Ouachita River Opens to Barge Traffic
By: Brittney Johnson
Updated: November 22, 2009
Business has been unusually slow for terminal operator Stanley Claskey.
Claskey said, "The river has been closed down 3 weeks and we haven't had any barge traffic at all. You can see that we don't have any trucks. There's no trucks coming."
And that's bad news for Genesis Energy-- a company that relies on barges to deliver gasoline it supplies to local gas stations.
Stanley Claskey said, "With no product you don't make no money."
When the Ouachita River rose above flood stage, the coast guard closed the river to barge traffic to protect homes and levees threatened by high water. And that meant that suppliers could no longer move, oil, rocks and other materials.
Claskey said, "We've been out of barges before but not because of the river."
Claskey says the company received one days notice and went from serving about 50 trucks a day, to zero. The gasoline drought forced their customers to travel further to get gas --which may have raised prices at the pump.
Claskey said, "It means a little more cost because they have to pay more freight for them to go so far to get the gasoline instead of locally."
Now that the river is receding, Claskey says the worst is over. The coast guard opened the river to barge traffic Friday and he is ready to resume business as usual.
Claskey said, "The barges will be here and we'll send out an email and hopefully truck traffic will start coming back."
Claskey said, "The river has been closed down 3 weeks and we haven't had any barge traffic at all. You can see that we don't have any trucks. There's no trucks coming."
And that's bad news for Genesis Energy-- a company that relies on barges to deliver gasoline it supplies to local gas stations.
Stanley Claskey said, "With no product you don't make no money."
When the Ouachita River rose above flood stage, the coast guard closed the river to barge traffic to protect homes and levees threatened by high water. And that meant that suppliers could no longer move, oil, rocks and other materials.
Claskey said, "We've been out of barges before but not because of the river."
Claskey says the company received one days notice and went from serving about 50 trucks a day, to zero. The gasoline drought forced their customers to travel further to get gas --which may have raised prices at the pump.
Claskey said, "It means a little more cost because they have to pay more freight for them to go so far to get the gasoline instead of locally."
Now that the river is receding, Claskey says the worst is over. The coast guard opened the river to barge traffic Friday and he is ready to resume business as usual.
Claskey said, "The barges will be here and we'll send out an email and hopefully truck traffic will start coming back."
