority both agree that exploring the logistics of intermodal river transportation is essential to the growth of inland marine transportation and the nation’s economy.
A standard Jumbo Hopper barge can accommodate up to 81 empty or 50 loaded TEUs. A towboat operating on the locking rivers like the Tennessee, Ohio or Illinois, can typically transport 15 barge tows, which equates to a possibility of up to 1,215 empty or 750 loaded TEUs. A towboat operating on the Mississippi River from St. Louis to New Orleans can transport up to 54 barge tows, which equates to a possibility of up to 4,374 empty or 2,700 loaded TEUs.
When the Ingram towboat leaves America’s Central Port, the towboat will return to Paducah where the Riverport Authority will unload the intermodal containers using the 200-ton Comansa tower crane, which is the largest in all of North America.