Shipping 101

Port City Review: These 20 Seaport Communities Help Drive The U.S. Economy

March 19, 2020

  Ports are “crucial to the economy,” Texas economist Ray Perryman wrote in 2017. “Ports generate substantial business activity through their operations, but those benefits are dwarfed by the huge importance of water transportation to other industries.” In this survey of 20 U.S. port cities, we look at various engines of economic development and see how they…

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Wisconsin Governor Announces Harbor Assistance Program Grants

March 18, 2020

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers last month announced two grants under the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Harbor Assistance Program. One, worth $29 million, is for improvements needed at the Port of Marinette to allow for the production of the next generation of Navy ships. The other, worth $4.9 million, will support the construction of a new…

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Winter Work On The Great Lakes

March 16, 2020

  Along the 1,600-mile, ice gray arch of the St Lawrence Seaway, the 2020 Great Lakes commercial shipping season will lurch back to life on March 25 when the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. reopen. The ceremonial opening signals a passage with passable ice and the 114th Great Lakes season for its fleet…

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Springtime Icebreaking Ritual Begins Again In Duluth

March 11, 2020

  Springtime in Duluth is signaled by the return of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alder, which began its annual icebreaking activities, dubbed “Operation Taconite,” Tuesday morning in the Duluth-Superior harbor. Every March the Alder helps clear channels through the ice for the upcoming shipping season, so that 1,000-foot long ships loaded with taconite, coal,…

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State Awards $4.9M Grant To Support Agricultural Transload Facility At Port Milwaukee

March 10, 2020

Governor Tony Evers announced a $4.9 million Harbor Assistance Program grant on February 24 to support the construction of a new agricultural commodity bulk vessel transload facility at Port Milwaukee. The $31.3 million facility, the first of its kind on the Great Lakes, is being constructed at the port by the DeLong Company. The transload…

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Great Lakes Ports Work On Building Cargo Diversity

March 9, 2020

Project cargo’s growing diversification role Throughout the vast Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system in the United States and Canada, most ports seek to diversify their customer base by developing new business beyond traditional bulk markets. Front and center in their efforts are project cargoes, especially wind energy components destined to meet the rising demands of…

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Great Lakes Ports Storm Capitol Hill

March 6, 2020

  American Great Lakes Ports Association in solidarity. On March 4th & 5th, members of the American Great Lakes Ports Association fanned out across Capitol Hill in the association’s first Washington fly-in. Meetings included elected officials in both the House and Senate, Congressional committee staff, maritime agency leaders, and the Great Lakes governors’ representatives in…

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Muskegon Cruise Ship Stops To Double, With Some Days Two In Port At Once

March 5, 2020

Cruise ships will stop in Muskegon 35 times in 2020 from May to October. MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. — Three cruise ship operators have finalized 2020 itineraries for cruises on the Great Lakes, resulting in 35 stops in the port city of Muskegon. That’s twice as many stops as in 2019. In 2021 the number of…

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Minnesota Briefs: Explore Minnesota Announces Tourism Award Winners

February 29, 2020

Explore Minnesota, the state’s tourism promotion office, announced the winners of its annual awards last week. Marianna Khauv was named outstanding individual in tourism. Khauv, owner of Best Western Chelsea Inn & Suites in Monticello, has served in many tourism leadership roles in the state and in her community. Kjersti Vick was named the state…

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Ships Going Through Duluth Carry Record Amount Of Wind Energy Supplies During 2019-2020 Season

February 11, 2020

Cargo volume exceeded 33.5 million short tons at the Port of Duluth-Superior for the 2019 shipping season, ranking as the port’s third-highest throughput since 2015, according to a news release from the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. Four of the port’s six cargo categories notched season-over-season tonnage gains. Eighty-five ocean-going vessels visited Duluth. While iron ore…

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Cargo Oddity In January Caps ‘Solid Season’ In Port Of Duluth-Superior

February 10, 2020

Coal experienced its lowest total since 1985.     Among the 33.5 million tons of cargo moved in the port of Duluth-Superior for the 2019-20 season, one shipment stood out. It came near the end of the campaign, when the 704-foot lake freighter H. Lee White loaded with 18,015 tons of spring wheat on Jan.…

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More Ships, Less Cargo at Toledo’s Port in 2019

February 1, 2020

Source: Toledo Blade A poor grain harvest and a drop-off in dry-bulk cargoes at the Port of Toledo were mostly offset by surging iron-ore business and an upswing in liquid-bulk shipments during 2019, data from the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority show. The net result was a slight, 2.59 percent decline in overall cargo tonnage, even…

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New Soo Lock Construction to Begin Spring of 2020

January 31, 2020

Phase One of New Soo Lock Construction to Begin Spring of 2020 Source: UpNorthLive The first phase of construction on the New Lock at the Soo has been awarded to a company in Nevada. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, the much-anticipated mega-project will be done in three phases. Trade West…

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Lawmakers Push for New Great Lakes Icebreaker

January 31, 2020

Research from the Lake Carriers Association shows that more than $1 billion in revenues was sacrificed last winter due to delays resulting from inadequate icebreaking. Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith and Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin joined eight other senators in advocating for a new Great Lakes icebreaker by signing a letter sent to…

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Lake Carriers’ Association President Hopeful New Soo Lock Project Could be ‘Efficiently Funded’

January 21, 2020

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (WLUC) – The president of the Lake Carriers’ Association is hoping to keep funding for the new Soo Lock on the fast track. President Jim Weakley says he’s been working towards getting a new lock for about 15 years. He says the new lock is needed to provide a back up in…

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