Record U.S. Chemical Exports Show Kirby Barges Now Full
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Kirby Corp., the biggest owner of tank barges on U.S. waterways, says its chemical-carrying vessels are running at full capacity as slumping prices for natural gas used to make the products spur record exports.
The U.S. shipped $14 billion of chemicals in the first two months, 4.2 percent more than a year earlier and extending the record $86.9 billion sold in 2011, Census Bureau data show. Kirby’s barges will earn the most since at least 2004, according to Evercore Partners Inc., an investment bank. Shares of the Houston-based company will rise 20 percent in 12 months, the average of 11 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg shows.