Lakes’ cargo shipments down in first half of 2015

Coal, iron ore, grain and liquid bulk shipments on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway dropped in the first half of 2015.    Total cargo shipments on the Great Lakes for the first half of 2015 stood at 10.4 million metric tons, down 8.4 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation.
   Year-to-date vessel transits through June 30 stood at 1,141, down 4.9 percent from the same period in 2014.
   Coal has seen the largest decrease in volumes in the seaway, with year-to-date total cargo shipments down 33 percent to 903,000 metric tons from last year.
   Grain shipments stood at 2.7 million metric tons, down 12.6 percent from 2014, while iron ore shipments stood at 1.9 million metric tons, down 11.9 percent. 
   Liquid bulk shipments fell 6.8 percent to 957,000 metric tons compared to the first half of 2014, while dry bulk and general cargo dropped 7.5 percent to 3 million metric tons and 0.9 percent to 886,000 metric tons, respectively.
   Several ports on the Great Lakes reported positive growth for the month of June, according to the Great Lakes Seaway Partnership.
   The Port of Cleveland is thriving with the launch of the Cleveland-Europe Express liner service last year. “International tonnage of steel and project cargo has increased 37 percent compared with this time in 2014,” Port of Cleveland’s Vice President of Maritime and Logistics Dave Gutheil said. “The total volume of shipping container traffic has increased by over 300 percent and we are connecting Greater Cleveland to over 30 countries across four continents now.” 
   For the Port of Toledo, general cargo shipments, including project cargo, aluminum and steel, were up 17 percent compared to the first half of 2014.
   Shipments at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor were up 13 percent year-over-year in June. The port is a preferred inland hub for large specialty cargoes and the craft brewery industry, Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor’s Port Director Rick Heimann said.