Despite the economic downturn and its dire consequences for all segments of our industry, things are lining up perfectly for waterborne container barge services linking U.S. ports. Why? Because more shippers and consignees are “going green,” changing the way they do business to reduce their carbon footprint and save energy in real, practical terms — and that’s exactly what our business is all about.
Not so long ago, Warren Buffett, often described as the “world’s greatest investor,” put more than $34 billion of his own money into BNSF Railway, not just because he foresees a freight comeback and corresponding profitability, but because he expects more fuel-efficient trains to play a bigger role in the future of transportation. Another financial trendsetter, T. Boone Pickens, has invested heavily in wind power, and his “PickensPlan” envisions wind energy replacing natural gas, along with other major changes that reduce our “carbon footprint” in the U.S.
Companies are no longer just giving lip service to “going green.” They are building green procedures and requirements into their day-to-day operations, and some are demanding that their vendors adhere to environmental protections before they do business with them!
We have been saying for 20 years that waterborne container barge service is the greenest alternative for port-to-port container movements. It’s energy saving, pollution-reducing and leaves less of a carbon footprint than repeatedly hauling containers by truck over our nation’s highways. Instead of using tax dollars to continually repair highways damaged by constant truck traffic, the money would be better spent offering shippers and consignees a tax credit of for every container they route by barge and thereby remove from the road.
Just as Warren Buffett sees growth and profitability coming to railroads, we see the same potential for waterborne container barge services.