St. Lawrence Seaway Kicks Off 2022 Navigation Season
The St. Lawrence Seaway kicked off its 2022 navigation season on Tuesday, with international freighters able to arrive at the Montreal â Lake Ontario section of the binational St. Lawrence Seaway.âWeâre thrilled to start the 2022 navigation season,â said Craig Middlebrook, Deputy Administrator of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. âThis year weâre confident that the St. Lawrence Seaway will continue to be a major driver of economic development while offeringâŚ
Traditional, Project Cargoes Transit St. Lawrence Seaway in November
âNovember was a good month for the export of agricultural products and shipments of aluminum ingots on the Great Lakes Seaway System,â said Betty Sutton, Administrator of the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. âUnder the binational trade development program known as âHighway H2Oâ, the U.S. Sutton added, âThe U.S. Great Lakes ports of Toledo, Ohio; Duluth, Minn.; Burns Harbor, Ind.; and Milwaukee, Wis. handled corn, soybeans and wheat exports bound for Europe, South America, and Central America.
Great Lakes Ports Support Ballast Reforms
Directors of major commercial ports in the Great Lakes region called on Congress to end years of regulatory chaos surrounding ballast water management. In a joint letter issued late yesterday, 14 port directors urged the Senate Armed Services Committee to include ballast regulatory reform in the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Known as the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA), these regulatory reforms were included in the House-passed NDAA, but not the Senate-passed version. Currently, a House-Senate conference committee is working to hammer-out a final version of the legislation. When not fully loaded, cargo ships must take on water (ballast) to maintain their stability.
New Cargos Boost St. Lawrence Seaway Commerce
Despite a downturn in overall cargo movements through the St. Lawrence Seaway in July (down 12.5% over 2012), new cargos and new vessels signaled continued confidence in the future of the navigation system. Several U.S. ports welcomed a variety of heavy lift cargos destined for projects throughout the region. âTwice during July, McKeil Marine Ltd. has called at the Port of Monroe to deliver heavy-lift industrial components,â said Monroe port director Paul LaMarre. âThese project pieces were manufactured by Cherubini Metal Workers Ltd in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and will be installed in the last of four Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) Units at DTE Energyâs Monroe Power Plant.
Great Lakes Ports Association Elects New Leadership
Members of the American Great Lakes Ports Association (AGLPA) elected new leadership at their annual summer meeting held this year in Oswego, New York. The new president is William Friedman, President & CEO of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority. Dean Haen, director of the Brown County Port & Solid Waste Department in Green Bay, will serve as vice president. The secretary-treasurer position will be held by Paul LaMarre, port director at the Port of Monroe (Michigan). The term of office is two years. Friedman became president and CEO of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority in June 2010. He has more than 25 years of experience in port management, real estate development, international supply chain and multimodal distribution.