US domestic recycled steel shipments plagued by low rivers

US domestic recycled steel shipments plagued by low rivers featured image
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Dry conditions across the US Midwest and South are disrupting the inland waterways system, raising concerns for steelmakers and recyclers that rely on barge transport to move recycled feedstock.

Already fewer tonnes of recycled material and finished steel can be moved per trip, which means extra cost and longer shipments. The situation is worsening. According to local news media, drought in areas draining into the Ohio River and other parts of the Mississippi River basin has caused water levels to fall low enough to trigger new barge restrictions.

FreightWaves reports the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as saying that flows on the Mississippi at Memphis could reach a ‘low threshold’ of minus 8 feet (-2.43 metre) by 1 October.

Europe, too 

Steel recyclers in Germany faced similar issues during extreme dry periods in 2023 and 2024, with scrap shipments on the River Rhine and other German waterways disrupted for weeks.       

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