SURVEY WILL EXAMINE CONTAINER-ON-BARGE CAPABILITIES, NEEDS

The viability of container-on-barge (COB) service on the inland waterway system will be examined in a survey to be conducted by the Center for Ports and Waterways which is affiliated with the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University. The concept of shipping containerized cargo inland river barges has been discussed and examined for decades, but only a few barge operators have established such a service. While COB service has been very successful on the Columbia-Snake River system, it is believed that the inland waterways, especially along the Mississippi-Ohio river system, is under-utilized for shipping containers. With highway congestion on the increase, proponents contend that using the waterways for container movements is a cost-effective alternative for goods movement.