The Mississippi River System Shallow Draft Barge Market – Perfectly Competitive or Oligopolistic?

Abstract

Most transportation textbooks and articles on inland waterway navigation assume a perfectly competitive Mississippi River system barge industry. One study found the 1972 and 1977 grain barge industry to be oligopolistic. A second study of the U.S. barge industry found "intra industry competition for the barge industry on a day-to-day basis with easy entry and exit." Using the concentration ratio and the Herfindahl Index, this study found the Mississippi River barge industry to be oligopolistic. These results suggest that Mississippi River navigation infrastructure studies should not use long run marginal barge costs as a proxy for barge rates.

Methodical Thesis Linked Slot-Charter Tug-Barge Transportation Rates

“…Одразу зазначимо, що згадані роботи відносяться до слот-чартерних угод на морському флоті, без урахування специфіки експлуатації річкових суден. Нестача наукових публікацій з ціноутворення на внутрішніх водних шляхах підтверджується тим, що більшість сучасних статей мають посилання на джерела сорока і п'ятдесятирічної давнини [18].…”

Rejuvenating Mississippi River's Post‐Harvest Shipping

“…Considering barge supply, the size of the available barge fleet should directly influence supply. Baumel (2008) indicates that in the 1990s, many barge operators renovated their fleets yielding a large percentage of the estimated 20,000-barge fleet. With a typical working barge-life expectancy of approximately 30 years, the size of the barge fleet has remained relatively constant (Baumel 2008).…”

“…Baumel (2008) indicates that in the 1990s, many barge operators renovated their fleets yielding a large percentage of the estimated 20,000-barge fleet. With a typical working barge-life expectancy of approximately 30 years, the size of the barge fleet has remained relatively constant (Baumel 2008). Few barges have been retired or replaced during the analysis timeframe (2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015)(2016)(2017)(2018).…”