Shipment

Ag Concerns Thwart Shipment

On Tuesday, August 31, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers at the Port of Sweetgrass, MT refused entry on a shipment of Chinese porcelain vases coming from Canada which contained an unknown plant material present throughout the entire shipment. CPB Officers used Vehicle and Cargo Inspection gamma ray technology to inspect the container, which showed an unmanifested substance inside all 83 vases. Further inspection of the material revealed three to four inches of a wheat-like substance including stems, heads, chaff and dirt inside each of the vases. CBP Officers also noted that the palletized boxes, containing the vases, were shrink-wrapped on wood slats where pieces of pallet stock were nailed together holding the boxes together within the shrink-wrap. The pallets appeared as if they had not been broken down and re-palletized after being unloaded from the shipping container, which arrived via vessel in Montreal from China. CBP agricultural concerns regarding this shipment were raised because of the presence of wheat from China, which is prohibited in the United States due to Karnal bunt and the other smut diseases. Karnal bunt spores are highly transmissible by air and wheat that is infected by Karnal bunt is considered un-marketable due to the dark coloring of the spores and fishy aroma and flavor it gives flour milled from the infected wheat. Currently, a few counties in Arizona and Texas are currently under quarantine restrictions for Karnal bunt

Lakes Iron Ore Trade Up 106% in May

Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes totaled 6.3 million net tons in May, an increase of 16.4% over April, and an increase of 106% compared to a year ago.  Shipments were also up 4.6% compared to the month’s five-year average. May loadings at U.S. ports increased 118% compared to a year ago.  Shipments from Canadian ports rose 38%. Year-to-date the Lakes ore trade stands at 15.8 million net tons, an increase of 140% compared to the same point last year

Indiana Port Tonnage at Five Year High

The Ports of Indiana handled 8.1 million tons of cargo in 2011, the largest annual tonnage since 2006. New ethanol and dried distillers grains (DDGs) shipments combined with gains in limestone, salt and steel cargoes fueled a 5 percent increase in total shipments moving through Indiana's three ports.     "Despite continued economic uncertainties, this was the fourth consecutive year our ports experienced growth," said Ports of Indiana CEO Rich Cooper

Seaway Cargo Shipments Up 3%

Continued demand for iron ore, coal, and general cargo for the industrial and manufacturing sectors lifted the tonnage numbers along the Great Lakes-Seaway System to the positive column.  For the period March 22 to November 30, year-to-date total cargo shipments were 34.6 million metric tons, a rise of 2.67 percent over the same period in 2011. The St. Lawrence Seaway reported an 11 percent increase for total cargo shipments during the month of November – 5

U.S. Food Could Be Headed To Cuba

Reuters reported that, for the first time in nearly four decades, a shipment of food from the U.S. could be headed to Cuba. According to the report, Archer Daniels Midland Co. - pending final U.S. Administrative approval - awaits to transport the corn, having already received approval to sell it, the New York-based U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council reported. The shipment is said to consist of 24,000 metric tons of corn from seven states. Last fall, the U.S

Great Lakes Iron Ore Trade Up 30% in October

Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes totaled 5,026,477 net tons in October, a 6.1% decrease compared to September, but a 30.5% improvement over a year ago.  Even so, loadings were still 8.6% below the month’s five-year average. October loadings at U.S. Great Lakes ports increased 28.3% compared to a year ago.  Shipments from Canadian ports along the Seaway were up 46%. Year-to-date the Lakes ore trade stands at 44 million tons

Lakes Limestone Trade Up 27% in May

Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3,639,048 net tons in May, an increase of 47.6 percent compared to April, and an increase of 27.3 percent compared to a year ago.  The trade was, however, down more than 16 percent when compared to the month’s five-year average. Loadings at U.S. ports were up 23 percent compared to a year ago.  Shipments from Canadian docks increased even more, 43.2 percent

Cargo Shipments Through Seaway Up

North American commodities for the industrial and manufacturing sectors drove an uptick in tonnage numbers along the Great Lakes-Seaway System.    The St. Lawrence Seaway reported a 9.8 percent increase for total cargo shipments in October – 4.4 million metric tons – compared to October 2011. For the period March 22 to October 31, year-to-date total cargo shipments were 29.5 million metric tons, a rise of 1.4 percent over the same period in 2011.

Great Lakes Iron Ore Trade Off 3.6 Percent

Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes totaled 5.5 million tons in October, a decrease of 6 percent compared to September, and 3.6 percent below the level of a year ago.  Shipments were, however, marginally ahead of October’s 5-year average. Shipments from U.S. ports totaled 4.5 million tons, a decrease of 11.1 percent compared to a year ago.  Included in that total were 81,000 tons shipped to Québec City for final delivery overseas.  

Shipping Boosts Indiana Lakeshore Economy by $14B

A new study released by the Ports of Indiana reports that waterborne shipping along Indiana’s Lake Michigan shoreline contributes $14b per year in economic activity to the state economy and more than 104,000 jobs. The study was conducted by Martin Associates, one of the foremost maritime economic consulting firms in the country, and was peer reviewed by economics professors from Indiana University, University of Notre Dame and Purdue University