IRPT Starts Tonnage Reporting Campaign

The Inland Rivers Ports and Terminals (IRPT) association kicked off its tonnage reporting campaign in August. Working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Institute of Water Resources and the Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center IRPT has compiled an informational packet that address the who what where when why and how of proper tonnage reporting.

IRPT’s tonnage reporting initiative began at the September board meeting when concerns were raised as to the inaccuracy of the reporting system. IRPT hosted an open webinar on October 8 where Dough McDonald of the USACE Navigational Data Center discussed the Corps process of collecting tonnages from various sources that operate on the U.S. inland and coastal waterways. In December representatives from IRPT met with the Navigational Data Center and Institute of Water Resources at the Corps’ offices in Washington.

IRPT invited the Corps to bring its ideas to IRPT’s Annual Conference and share with attendees the plans for bettering the system. IRPT said the Institute of Water Resources is introducing many new initiatives this year to more accurately reflect the activities on the inland waterway system which was released in the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA).