Strong July Across Great Lakes Gets Seaway Tonnage
Great Lakes-St. Lawrence shipping continues to bounce back after a slow start. With strong tonnage numbers in July, particularly shipments of U.S. grain, liquid bulk and project cargo, the 2018 shipping season is right on par with the healthy statistics posted last year.Overall cargo shipments on the St. Lawrence Seaway between March 29 and July 31 totaled 16.5 million metric tons. Areas of strength included U.S. grain shipments totaling 888,000 metric tons, up 32 percent over last year. Liquid bulk shipments totaled 2.3 million metric tons, an increase of 25 percent.
Intermodal Short Sea Barge Operation Completed
The Great Lakes Towing Company completed an Intermodal Short Sea barge move utilizing the Port of Cleveland’s Rail Loop and the Port’s switching line, Cleveland Harbor Belt Railroad. Norfolk & Southern interchanged the rail car carrying the 114 metric ton transformer to Cleveland Harbor Belt Railroad to bring the railcar via the loop to the dock-face under the Port’s heavy lift crane. The cargo was transferred to a barge and was towed by the Tug OHIO to Marysville, Michigan for delivery to DTE Energy Electric Company (formerly The Detroit Edison Company).
Year-to-Date Seaway Shipments ‘steady as she goes’
U.S. ports post positive numbers. For the period March 22 to September 30, year-to-date total cargo shipments were 25.1 million metric tons, virtually flat over the same period in 2011, as reported by the St. Lawrence Seaway. “Cargo tonnage on the Seaway System remained relatively steady for the month of September,” said Rebecca Spruill, Director, Trade Development for the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. “These tonnage numbers reflect historical trading patterns for the month of September, with the noteworthy increase in shipments of windmill components.
Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority Launches New Rail Loop
Largest Construction Project in Decade, Improves Service for Shippers. The Port of Cleveland held a ribbon-cutting today to mark the launch of a new rail loop that will provide better and more efficient service at the port, and improve access to markets throughout North America. “We needed to reinvent the way the Port connects shippers to railroads,” said Port CEO Will Friedman. Slightly more than a mile long, the rail loop connects the two sides of the port’s rail system for the first time, allowing cargo to move on either CSX or Norfolk Southern, the two Class 1 railroads that serve the port. The loop doubles the port’s rail capacity and will give more shippers opportunities to use the Port to transport larger volumes to more markets.
