SHREVEPORT — The biggest shipment ever received at the Port of Caddo-Bossier is crawling from Shreveport to Longview, Texas, at about 1 mile an hour.
The 303-ton “cold box” left Shreveport about 9 a.m. Friday and needs a week to reach Eastman Chemical Co., port spokeswoman Kathy French told The Times. It’s traveling only by day and has been parking for the night about 3:30 or 4 p.m.
As it moved through Shreveport’s streets on Friday, cranes raised the long arms holding traffic lights enough for the tall load to pass below.
The unit made in Asia will store gases and liquids at extremely low temperatures, and is part of plant improvements, said Kristen Parker, a spokeswoman for Eastman, which is based in Kingsport, Tennessee. She wouldn’t comment about the cold box’s cost or the cost of moving it.
The plant makes specialty chemicals used in many every-day items such as car coatings, home interior paints and plastics used in toys.
French said one truck is pulling the 611,000-pound load, and another is pushing. The convoy was expected to reach the state line Sunday afternoon, taking four more days to complete the trip.
It was hauled by barge from the Port of New Orleans to Shreveport — a 327-mile trip by highway and an even longer route up the twisty Mississippi and Red rivers. That part of the journey took 10 days, said port spokesman Daniel Strickland.
“If navigability hadn’t been possible they would have to drive it up from the Gulf Coast to Longview,” Strickland said. “It would’ve been a very long trip considering how long it’s taking to simply move it from the Port.”
Strickland said the trip required cooperation from SWEPCO, Comcast and other companies to raise power lines.
And another piece of equipment, just as huge, is on the way.