Minnesota

Another Safe & Reliable Navigation Season for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System

March 11, 2022

The Resilience of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System Empowers Another Safe & Reliable Navigation Season More than 38 Million Tons of Cargo Moved; Exceptional Season for Iron Ore & Steel Cargo Shipments Washington, D.C. (March 8, 2022) – The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership reported consistent gains during the 2021 navigation season, including a remarkable…

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Smooth Sailing: Great Lakes Seaway Shipping Increases While Global Supply Chain Experiences Disruption & Freight Woes

November 18, 2021

Washington, D.C. (November 17, 2021) – The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership today reported an increase of 1.92 percent for St. Lawrence Seaway (Seaway) traffic. An overall total of 28,494,000 metric tons of cargo shipped through the Seaway from the opening of the Seaway on March 22, 2021, through October 31, 2021 (i.e., Year-to-date or YTD).…

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Demand for Iron Ore & Steel Drives Activity Across the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System

September 15, 2021

Washington, D.C. (September 15, 2021) – The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership today reported that American and Canadian ports in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System handled 20,723,000 metric tons of cargo shipped through the St. Lawrence Seaway (Seaway) from the opening of the Seaway on March 22, 2021, through August 31, 2021 (i.e., Year-to-date or…

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The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System Continues to Be Strong Supply Chain for Wind Energy

August 18, 2021

Ports of Erie, Burns Harbor, and Duluth see wind energy cargo on eight ships from five countries Washington, D.C. (August 18, 2021) – The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership today reported that American and Canadian ports in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System saw 1,733 total transits from the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway on…

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The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System Sees Increase in Construction Materials Over 2020 Tonnage

July 22, 2021

Asphalt, Cement and Clinkers Surge Over 2020 Numbers   The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership today reported that American and Canadian ports in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System handled over 108,000 tons of asphalt from the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway on March 22, 2021 through June 30, 2021, a 61 percent increase compared…

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Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System’s 2021 Navigation Season Starts Strong

May 18, 2021

Iron ore surges over 2020 tonnage; Seaway-wide tonnage up nearly four percent, tracking 5-year average The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership today reported that American and Canadian ports in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System handled over four million tons of cargo from the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway on March 22, 2021 through April…

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Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System Reports Strong 2020 Navigation Season

January 19, 2021

American and Canadian ports in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system reported that overall tonnage during the 2020 navigation season was down just 1.7 percent compared to the 2019 navigation season, despite facing a challenging year. Craig H. Middlebrook, Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation said, “The Seaway’s 62nd navigation…

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Port Spotlight Series: Port Of Duluth-Superior Breaks Record For Wind Cargo

January 7, 2021

Washington, D.C. (January 7, 2021) – Like other American ports across the Great Lakes, the Port of Duluth-Superior witnessed an increase in wind cargo arrivals this shipping season, as well as a boost in agricultural exports. The grain gains were modest in Duluth-Superior – tracking 1-2 percent ahead of the 2019 pace and the five-season…

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The Tools to Compete: Comparing State-Level Assistance Programs for Great Lakes Commercial Ports

December 23, 2020

‘The Tools to Compete’ Report Compares State-Level Assistance Programs for Great Lakes Commercial Ports   A comparative research analysis evaluating state-level support in six Great Lakes states including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan reveals significant inequities in state investment for commercial port infrastructure compared to coastal ports. The Tools to Compete: Comparing State-Level Assistance…

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Record Year For Wind Parts Helps Salvage Port Season In Duluth

December 1, 2020

With iron ore and coal markets depressed, the port’s handling of 525,000 freight tons of wind-energy components smashed last year’s record of 306,000 freight tons. The season’s final foreign ship carrying wind energy parts to the Port of Duluth-Superior came and went last week — and along with the Liberia-flagged BBC Swift went another record-setting…

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Another Record Season For Wind Turbine Shipments At Duluth Port

November 19, 2020

About 525,000 tons of blades and tower parts will move through the harbor this year. DULUTH – Massive wind turbine blades that will one day tower above Midwestern prairies hovered atop oversized truck beds along the Duluth harbor last week as they awaited the final leg of their journey. Once these parts are trucked away…

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U.S. Agriculture Builds Momentum in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System

November 17, 2020

Washington, D.C. (November 17, 2020) – Amidst a challenging 2020 navigation season, overall tonnage across the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System is down 7.9 percent compared to this time last year. From the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway on April 1, 2020 through October 31, 2020, American and Canadian ports handled a total of…

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Northern Michigan From Above: Freighters On The Great Lakes

October 27, 2020

There has been an influx of international freighters on the Great Lakes this shipping season, many transporting wind turbine parts. Most have been dropping off the parts in Duluth to be transported by ground to wind farms in the northern plains. In Northern Michigan From Above, Jim Lehocky shows us several different freighters hauling the…

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Walker Appointed To Port Authority Board Of Commissioners

October 20, 2020

DULUTH, Minn. — The Duluth City Council last week appointed Tyrone Walker to the Duluth Seaway Port Authority Board of Commissioners. Walker, an ironworker with Lakehead Constructors and Ironworkers Local 512, succeeds Norm Voorhees, whose final term on the board concluded in early October. Raised in Chicago, Walker relocated to Duluth in 2015 after earning his…

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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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