# Barge industry struggles with excess capacity, weak demand – Illinois Business Journal

> Barge executives say the industry is hit by a double whammy of excess capacity and weak demand. Fleets built during the oil and coal boom now chase less cargo as fracking-related sand and crude hauling and coal exports have declined.

- Date: 2017-02-04 · published 2017-02-04T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/72680-barge-industry-struggles-with-excess-capacity-weak-demand-illinois-business
- Commodities: [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md)

## Why it matters

Oversupplied barge capacity keeps river freight rates depressed, lowering transport costs for grain shipped down the Mississippi but squeezing barge operators' margins.

## Read by commodity

- BARGE: bearish ▼

## Sources

- ibjonline.com: https://www.ibjonline.com/2017/02/04/barge-industry-struggles-with-excess-capacity-weak-demand/

---
Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.