COVID-19 Weighs on Great Lakes-Seaway Shipping
While St. Lawrence Seaway cargo volumes decreased during the past two months due to economic shifts related to COVID-19, industry leaders said the binational trade and transportation corridor is ready to play its part in the economic recovery efforts in the coming months. Meanwhile, with an increased focus on commodity diversification through project cargo, international shipments of wind energy components in the Great Lakes region are taking off.Overall St. Lawrence Seaway tonnage from March 15 through May 31 totaled 7.7 million metric tons, down 10% compared to the same time period in 2019.
US House Asks for Lakes Dredge Funds Increase
The U.S. House of Representatives has sent another clear signal that it is committed to ending the dredging crisis on the Great Lakes, introducing an amendment to the Energy & Water Appropriations bill that mandates that the Great Lakes Navigation System gets the 10 percent of increased funding for dredging that is promised in the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 that was passed seven weeks ago. The amendment was co-authored by Congressmen Sean Duffy (R-Wisc.) and Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and introduced by Rep. Kelly.
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.
