Largest Cargo Year Ever for Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor
The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor handled more shipments in 2014 than any year since the port opened in 1970. Total tonnage was up 30 percent over 2013 driven by strong shipments of steel, grain and salt. "It was a terrific year thanks to our port companies, steelmakers and businesses that use our port," said Rich Cooper, CEO for the Ports of Indiana. "Federal Marine Terminals, the port's terminal operator, and its labor force did a tremendous job handling the significant cargo increases that arrived at the port by ship and barge.
Great Lakes Shipyard Completes Winter Work
The vessels were berthed in the yard for planned repairs and routine maintenance, as well as various inspections and miscellaneous renewals. Great Lakes Shipyard also completed industrial maintenance and winter repairs at the Cleveland Bulk Terminal at the port in Cleveland, Ohio. The work included rebuilding one of the field conveyor hoppers. Carmeuse Lime & Stone operates the Port’s Cleveland Bulk Terminal, handling iron ore and limestone that arrive by ship from other Great Lakes ports.
Port of Erie Receives $1.52M for Dredging
The Port of Erie is located on the southeast shore of Lake Erie in a natural bay formed and sheltered by Presque Isle peninsula. Its harbor entrance channel is narrow and 29 feet deep. Dredging is a constant concern. In fact, dredging of harbors around the Great Lakes has been a hot button issue for the maritime industry. Funding is provided by the Harbor Maintenance Tax which is a user fee collected by the federal government to ensure the adequate maintenance and operations of waterway infrastructure by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. On Tuesday, March 4, the Corps released their FY14 budget. It included an additional $25 million for Great Lakes harbors - $13.8 million of which will be dedicated to dredging.
Spending HMT Will End Dredging Crisis
Using the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for its intended purpose will end the dredging crisis on the Great Lakes declared a stone shipper at a briefing for the Great Lakes delegation in Washington, DC on April 2 hosted by Great Lakes Maritime Task Force. “We need approximately $200m to clear the dredging backlog on the Great Lakes,” said Thomas Buck, President and Chief Executive Officer of Carmeuse Lime & Stone. “The fund collects $1.1b annually, but only spends $700m. That leaves a surplus of nearly $5b. Carmeuse Lime & Stone operates three large stone quarries that ship via the Great Lakes. In 2008, those quarries loaded 14 million tons of aggregate and fluxstone into Great Lakes freighters.
