Shipping Season Rewarded During National Transportation Week

During the 2006 Great Lakes shipping season, the Port of Detroit exceeded its 2005 international cargo tonnage volume by more than sixty percent. Because of the upswing in international cargo volume, the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority (DWCPA) and its stevedoring company, Nicholson Terminal & Dock Company, will receive the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation's Robert Lewis Port Pacesetter Award. SLSDC Administrator Collister Johnson, Jr. will present the award Friday, during National Transportation Week, highlighting the maritime industry's significant role in moving the nation's cargo.

Steel slabs and general cargo that moved through the Seaway from foreign shores comprised all of the freight handled at the Port of Detroit. As the center of domestic automobile production, Detroit depends on imported, as well as American-made steel to compete in an increasingly integrated marketplace. DWCPA Executive Director, Curtis Hertel, praised the combined efforts of port and terminal employees and management staff which led to the award.