Transport 360 and the St. Joseph Regional Port Authority announce the receipt of the first barge of the 2018 navigation season at the St. Joseph port. The empty barge arrived at the St. Joseph port facility at approximately 9 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018.
It will be docked at the port and filled with distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) over the next several days. It is expected Missouri River Services tow company will pick up the full barge on or before Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018, for its journey down the Missouri River, eventually destined for international export through the river system to the Gulf of Mexico.
The DDGS being loaded are primarily from the St. Joseph Lifeline Foods/ICM ethanol plant, and from a few other ethanol plants in the region. It is expected that a number of other barges will be filled in St. Joseph with regional DDGS through the remainder of the 2018 navigation season. The navigation season is expected to close in mid-December.
“We are pleased to see barge traffic being embraced as a competitive and reliable source of transportation for bulk products,” said Bill Becker with Transport 360. “The DDGS in one barge would take approximately 58 large semis to carry the same tonnage. This greatly alleviates an already congested highway system from St. Joseph to St. Louis, where the barge will likely be prepared for transport to the gulf and eventually overseas.”
The shipping entity is Gavilon Ingredients, LLC, which has its headquarters in Omaha, Neb.
“Gavilon was very good to work with and the ICM product is extremely good quality,” Becker said. “With the vision of the Port Authority in developing the Port and its assets, we expect many more shipments to contribute to the economic future of this region.”
Brad Lau, of the St. Joseph Regional Port Authority and the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce, is pleased with the business interest that Transport 360 has sourced since taking over the operation of the port.
“The port, along with its continuing development and assets, provides an alternative, cost effective mode of transportation for St. Joseph area businesses and its agricultural industry,” Lau said. “With St. Joseph being the number three exporter in the State of Missouri, utilizing the port for international shipments makes our city an even larger player in the export arena.”
About Transport 360 –
Transport 360, a newly-formed division of MK Minerals, Inc., entered into a lease and operating agreement with the St. Joseph Regional Port Authority on June 1, 2018, for the lease of the St. Joseph Regional Port facility and its assets. The port is located at 1616 Stockyards Expressway in St. Joseph, Mo. Transport 360 is a full-service freight transload entity, utilizing the bulk advantages of barge and rail transportation modes to promote commerce.
Transport 360 is open on a daily-basis Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Transport 360 utilizes and has enhanced the port assets to provide area businesses with a variety of transportation alternatives, including rail and barge, to grow economic commerce in the region. Many local businesses do not have access to rail at their facilities and the port serves as an economic development asset to foster this opportunity. A company can schedule rail cars, and/or a barge, and take advantage of the transportation cost savings and have the material transloaded at the port facility and shipped by truck to its facility.
About Distillers Dried Grains (DDGS) –
Production and Exports — Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) are the nutrient rich co-product of dry-milled ethanol production. DDGS utilization as a feed ingredient is well documented as both an energy and a protein supplement. Combined, U.S. ethanol plants possess the capacity to produce more than 15 billion gallons of ethanol and 44 million metric tons of DDGS. DDGS exports have exploded from 1 million tons in 2006 to more than 11 million tons in more than 54 countries in 2016/2017. Mexico purchased the bulk of DDGS exports, consisting of 19 percent of the export market, while Turkey (12 percent) was the second largest importer. South Korea (9 percent), Thailand (7 percent) and China (7 percent) round out the top five importers in 2016/2017. (Source: US Grains Council)
