St. Lawrence Seaway experiences tonnage growth through September

Ports along the St. Lawrence Seaway handled 24.3 million metric tons of cargo between March 20 and Sept. 30, an increase of nearly 3 million metric tons over the same period last year, spurred by strong growth in iron ore shipments.    Cargo shipments on the St. Lawrence Seaway from the start of the shipping season on March 20 through Sept. 30 totaled 24.3 million metric tons, an increase of nearly 3 million metric tons over the same period last year, the Chamber of Marine Commerce reported.
   The growth can largely be attributed to a boost in iron ore shipments, which increased about 58 percent year-over-year to 5.9 million metric tons during this time period.
   The St. Lawrence Seaway also experienced year-over-year tonnage increases in salt (up 39 percent), general cargo (up 35.5 percent) and dry bulk (up 12.6 percent) during this timeframe.
   Shipments of iron ore have made for a busy year at the Port of Duluth-Superior.
   “Outbound shipments of Minnesota iron ore have hit records not seen in a decade, with this year’s throughput outpacing the port’s five-year average by 20 percent,” Duluth Seaway Port Authority Executive Director Vanta Coda said.
   Iron ore has also led the way for the Port of Toledo, where overall shipping tonnage has increased 42 percent from last year, with nearly all cargo categories outperforming 2016. “Through September, we handled 342 vessels, which is 52 more than last year,” Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority Vice President of Business Development Joseph Cappel said.
   At the Port of Cleveland, international tonnage rose 8 percent year-over-year, driven by an increase in non-containerized steel shipments for multiple projects around northeast Ohio, according to Port of Cleveland Vice President of External Affairs Jade Davis. “We have also seen a larger number of imported containers moving on the Cleveland-Europe Express and specific project cargo movements of upgraded capital equipment for use in manufacturing plants in our region,” Davis said.
   Meanwhile, overall tonnage at the Port of Green Bay fell 4 percent below 2016 levels, however, Dean Haen, director for the port, said that for September alone, total tonnage was the best monthly total seen since June 2015. “The 27 vessels last month is the most in any given month since July 2014,” Haen added. “That’s a good sign as we head into the final few months of the shipping season.”