Arkansas River traffic is down slightly in the first two months of 2026, with a more than 30% gain in internal shipments easing the impact of declines in inbound and outbound shipments, according to a U.S. Corps of Engineers report.
The Corps reported 1.808 million tons shipped in January and February, down 0.2% compared with the same period in 2025. There were 811,286 tons shipped on the river in January, down 0.3% compared with January 2025. February saw 996,751 tons shipped, down 0.2% compared with February 2025.
The early 2026 numbers follow total 2025 tonnage of 10.011 million tons, down 19.5% compared with 2024.
Inbound shipments in January and February accounted for 624,844 tons, own 4% compared with the same period in 2025. The period had 592,466 outbound shipments, down 19% compared with the same period in 2025. Internal shipments – those sent between port operations on the river – totaled 590,727 tons in the first two months, up 36% compared with the same period in 2025.
Following are the top categories of products shipped on the river in the first two months of 2026, with the percentage change from the same period in 2025.
• Sand, gravel, rock: 612,827 tons (down 1%)
• Chemical fertilizer: 374,300 tons (down 10%)
• Soybeans: 211,222 tons (up 3%)
• Iron & Steel: 133,320 (down 23%)
• Coal & Coke: 128,700 tons (up 88%)
TONNAGE HISTORY, RIVER INFO
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
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.
