According to local reports, the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System was kept busy in August by a surge of iron and steel shipments. In particular, nearly 40,000 tons of steel were transported through the Port of Catoosa in Tulsa, Oklahoma, reflecting the best month of the year for the product.
The increase was especially notable in light of the port's total shipping numbers in August; outbound and inbound cargo totaled 156,000 tons, a decline of 22 percent compared to August 2010. Additionally, year-to-date shipments for the first eight months of the year are approximately 50,000 tons below levels for the same period in 2010.