Resources

Minnesota

Midseason Tonnage Report: Lows And Highs During A Pandemic

September 17, 2020

DULUTH, Minn. — After an early summer surge, maritime tonnage through the Port of Duluth-Superior slowed atypically in August, amidst a tepid recovery from COVID-induced lows. Total tonnage stood 31 percent behind the 2019 pace through Aug. 31, driven primarily by declines in coal and iron ore tonnage (down 59 percent and 26 percent, respectively).…

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The St. Lawrence Seaway System: U.S. Farmers’ Key Advantage for Competing Globally

September 16, 2020

American ports in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System traded with a total of 32 countries in August. Shipments of commodities including wind energy components and gypsum remained strong, while exports of agricultural products picked up pace. Year-to-date total tonnage—from the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway on April 1, 2020 through August 31, 2020—increased…

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Minnesota’s Port On ‘Hwy H2O’

August 10, 2020

Port of Duluth-Superior was a major grain trade focus in the 1980s. Market shifts have cut the lake trade volume as market supply and demand has shifted.     DULUTH, Minn. — In 1985, the Port of Duluth-Superior was the key focus of grain exports from the Upper Midwest, and the first cover story when…

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A New Way To See Grain Movements In Port Of Duluth-Superior

July 26, 2020

Once capable of moving 10 million tons of grain on the water annually, the local Port Authority explains how market adjustments have made for a modern capacity that continues to have untold reach.     Earlier this summer, a reader wrote in wondering how there could be such a disparity between grain shipments in Thunder…

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Highway H20 Keeps Essential Cargoes Flowing Smoothly

June 8, 2020

As countries around the world went into lockdown due to COVID-19 earlier this year, the marine network known as Highway H20 — a massive, 3,700-kilometre stretch of connected waterways including the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway — did not miss a beat. Highway H20 is the world’s longest deep-draft inland waterway, stretching from the head…

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EPA Selects Stollenwerk For Federal Great Lakes Advisory Board

June 3, 2020

DULUTH, Minn. — The United States Environmental Protection Agency announced today its appointees to the Great Lakes Advisory Board, a federal committee established to provide ongoing recommendations regarding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the U.S. and Canada. The appointees included Jeff Stollenwerk, Duluth Seaway Port Authority director…

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Local View: Commercial Shipping’s Value To Twin Ports, Nation Can’t Be Overstated

May 22, 2020

  As our world persists during this global pandemic, we gratefully acknowledge the essential services performed by our nation’s maritime workers to keep commerce and cargo moving while also supporting our regional economy during a time of peril. Friday was National Maritime Day, which commemorated the 201st anniversary of the first trans-Atlantic steamship crossing. This…

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Port Of Duluth-Superior Lands Record 17th Pacesetter Honor

May 7, 2020

The award is given to domestic Great Lakes ports that show year-over-year tonnage increases for international cargoes.     The port of Duluth-Superior earned its second consecutive Pacesetter Award from the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. on Wednesday. The honor acknowledged an increase in international cargo tonnage during the 2019 shipping season. The port of…

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Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation Announces Port Winners of 2019 Season “Pacesetter Award”

May 6, 2020

The U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) today announced that five U.S. ports in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System received the agency’s Robert J. Lewis Pacesetter Award for registering increases in international cargo tonnage shipped through their ports during the 2019 navigation season. “The St. Lawrence Seaway and its ports are vital…

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First Saltie Of Year Visits The Twin Ports

April 8, 2020

Federal Churchill is flying under the flag of the Marshall Islands and is captained by Arnab Roy of India. The ship was built in 2016 by Oshima Shipbuilding in Japan.     The first saltie of the year made its way into the Duluth-Superior port Wednesday night with many looking on, a sure sign that…

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Season’s First Saltie Scheduled To Arrive In Duluth Tonight

April 8, 2020

DULUTH, Minn. — The first oceangoing vessel of 2020 is scheduled to arrive in the Port of Duluth-Superior tonight at approximately 8 p.m. Federal Churchill, a 656-foot ice-class bulk carrier owned by Montréal-based Fednav, will earn the First Ship distinction, completing the season’s first full transit of the St. Lawrence Seaway en route to the…

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Officers Elected At Duluth Seaway Port Authority Annual Meeting

April 7, 2020

DULUTH, Minn. — During its annual meeting held March 25, the Duluth Seaway Port Authority Board of Commissioners elected officers for the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2020. The board re-elected Rick Revoir to serve his second year as president. Other appointments included Tony Sertich as vice president, Patrick Boyle as secretary, Norm Voorhees as…

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Remainder Of Duluth’s Great Lakes Fleet Crewing Up To Start

April 6, 2020

Led by the Arthur M. Anderson, the rest of the Duluth-based fleet of lake freighters will come out of winter layup in the coming days — and enter into an uncertain time.     Close observers of Great Lakes shipping have noticed that not all of the Duluth-based Great Lakes Fleet have been in action since…

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Soo Locks Shipping Season Officially Begins

March 25, 2020

The Soo Locks are open for business! Wednesday is the first day of the shipping season on the St. Marys River. At one minute past midnight, the H. Lee White entered the Poe Lock on its way to Duluth. The Lee is the first of many freighters that will make opening day a busy one. Several…

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Shipping Season Gets Underway In The Twin Ports

March 23, 2020

  DULUTH, MN — The Great Lakes Shipping season is getting off to a start, at least here in the Twin Ports. The Honorable James Oberstar passed under the Aerial Lift Bridge at 10 p.m. Monday making it the first laker to leave the Duluth harbor this season. It was destined for Two Harbors.  …

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