U.S. Great Lakes ports and the St. Lawrence Seaway handled a deluge of cement, iron ore, petcoke and steel in July, supporting the continuing resurgence of manufacturing both in North America and globally.
According to the latest figures, St. Lawrence Seaway cargo volumes from March 22 to July 31 totaled 16.7 million metric tons, up 5 percent over the same time period a year ago. With total grain shipments from Canada and U.S. down (-12 percent) from 2020, the overall totals reflect the diversity of the Great Lakes – Seaway system and the breadth of commodity segments and markets that are served.
Within the dry bulk cargo category, pet coke shipments are up 93 percent. “Pet coke is being exported from the Port of Duluth-Superior and the Port of Toledo to the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and other countries for both steel and cement production,” said Bruce Burrows, president and chief executive officer of the Chamber of Marine Commerce.
Meanwhile, year-to-date iron ore shipments through the Seaway hit 3.5 million metric tons through July, an increase of 23 percent from a year ago. And cement shipments have topped 1 million tons, up 25 percent from 2020. “Cement is being transported from manufacturing plants in Ontario and Quebec to ports across those provinces, as well as across the border to Cleveland, Buffalo and Toledo. We are even seeing cement imported from overseas to Duluth-Superior,” Burrows added.
At the Port of Duluth-Superior, 4.2 million tons of cargo was transported in July, the largest July tonnage total since 2015. For 2021, cargo shipments have topped 15.2 million tons. That represents a 40 percent increase over last year’s pace and is 6 percent above the five-season average.
“It’s been a good first half of the shipping season and a vigorous rebound from the COVID challenges of 2020,” said Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. “It’s been especially good to see iron ore tonnage jumping back above the five-season average, because it’s a bellwether of positivity for our port and our region as a whole. Each ore ship carries between $7 million and $8 million in ore value, so while they’re moving a key raw material of everyday life, they’re also moving a sizable amount of commerce for our communities and the North American economy.”
For the season, iron ore shipments have topped 9.5 million tons to finish July 12.6 percent above the five-season average and 31 percent above the same period a year ago.
The Port of Toledo continued to roll through the month of July with tonnage surpassing 2020 totals by more than 30 percent. Iron ore tonnage increased by 57 percent to more than 2.4 million tons, primarily feeding the Cleveland Cliffs mill in Middletown, Ohio and the new hot briquetted iron facility at the Ironville marine terminal in Toledo. Coal and dry bulk were up 30 percent over 2020 totals with total cargo shipments for all commodities approaching 5 million tons.
“We are certainly in a better place than we were last July when many of our region’s industries were in limbo due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Joseph Cappel, vice president of business development for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. “I believe we will continue to see strong demand for raw materials throughout 2021 and, if we can couple that with a good fall grain harvest, our tonnage numbers will reflect a productive year for our terminal operators and the shippers and industries they serve.”
July was a busy month for the Port of Monroe. Among the traffic was the tug New York with barge Double Skin 509A delivering a cargo of liquid asphalt, while the tug Undaunted with barge Pere Marquette 41 received a load of gypsum for transport to Port Colborne, Ontario.
Published in the October 2021 Edition
