Agriculture and Steel Lead Great Lakes Tonnage Traffic in 2024, Supported by Innovation and Development at Ports

As summer ends for the 2024 marine shipping season on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, a theme within the statistical reporting has emerged this year: agricultural commodities and steel are leading the way. 

As noted in a release recently issued by the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation and the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, there has been:

• 5.2 million metric tons (mt) of Canadian and U.S. grain traffic, which is up by 277,000 mt or 5.6% year over year;
• 849 thousand mt of Potash traffic, representing an increase of 145,000 mt or 21% year over year; and
• 1.3 million mt of iron and steel traffic, which is up by 347,000 mt or 35% over last year.

Ports within Chamber of Marine Commerce (CMC) membership are key conduits for moving these and many other vital commodities, and they have met that responsibility with ongoing development and innovation. A good example is the Port of Duluth-Superior, which is the Great Lakes’ largest port by tonnage. Located at the westernmost tip of Lake Superior, the Port of Duluth-Superior is North America’s farthest-inland freshwater seaport, and is home to 20 privately owned bulk cargo docks, an award-winning general cargo terminal, a marine fueling depot, a shipyard with dry docks, multiple tug and barge services, and an intermodal cargo terminal.

In keeping with the Seaway’s 2024 grain gains, Duluth-Superior wheat exports have more than tripled compared to the 2023 pace through August 31. Breakbulk cargo moves have also been a highlight this season, with high, wide and heavy tonnage tracking toward its best finish since 2020. Fortifying the multimodal logistics hub that supports those breakbulk and project cargo moves, the Duluth Seaway Port Authority has invested over $50 million USD in the improvement and expansion of Clure Public Marine Terminal assets since 2015. Part of that effort includes a dock reconstruction project underway this summer that will increase vessel berthing capacity and cargo laydown space.

“Our port plays a vital role in moving critical cargoes to and from North America’s midsection, and doing it efficiently,” said Deb DeLuca, executive director, Duluth Seaway Port Authority. “Modern, resilient port infrastructure is essential to accomplishing that mission, and also for driving success and dependability on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System as a whole, so it’s an ongoing top priority for us.” “The world can count on marine shipping to be the most reliable and efficient means of moving what matters because CMC members like the Port of Duluth-Superior are investing, innovating, and finding new ways to meet the needs of shippers across diverse industries,” said Bruce Burrows, President and CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. “The ambition and commitment to customer success shown by ports like Duluth-Superior is why I expect marine shipping to lead in these vital areas for many years to come.”