Coal is the largest commodity in barge movement volume, but demand continues to drop as coal plants are replaced by those using natural gas, and pipelines come on line to serve electricity plants that were previously served by barges. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts that coal will suffer more, with coal dropping from 24% to a 13% share of the U.S. power grid over the next three decades.
Coal-carrying barge lines have tried to diversify their business, covering open top...