Prolonged blockade of the Mississippi River in the U.S. could affect multiple markets

Boat and barge traffic on the Mississippi remains suspended due to damage to a bridge across the Mississippi, and a prolonged blockade could put additional pressure on an already constrained supply chain
.

Alex Lidback, vice-president of chemical analysis at ICIS, said if waterways reopened within a few days, the problem might not be too big, but a longer blockade could cause problems
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"It's the arteries of America," Lidback said.
"There's a huge amount of chemicals, refined products and agricultural-related products that move along the river
.
"

It was unclear when officials would reopen the channel, but a market source said officials hoped to have answers "in the next day or so" about when it would be safe to open the channel for barge transport
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The Mississippi River is an important link between chemical production in the US Gulf region and industrial activity in the Midwest
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Most PS producers with resin plants in the Midwest obtain styrene monomer (SM) by barge from styrene producers near the US Gulf
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Players in the ethylene glycol (MEG) market say barges heading to the Midwest have been delayed by three days so far
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An acetone source said they had barges coming in from both directions and were now making contingency plans based on the timing of the river closure
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The river blockade has yet to have an impact on values, but has slowed barge trading, with market players saying the impact will be minimal if bridge repairs are short-lived
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But if it is a long-term blockade, it will have a serious impact on the market
.

event background

On the evening of the 11th, all river traffic between markers 736 and 737 was suspended
.

According to the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT), the cracks on the bridge were discovered during a routine inspection of the Mississippi River Interstate 40 Bridge
.

Vehicle traffic on the bridge is closed and ARDOT is working with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) to ensure the bridge is safe for motorists before reopening to any traffic
.
Updates will be posted as soon as there is news
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According to the US Coast Guard, as of 16:00 local time, a total of 47 ships and 771 barges were waiting to pass through the closed river
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Among them, there are 26 northbound vessels and 430 barges; 21 southbound vessels and 341 barges
.