Cargo handled at the Port of Little Rock fell 30 percent in August, driven by a sharp fall in bulk loading operations, but port officials say activity is expected to rebound this month.
Logistic Services Inc., the company that loads and unloads barges at the port, worked 27 barges containing more than 40,000 tons of cargo last month compared with 57,000 tons in August 2016. An increase in break-bulk cargo couldn't offset the fall in bulk loading operations, the port said.
Cargo tonnage also is down more than 30 percent for the year. Through the first eight months of 2017, the port handled 385,000 tons of cargo compared with 560,000 tons for the same period last year, according to port figures.
Tonnage handled on the 448-mile McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System is down 1 percent in 2017. For the first eight months, 7.6 million tons were handled, according to the Little Rock District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The port said September will be a strong month with Logistic Services expecting to work at least 50 barges.
-- Noel Oman