CATOOSA, OKLA. - January 19, 2012 -Total shipping figures for the month of December were the highest seen all year, and helped push the annual total for 2011 to more than 2.1 million tons.

Total waterway shipping through the Port in December was 260,924 tons, carried in 137 barges. Higher volumes for the month were realized due to substantial increases in outbound shipments of wheat, petroleum products and asphalt. The second highest barge shipping month for the year was in January when 228,604 tons were shipped through the Port.

For the entire year of 2011, a total of 2,160,624 tons of cargo in 1,249 barges were shipped through the Tulsa Port of Catoosa. Once again, the Port topped the two million ton annual barge shipping volume. As the graph illustrates, the Port has, except for 2005, realized annual average barge shipping volumes of over two million tons per year over the past ten years.

"We're pleased to see such positive numbers in December and that 2011 was another
successful year for barge shipping through the Port," said David Page, Chairman of the City of
Tulsa-Rogers County Port Authority. "As a regional transportation hub for the central states area, it is gratifying to note that, despite expected swings in the economy, the Port continues to be a stable transportation service provider. As the economic recovery continues in 2012, we anticipate even higher tonnage figures for the Port, as well as additional hiring by the industries located within our 2,500 acre industrial complex."

Total shipping for the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System in 2011 was 10,580,754 tons. In December, the monthly system-wide total was 770,229 tons. Oklahoma's share of that total was 452,700 tons. Fifty-three percent of the freight shipped through Oklahoma was handled by the Port.

The 2,500-acre Port complex offers industrial sites for lease, and its Riverview Business Park, adjacent to the Port, offers property for sale. Together they are home to more than 60 companies employing more than 3,000 employees.