Heavy rainfall impacts shipping at Tulsa Port of Catoosa

TULSA, Okla. — Heavy rainfall in northeastern Oklahoma has impacted waterway shipping along the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System and the Tulsa Port of Catoosa.

Bob Portiss, director at the Port of Catoosa, says shipping ground to a halt along the nation's most inland shipping waterway for most of May and June, a situation that 42-year Port Authority veteran described as "horrific."

National Weather Service data indicate spring storms dumped 14.77 inches of rain on the Tulsa area in May. The Tulsa World reports that left the 445-mile navigation system with the Tulsa Port of Catoosa at its head too dangerous for barges and the cargo they carry to travel.

Upcoming Events