In total, the Port of Duluth welcomed 306,000 freight tons of wind energy cargo in 2019, a single-season record. This hefty haul eclipsed the previous high of 302,000 freight tons set in 2008.

Duluth Cargo Connect, recently honored as worldwide Port/Terminal Operator of the Year by Heavy Lift and Project Forwarding International, managed the unloading, storage and dispatch of the wind energy cargo to sites throughout the Midwest.

“This has been a banner year for wind energy cargo and also for the Clure Public Marine Terminal and Duluth Cargo Connect,” said Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. “And it’s no accident. We’ve made more than $25 million in strategic investments to the terminal over the past four years, enhancements that help support the excellent work Duluth Cargo Connect does in handling these oversize wind cargos.”

As the Great Lakes’ top tonnage port and inland North America’s premier world port, Duluth emerged as a primary destination for wind energy cargo beginning in 2006.

“Wind energy has been an important part of our cargo portfolio, dating back to our first shipments more than a decade ago,” said Jonathan Lamb, president of Duluth Cargo Connect. “As the farthest inland port in North America, we’re geographically well-situated to support wind farm installations in the Upper Midwest and central Canada. We pride ourselves in providing a seamless connection between modes of transportation for our wind energy customers.”