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Traditional and project cargoes transit the St. Lawrence Seaway in November

[ December 19, 2016   //   ]

“November was a good month for the export of agricultural products and shipments of aluminum ingots on the Great Lakes Seaway System,” said Betty Sutton, Administrator of the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. “Under the binational trade development program known as ‘Highway H2O’, the U.S. and Canadian Seaway Corporations have raised international awareness about the advantages of exporting grain products via the Great Lakes Seaway System and it is paying off.”
Sutton added, “The U.S. Great Lakes ports of Toledo, OH, Duluth, MN, Burns Harbor, IN, and Milwaukee, WI, handled corn, soybeans and wheat exports bound for Europe, South America, and Central America. Additionally, aluminum ingots arrived at the ports of Oswego, N.Y., and Toledo bound for local manufacturers supporting the automobile industry. With the current pace of both commodities, I anticipate a strong finish to the Seaway System’s 2016 navigation season.”
Through November, the Port of Toledo has seen a considerable increase in coal, petroleum, and general cargo shipments over the 2015 year-to-date totals. General cargo shipments were mainly comprised of steel, project cargo, super sacks of various bulk materials and aluminum. “2016 will be a record-breaking year for aluminum volumes through Toledo,” said Joe Cappel, Vice President of Business Development for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. “We thought that 2015 was a great year for aluminum and we have now exceeded those volumes by over 40 percent. The aluminum arrives from eastern Canada by water and feeds the manufacturing industry in this region. The Port of Toledo plays a critical role in this massive supply chain and we have capacity to handle even more.”
In early November, the Spliethoff Lines vessel, M/V Marsgracht, called at the Port of Monroe to load empty containers which had been collected throughout the season from around the Great Lakes region. Earlier in the year, in preparation for future container activities planned for 2017, the Port’s terminal operator, DRM Terminal Services, invested in reach-stackers, container trailers, and other necessary equipment to handle containerized cargo in high volume. The 130 containers loaded in November represents the largest single load volume handled by any port in recent years except for Cleveland. Port Director Paul LaMarre said, “This container handling evolution was an enormous success for the Port of Monroe and DRM Terminal Services. Whether loaded or empty these containers represented increased activity across our docks and proved that the Port of Monroe is strategically positioned and highly capable to handle increased volume next season.”
November Seaway cargoes at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor were the highest for any single-month within the last five years. “We had a significant increase in ocean shipments this past month – up 50 percent from last November and over 80 percent from the previous month,” said Port Director Rick Heimann. “This included steel-related products for Midwest manufacturers and raw materials for the steel industry as well as two ships loaded with over 45,000 tons of Indiana grain bound for world markets. The port’s ability to handle global shipments also creates advantages for moving large-dimensional shipments by water into the heart of the Midwest. Our November cargoes included several 200-foot molds for wind turbine blades, a competitive sailing yacht for an upcoming boat show and two 10-ton freezers for an Indiana food processor.”
“In compiling tonnage totals for November, it was heartening for us here at the Head of the Lakes to finally see an uptick in iron ore shipments,” said Vanta Coda, Executive Director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. “We all know it’s been a slow, painful climb out of last year’s mining industry downturn. Seeing pellets pick up pace through the Port of Duluth-Superior is encouraging. The steady stream of grain shipments continues, as well—up nearly 25 percent over the Port’s five-year YTD average.” Coincidentally, with the increase in outbound shipments of iron ore and grain, the number of vessel visits by Canadian lakers is up 15 percent this year.”
Port of Oswego Executive Director and CEO, Zelko Kirincich said the port had a busy month of November. “Nearly 4,000 metric tons of aluminum shipped into the port in two shipments from Sept Iles, Quebec, Canada. The aluminum was delivered to the local Novelis Plant which makes the aluminum sheets used in the assembly of the Ford F-150 trucks, as well as for other uses. We anticipate a strong close to the 2016 shipping season.”
The St. Lawrence Seaway reported that year-to-date cargo shipments for the period March 21 to November 30 were 30.3 million metric tons, down 5.89 percent over the same period in 2015. The dry bulk category was down 13 percent. Iron ore was down almost 11 percent; coal was down18 percent. The general cargo category was down 6 percent overall, but within that classification, project cargo posted a 42 percent increase. The liquid bulk category was at 19 percent over 2015.

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