During the week ended November 28, 839 grain barges unloaded in New Orleans which was 7.5% lower than the previous week, according to USDA's Dec. 5 weekly Grain Transportation report. However, there were 43 ocean-going grain vessels loaded in the Gulf, up 5% from the same period last year. Within the next 10 days, 78 vessels are expected to load, which is 47% higher than the same time last year. During the week ending November 30, a total of 904,552 tons of grain moved on barges, the highest weekly volume for this year and 3.2% higher than the prior week. As the winter season approaches, volume will more than likely slow as the Twin Cities corridor has closed until spring and the Army Corps of Engineers has scheduled winter lock closures for repairs and river improvements on the Mississippi River.
