Great Lakes shipping was steady through the end of November as compared to last year.
An estimated 32.6 million tons of commodities passed through the St. Lawrence Seaway to Great Lakes ports, including the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor and the Illinois International Port District's Port of Chicago. Overall, Great Lakes cargo was up by 422,000 tons as compared to last year.
More than 1.8 million tons of cement had been shipped on the Great Lakes through the end of November, an increase of about 192,000 tons. Steel slab shipments totaled 354,000 tons through the first 11 months of the year, an increase of about 93,000 tons.
“The amount of cargo traffic on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway this year demonstrates the importance of the Seaway as a trade conduit,” said Bruce Burrows, president and CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. “It also speaks to the professionalism and reliability of those who work on the Seaway, and their partners in marine shipping organizations that use the infrastructure to move what matters in North America."
Duluth-Superior, a port in Minnesota and Wisconsin that supplies Northwest Indiana steel mills with much of their iron ore, reported a 3.9% increase in total cargo and a 35% surge in cement tonnage year-over-year through the end of November. The port recently added 56,000 square feet of warehouse space, bringing its warehouse capacity to more than 500,00 square feet.
"As chamber members like the Port of Duluth-Superior are showing, the marine shipping industry is more than ready to adapt to unforeseen developments and expand to meet the needs of the business community, and that is why our industry will continue driving economic growth throughout North America for years to come," he said.
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