Demand for construction and manufacturing materials both domestically and internationally continued on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway through August as shipments of iron ore, steel, cement and stone surged through the region.
According to the latest figures, St. Lawrence Seaway cargo volumes from March 22 to August 31 totaled 20.7 million metric tons, up 5.2 percent over the same time period in 2020. One of the commodities leading the charge was iron ore tonnage, up nearly 30 percent compared to the same period in 2020. The significant rise was partly due to an increase in Minnesota Iron Range pellets being transported from the Port of Duluth-Superior and Silver Bay to Quebec ports and then loaded onto ocean carriers for export overseas.
Year-to-date general cargo shipments were up 60 percent, mainly due to steel imports from European countries to cities throughout Ontario and the U.S. Great Lakes states.
Year-to-date dry bulk shipments, including stone, cement, gypsum and other materials, were up 13 percent. These strong cargo categories were partly offset, however, by an 18 percent decline in grain shipments (including both Canadian and U.S. volumes).
“Great Lakes-St. Lawrence ships and ports specialize in efficiently transporting the metals and minerals that are now fueling North America’s manufacturing rebound and general economic recovery. We expect this surge in materials through our trade corridor to continue in the coming months,” said Bruce Burrows, president and chief executive officer of the Chamber of Marine Commerce.
Slowing slightly from a torrid July, total maritime tonnage through the Port of Duluth-Superior topped 3.8 million short tons in August 2021. For the season, more than 19.1 million short tons transited the port through Aug. 31, which ranks slightly ahead of the five-season average and more than 40 percent ahead of the 2020 pace.
“August serves as the unofficial halfway mark of the Great Lakes shipping season, and with total tonnage through Duluth-Superior closing the month almost 5 percent ahead of the five-season average, it certainly qualifies as a good first half,” said Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.
Registering at 6,159,559 short tons, cargo through the Port of Toledo remained strong through August 2021 exceeding 2020 totals by over 25 percent.
“Looking back, we have not surpassed 6 million tons through August since 2011,” said Joseph Cappel, vice president of business development at the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.
Published in the November 2021 Edition