Loaded barges are put into a local fleet near the loading area. This allows for the efficient and timely dispatch of your cargo to your customer. At Electro-Coal, our fleets can hold about 400 barges. A northbound line boat will pick up a number of the loaded barges as they begin their trip to the steel mill. For those not familiar with towboat operations, towboats in the bulk trades do not normally go north with a full tow of loads.
Most barge lines go north with a range of empties and loads, for a combination of reasons.
How fast your cargo will go north depends on the number of loaded barges and the frequency of line boats out of the Gulf. Mid-South Towing averages a tow leaving the Gulf every two and a half days. Few, if any, other barge lines have that high a frequency out of the Gulf. Since TECO Transport owns Mid-South Towing coordination between the terminal and barge line is seamless to the customer. The barge loads of furnace coke would stop next at a fleet in Illinois at the Metropolis area or the St. Louis area, depending on the final destination.