Great Lakes iron ore trade ticks up in August

Meanwhile, several ports along the Great Lakes have highlighted their success throughout the 2016 shipping season.    Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 6.05 million tons in August, a 2.9 percent increase from August 2015, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association.
   Shipments from U.S. ports rose 7.7 percent year-over-year to 5.3 million tons, while loadings from Canadian ports tumbled 23 percent year-over-year to 709,000 tons.
   Overall, 32.85 million tons of iron ore has been shipped on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway in 2016, a 2 percent decline from the same period during last year’s shipping season on the lakes.
   At the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor, year-to-date project cargo shipments through August were up 66 percent year-over-year, the Great Lakes Seaway Partnership reported.
   Just this week, the Port of Milwaukee received news that the State of Wisconsin is issuing a grant that will fund 80 percent of the port’s $2.2 million rail improvement project, Port of Milwaukee Port Director Paul Vornholt said.
   “When completed, the project will strengthen the connection between the Seaway and destinations beyond the western Great Lakes,” said Vornholt.
   Meanwhile, at the Port of Duluth-Superior, shipments of iron ore and coal are still running below average, Duluth Seaway Port Authority Executive Director Vanta Coda said.
   “However, there are two highlights at this point in the 2016 shipping season: the Port Authority’s nearly $18 million dock redevelopment project is just weeks away from completion and, as of August, grain shipments were running some 18 percent ahead of last year,” said Coda.
   In addition, the Port of Toledo has reported a solid year for breakbulk shipments. “We’ve seen a lot of aluminum and project cargo so far this year,” Joe Cappel, vice president of business development for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, said. “We welcome these shipments because they put folks to work at the dock.”
   Meanwhile, for the first time in over 80 years, an international ship docked in Escanaba, Mich., the Mining Journal reported. The 412-foot BBC Mont Blanc, which arrived from Italy with three Wartsila Italia power generators, moored in Escanaba Wednesday at the North Shore Marine Terminal and Logistics. The power generators will be transported by a barge to their final destination in Marquette, Mich. to upgrade the Marquette power plant.
   The existing 450-foot dock at North Shore Marine Terminal and Logistics was recently expanded to over 1,200 feet and dredged to a depth of 28 feet to handle larger vessels like the BBC Mont Blanc.