NY manufacturing boosts aluminum shipments to Port of Oswego

Shipments of aluminum products through the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Port of Oswego are expected to increase by 30 percent this year due to strong demand from aluminum sheet manufacturers catering to the automotive industry.

The Port of Oswego is experiencing record levels of aluminum shipments and is forecasting that more than 120,000 metric tons will be delivered to the port in 2014. The aluminum is shipped by barge from the Aluminerie Alouette facility in Sept-Iles, Quebec — the largest aluminum smelter in the Americas.

The ingots are being used by the aluminum sheet manufacturer Novelis, which has recently added two new automotive finishing production lines in Oswego and is currently constructing a third line to meet rapidly growing demand by auto manufacturers such as Ford. The Port of Oswego expects aluminum shipments to increase even more in 2015 as this new line begins production.

Aluminerie Alouette expects to ship close to 500,000 metric tons of primary aluminum to U.S. ports including Oswego, New York, Toledo, Ohio and Detroit, Michigan on barges owned by McKeil Marine over the next three years.

Quotes

• Zelko Kirincich, Executive Director of the Port of Oswego, — “We are enjoying record levels of aluminum shipments through the port and expect this to rise even further in 2015 as Novelis’ additional aluminum rolling capacity comes on line. This is a great example of how the port and marine shipping on the Great Lakes-Seaway system support the success of local manufacturers.”
• Stephen Brooks, President, Chamber of Marine Commerce,— “The bi-national nature of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway system makes it a natural conduit for cross-border trade. Ships carry more than 36 million metric tons of commodities like aluminum, iron ore, salt and construction materials over this waterway every year between the two countries.”
• Jean-Pierre Bérubé, Casthouse, Energy and Metal Shipping manager for Aluminerie Alouette, — “We can ship our aluminum by water directly to U.S. customers in the Great Lakes, which is still the heart of North American manufacturing. Using the Blue Highway helps us to reduce our environmental impact and lower our transportation costs, which is an important part of the financial equation of exporting and helps us to lower the prices for customers.”
• John Grech, Vice President Business Development, Transportation for McKeil Marine, — “We have witnessed a shift with a greater percentage of aluminum going to Oswego.  We will continue to service our customers requirements for the balance of the 2014 shipping season.”
  

Quick Facts

• The bi-national Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway marine industry generates $35 billion in business revenues and supports 227,000 jobs in the U.S. and Canada.
  

Flickr

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About the Chamber of Marine Commerce

The Chamber of Marine Commerce (CMC) is a bi-national association that represents approximately 150 marine industry stakeholders including major Canadian and American shippers, ports, terminals and marine service providers, as well as domestic and international shipowners.  The CMC represents the interests of its members by addressing government issues affecting marine transportation. Advocacy extends to both the federal and provincial levels of government and, when appropriate, to U.S. federal and state governments and agencies.

Media Contact

Julia Fields

Chamber of Marine Commerce

1-613-294-8515