Port of Decatur

thumb|right|250px|Bunge North America bulk liquid storage facilities at the port.

thumb|right|250px|The main river entrance to the port.

The '''Port of Decatur''' is a transshipment port on the Tennessee River, in the city of Decatur, Alabama, United States of America. The port was founded in 1971.<ref name="Dectransit">{{cite web | title =Port of Decatur: Facts and Figures | publisher =Decatur Transit | year =2007 | url =http://www.decaturtransit.com/269/Facts_and_Figures.aspx | access-date =2008-07-11 | url-status =dead | archive-url =https://archive.today/20130121121703/http://www.decaturtransit.com/269/Facts_and_Figures.aspx | archive-date =2013-01-21 }}</ref>

== Port facilities == Port facilities include intermodal transfer points for switches between barge, road and rail, storage facilities for bulk liquids, dry bulk and general cargo and {{convert|12|acre|m2}} of open storage. Serviceable quay length is {{convert|2000|ft|m}}, with a year-round draft of nine metres.<ref name="Dectransit"/>

The port is directly connected to the Norfolk Southern and CSX railroads and to interstate and regional highway networks.

== Industries == Port throughput is dominated by imports of industrial and agricultural commodities including sand, asphalt, grains and fertilizers, coal, and steel piping.<ref name="Dectransit"/> From 2005 the port also began handling poultry feed products for nationwide poultry firm Golden Kist.<ref>{{cite news| last =Wilson |first =Jay |title =Bunge expansion to breathe life into Decatur port| work =The Decatur Daily News | publisher =The Decatur Daily | date =2005-05-27 | url =http://legacy.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/050527/bunge.shtml | access-date =2008-07-11 }}</ref>

Exports are limited by the cost-efficiency of road and rail distribution networks, forcing many barges accessing the port to return empty.<ref>{{cite news| last =Fleischauer |first =Eric |title =River, rails, roads and air: Transport hub drives Decatur's economy | work =The Decatur Daily News | publisher =The Decatur Daily | date =2006-10-01 | url =http://legacy.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/061001/hub.shtml | access-date =2008-07-11}}</ref> Shipping times to New Orleans are approximately two weeks from loading.<ref name="Dectransit"/>

== References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{official website}}

{{coord|34.619|-86.986|type:landmark_region:US-AL|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Port Of Decatur}} Category:Decatur metropolitan area, Alabama Category:Huntsville–Decatur–Albertville combined statistical area Decatur Decatur Category:River ports of the United States Decatur Category:Industrial parks in the United States Category:1971 establishments in Alabama