November Cargoes Reflect Diversity of Seaway Shipments
“Agricultural commodities along with dry bulk, general cargo and containerized goods continued to enhance cargo tonnage on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System during the month of November,” said Betty Sutton, Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. “With just under a month remaining in the 2015 navigation season, we anticipate vessel activity in the Seaway System to be robust right up to closing.”
The general cargo dock operated by Midwest Terminals had a good month of November at the Port of Toledo. “The ability to handle a diverse array of cargo at this large facility with new material handling equipment is really helping move the economy of Northwest Ohio forward,” said Joe Cappel, Vice President of Business Development at the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. In November alone, Midwest handled vessel loads of aluminum, steel, project cargo, coal, pig iron, petcoke, and salt. “Although our coal and iron ore tonnage is below normal for this time of year, shipments of other bulk materials, project cargo, grain, and aluminum have been strong. In Toledo, we can handle just about anything that can be loaded onto a ship.”
At the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor, exports through the Seaway exceeded imports for the first time in many months. “We saw increased exports of grain and other bulk products moving to Quebec in recent shipments,” said Port Director Rick Heimann. “Quebec is a key trading partner for us because that region serves as a gateway to the Great Lakes in a similar way that our port serves as a gateway to the U.S. Midwest and the extensive inland waterway system. Grain from Midwestern farms can be shipped on Great Lakes vessels from our port to Quebec and loaded onto larger ocean vessels for trans-Atlantic shipments. Developing these types of regional partnerships is vital to realizing the full potential of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System.”
The Port of Oswego had a busy November, receiving shipments of aluminum and potash, and exporting its first shipment of soybeans. Two McKeil Marine barges, carrying 16,000 metric tons of aluminum, arrived from Sept-Iles, Quebec. The aluminum was loaded onto trucks for delivery to the local Novelis Plant, and for customers as far away as Kentucky and Texas. The M/V Algoway delivered 10,000 metric tons of red premium potash from Thunder Bay, Ontario. The potash was moved by truck to farmers across New York and surrounding states. “The Port saw its first export of 16,000 metric tons of soybeans on the M/V Manitoba to the Port of Sorel, Quebec,” said Zelko Kirincich, Executive Director and CEO. “Its final destination is Europe. This first export of soybeans by ship is just the beginning of what is expected to be major grain export and import activity at the Port of Oswego in 2016.”
“For the second consecutive year, the Port of Milwaukee will see a high volume of steel coming in through the Seaway,” said Port Director Paul Vornholt. “That is one of the ways the Port adds value for local manufacturers. The Port is also well positioned to handle oversized items such as the new 96-ton hammer press that recently arrived through the Seaway for a local forged product manufacturer.”
