St. Lawrence Seaway provides seamless supply route for U.S. ports

 

Washington, D.C. (October 21, 2013)– The St. Lawrence Seaway reported that year-to-date total cargo shipments for the period March 22 to September 30 were 23 million metric tons. While this number is down 11 percent over the same period in 2012, U.S. ports continue to beat the odds with increased tonnage in several cargo categories.

“At least a dozen ships from Europe unloaded steel products at the ports of Cleveland, Milwaukee, Burns Harbor and Detroit over the past month; a clear sign that the end of the navigation season is approaching and shippers are working diligently to get products out of the mills and into the Seaway System before the end of the year,” said Rebecca Spruill, Director Trade Development for the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. “Although overall cargo tonnage is down, September provided many positive signs that the next three months will be extremely busy for our ports and terminal operators in the Great Lakes-Seaway System.”

In September, the Port of Cleveland moved 66,812 metric tons of general cargo, almost doubling the amount moved in August, and more than doubling the amount moved in September of 2012.

“This is the most cargo that we have moved in any one month since November 2006,” said David S. Gutheil, Vice President of Maritime & Logistics. “The increase in cargo can be attributed to a high demand for imported steel by local manufacturers and processors in addition to machinery unloaded by our heavy lift crane destined for Pennsylvania. The Port, and our terminal operator, Federal Marine Terminals, work together to compete globally as the first major U.S. port on the Great Lakes; our multi-modal capabilities allow us to provide customers all-water access to and from international markets.”

The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor saw a 16 percent increase in total tonnage through the month of September, putting it on pace for its highest annual total in over six years.

“Steel and steel-related byproducts continue to drive strong shipment numbers through the port in conjunction with a steady increase in other bulk commodities such as coal, fertilizer and limestone,” said Port Director, Rick Heimann.  “Looking ahead, we expect this trend to continue next month as we already have on the books a shipment of distillery tanks from Germany bound for a brewery expansion in Chicago.”

For the past three years, Midwest Energy Resources Company (MERC) has been exporting coal from Superior, Wisconsin, to Western Europe via the Great Lakes-Seaway System. On September 3 they welcomed Canada Steamship Lines’ new vessel, Baie Comeau, to its terminal.

“We utilize a transshipment facility in Quebec City to take full advantage of this northern marine corridor,” said Fred Shusterich, MERC president. “In our trade, we are excited about the advent of these new Canadian ships – the high caliber of these state-of-the-art vessels equates to increased efficiency and lower costs for our customers, all of which bodes well for continued export business.”   

MERC has been able to capitalize on the increased demand for U.S. low-sulfur coal in new international markets, seeing growth in exports to the Netherlands and Spain. “We are pleased to have CSL as a partner with us in the export business,” added Shusterich.

In addition to the uptick in general cargo traffic at the ports, U.S. grain remained a bright spot for the month.  Nearly 700,000 metric tons of U.S. grain moved through the System, representing a 27 percent increase year-to-date over 2012. Overall, cargo categories were down. As noted above, steel is driving tonnage for some U.S. ports, but iron ore and coal shipments remained down in September by 18 and 2 percent respectively. Within the dry bulk category, scrap metal was up 22 percent. The liquid bulk category posted an 8.6 percent jump over the same time in 2012.

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The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway maritime industry supports 227,000 jobs in the U.S. and Canada, and annually generates $14.1 billion in salary and wages, $33.5 billion in business revenue, and $4.6 billion in federal, state/provincial and local taxes. North American farmers, steel producers, construction firms, food manufacturers, and power generators depend on the 164 million metric tons of essential raw materials and finished products that are moved annually on the system. This vital trade corridor saves companies $3.6 billion per year in transportation costs compared to the next least-costly land-based alternative.

For interviews, please contact: Nancy Alcalde, Director, Congressional & Public Relations, Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation on 202-366-0091.

Follow Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway shipping news on www.marinedelivers.comor on Twitter @MarineDelivers.

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Marine Delivers is a bi-national, industry collaboration that aims to demonstrate the positive economic and environmental benefits, safety, energy efficiency, and sustainability of the shipping industry throughout the Great Lakes-Seaway System. The Marine Delivers initiative is administered by the American Great Lakes Ports Association in the United States, and the Chamber of Marine Commerce in Canada.