Cleveland Bulk Terminal News

Spring cargo numbers from the St. Lawrence Seaway and U.S. ports are signaling a better year for Great Lakes-Seaway shipping. According to the latest figures from the St. Lawrence Seaway, total cargo shipments via the Seaway from the start of the shipping season (March 20 through April 30) reached 3.7 million metric tons, up 8 percent from the same period a year ago. “It’s still very early in the season, but we’re optimistic that 2017 will be a better year for Great Lakes-Seaway shipping,” said Bruce Burrows, President of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. “U.S.

The 2017 Great Lakes shipping season begins today when the U.S.-flag tug/barge unit Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder departs her winter lay-up berth in Erie, Pa., and sails to Cleveland, Ohio, where she will initiate the shuttle of iron ore from Cleveland Bulk Terminal to the ArcelorMittal steel mill at the end of the navigable portion of the Cuyahoga River on Wednesday. The vessel will load approximately 15,000 tons that was mined from Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range. The next vessel to get underway will be the cement carrier Bradshaw McKee/St. Marys Conquest on March 1.

The Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) announced that the 2016 shipping season on the Great Lakes began on March 2 when the tug/barge unit Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder loaded 4,600 tons of iron ore at Cleveland Bulk Terminal for delivery to ArcelorMittal Cleveland at the end of the navigable portion of the Cuyahoga River. That much iron ore will keep the mill in operation for about one day. The vessel could have delivered another 4,100 tons, but the Cuyahoga River is notorious for silting up over the winter, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will not dredge the river again until mid-May. The next vessel to get underway will be the cement carrier G. L. Ostander/Integrity on March 7, LCA said.

Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 6.6 million tons in July, a decrease of 9 percent compared to a year ago, the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) reported. The decline reflects that steel imports continue to command more than 30 percent of the U.S. market, according to the LCA, who added it takes approximately 1.5 tons of iron ore (and roughly 400 pounds of fluxstone) to make a ton of steel in a blast furnace, so every ton of unfairly traded steel takes cargo off the lakes. Shipments from U.S. ports totaled 5.7 million tons, a decrease of 14 percent compared to a year ago. Only one port, Cleveland, Ohio, saw its loadings outpace last July.

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.

The 2013 Great Lakes shipping season began on March 2 with the sailing of the tug/barge unit Prentiss Brown/St. Mary’s Conquest. The vessel, operated by Port City Marine Services, departed its winter lay-up berth in Milwaukee and sailed for Charlevoix, Michigan, where it loaded 9,200 tons of cement for delivery to Chicago. Next to get underway was the tug/barge unit Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder. The vessel, one of 10 operated by The Interlake Steamship Company, loaded about 13,000 tons of iron ore at Cleveland Bulk Terminal in Cleveland…

U.S. ports reported upticks in tonnage during the normal summer slowdown period. The Seaway’s year-to-date total cargo shipments from March 22 to August 31 were 22 million metric tons, up 3.5 percent from the same period last year. “In addition to the cargo shipments increase, vessel transits are up 9 percent from a year ago with the best performers in August being petroleum products, scrap metal and salt. This number shows that the marine trade, even in today’s tough economic times…

The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority has received a capacity study identifying options for sustaining the Port's position as an engine for manufacturing jobs, while the City of Cleveland is opening up the lakefront for greater public access and economic development. The study's main finding was that as the Port vacates key docks and storage areas, then those maritime facilities would need replacement given any reasonable future business projection. The Port of Cleveland is a destination port, meaning it produces local jobs because 90 percent of the Port's cargo is produced or consumed within a 75-mile radius. For example, the Cleveland Cliffs iron ore brought here from Minnesota by Oglebay Norton is used for manufacturing steel at ISG.