Arkansas River tonnage down almost 20% in 2025

Significant declines in outbound and internal shipments, thanks in part to halted river operations for lock and dam repairs and low Mississippi River levels, pushed Arkansas River tonnage in 2025 to a low not seen since 2019.

River shipments totaled 10.011 million tons in 2025, down 19.5% compared with 12.446 million tons in 2024, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps reported 828,375 tons shipped in December, down 18% compared with 1.01 million in December 2024.

Inbound shipments in 2025 — those coming from off the river system — totaled 3.461 million tons, down 8.75% compared with the same period in 2024. Outbound shipments totaled 3.455 million tons, down 27.5% compared with the same period in 2024. Internal shipments — those sent between port operations on the river — totaled 3.094 million tons, down 20.3%.

Not counting the historic flooding of 2019 that halted river shipping for months, 2025 river tonnage was the lowest in the past 10 years. Following are the past 10 years of tonnage numbers, according to the Corps.

• 2025: 10.011 million
• 2024: 12.446 million
• 2023: 12.206 million
• 2022: 11.011 million
• 2021: 10.696 million
• 2020: 10.322 million
• 2019: 8.48 million
• 2018: 10.932 million
• 2017: 11.918 million
• 2016: 11.542 million

MISSISSIPPI RIVER IMPACT
Marty Shell, owner of Van Buren-based Five Rivers Distribution and manager of Van Buren port operations and the Port of Fort Smith, said 2025 was one of his busiest despite the tonnage decline. He said the operation continues to send product off the river to customers in Northwest Arkansas, with his shipment reach now being 17 states.

“We’re moving product every day and in fact, it may be the best year of business we’ve had here,” Shell said. “But yes, there has been low water on the Mississippi (River) that has been a problem for at least four months, and if a port or an area has maybe a customer or two that leaves or slows down, that can change that (tonnage) for the whole river.”

Bryan Day, executive director of the Port of Little Rock, also cited low Mississippi River levels as a reason for lower tonnage shipped.

“I can say that tonnage was down for the year due to low water on the Mississippi, changing logistical trends due to tariffs (more product coming domestically via rail in lieu of barge), and just general business trends,” Day noted in a statement. “We are hopeful that 2026 will see increases in overall river tonnage.”

Tonnage of sand, gravel, rock, and chemical fertilizer, two of the largest categories of product shipped on the river, are down 21% and 30%, respectively, in 2025 compared with 2024 levels. Following are the top five shipment categories by tonnage in 2025, with the percentage change from 2024.

• Sand, gravel, rock: 3.626 million tons (down 21%)
• Chemical fertilizer: 1.702 million tons (down 30%)
• Iron and steel: 1.023 million tons (up 4%)
• Minerals/building materials: 853,228 tons (down 20%)
• Wheat: 730,158 tons (down 18%)

TONNAGE HISTORY, RIVER INFO
Tonnage shipped on the Arkansas River in 2024 totaled 12.446 million tons, up 1.95% compared with 2023 tonnage. The increase was driven by a 13% increase in sand, gravel, rock shipments, and 8% and 41% gains, respectively, in wheat and soybean shipments.

Inbound shipments — those coming from off the river system — totaled 3.793 million tons during 2024, down 16% compared with 2023. Outbound shipments totaled 4.769 million tons, up 134% compared with 2023. Internal shipments — those sent between port operations on the river — totaled 3.884 million tons, up 10%.

The Arkansas River system — McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) — is 445 miles long and stretches from the confluence of the Mississippi River to the Port of Catoosa near Tulsa, Okla. The controlled waterway has 18 locks and dams, with 13 in Arkansas and five in Oklahoma. The river also has five commercial ports: Pine Bluff; Little Rock; Fort Smith; Muskogee, Okla.; and the Tulsa Port of Catoosa in Oklahoma.