摘要: |
2022 was a punishing year for the barge industry, with difficult operating conditions, a labor shortage, the war in Ukraine disrupting the grain transportation market and inflation sending the costs of doing business into the ozone. So, what's the outlook for 2023? Unfortunately, more of the same. Although weather is hard to predict, what is predicted are continued unusual climatological events that produce bigger than normal and longer-lasting storms, droughts, and flooding that not only impact barging but cultivation of the goods they carry. The tight labor market will likely linger for at least another year, as will the war in Ukraine. As for inflation, no one really knows, as that will depend on government policies as well as worldwide economic trends. |