Increased shipments through the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System in September has Seaway officials optimistic for the remainder of the shipping season. September cargo reached nearly 4.2 million tons to bring the year-to-date total to 23.4 million tons. Last month’s tonnage helped to narrow the year-to-date gap from 8.9% through August to 5.6% through September.
“It was good to see a nice jump in grain shipments last month,” said Bruce Burrows, President & CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. “We are optimistic that the positive numbers for September are an indication that it will be a strong fourth quarter and robust finish to the 2022 shipping season.”
All grain shipments reached nearly 1 million tons in September with the year-to-date total of 4.9 million tons. That’s still about 15% below the year-to-date totals from a year ago. While Canadian grain remains down, potash (+262%), other general cargo (+181%), petroleum products (+43%) and U.S. grain (+41%) have shown nice increases over 2021.
Port Milwaukee is experiencing new maritime commerce opportunities with an increase of high-value breakbulk and project cargo moving through the port. From The Delong Co., Inc. assembly of a new ship loader for agricultural exports to the delivery of curved steel plates, brewery tanks and superyacht pieces, Port Milwaukee stands ready to welcome and transport cargo of all kinds,” said Port Milwaukee Director Adam Tindall-Schlicht. “This represents important support for the regional economy and moved the Great Lakes supply chain forward.”
The Port of Toledo surpassed 8 million tons for the season in September. “We believe the positive momentum of the 2022 shipping season will continue into the fourth quarter,” said Joseph Cappel, VP of Business Development for the Toledo Lucas County Port Authority. “We are looking forward to the fall harvest when grain products from the Toledo Region will be exported throughout the world. Watching farmers line up their trucks to deliver their products at the terminals and then to see that product immediately loaded onto an ocean vessel for export demonstrates the reliability and capabilities of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System as a critical link to the global marketplace. It’s a true demonstration of the supply chain in action.”
The Mark W. Barker, the newest ship on the Great Lakes, visited the Port of Monroe for the first time in September. The ship loaded a cargo of synthetic gypsum at the turning basin dock for delivery to Port Colborne, Ontario. The Barker was built at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., the first Great Lakes bulk carrier to be built on the Great Lakes in more than 35 years.
“Any time a vessel of the Interlake Steamship Co. calls upon the Port, it is special,” said Capt. Paul C. LaMarre III, Port of Monroe Director. “In this case, it is historic. Interlake’s continued support of our growth and cargo diversification has made them a major piece of the Port’s living Great Lakes legacy.”
The Seaway system has also seen shipments of several wind projects, with turbines shipped from Germany, Spain, Vietnam and China moving through the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system.
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Flickr – Download photos of Great Lakes-St. Lawrence shipping:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/marinecommerce/albums/72157657049769546
About the Chamber of Marine Commerce
The Chamber of Marine Commerce is a bi-national association that represents more than 100 marine industry stakeholders including major Canadian and American shippers, ports, terminals and marine service providers, as well as domestic and international ship owners. The Chamber advocates for safe, sustainable, harmonized and competitive policy and regulation that recognizes the marine transportation system’s significant advantages in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence, Coastal and Arctic regions.
Media Contact:
Maggie Murphy
Chamber of Marine Commerce
The Chamber of Marine Commerce (CMC) is a bi-national association that represents diverse marine industry stakeholders including major Canadian and American shippers, ports, terminals and marine service providers, as well as Canadian domestic and international ship owners. The Chamber advocates for safe, sustainable, harmonized and competitive policy and regulation that recognizes the marine transportation system's significant advantages in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence, Coastal and Arctic regions.
Media Contact:
Jason Card
Chamber of Marine Commerce
jcard@cmc-ccm.com
(613) 447 5401