Cargo & Commodities
Each year, millions of tons of materials are shipped efficiently through the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway System. This section covers the various bulk cargo, from iron ore and petroleum to stone and cement, being transported along the system.
65th Opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway
The 2023 navigation season on the St. Lawrence Seaway is now underway. On Wednesday, March 22, 2023, Terence Bowles, president and CEO of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC),... Read More
More Than 36 Million Metric Tons Transited System in 2022
More than 36 million metric tons (mmt) of cargo transited the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway System during the 2022 navigation season, according to the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC)... Read More
Three Great Lakes Ports Seek to Grow Container Trade
Historically, seaports have dominated the container scene, with boxes moved in and out of coastal ports on containerships and distributed inland by truck or rail. For the region surrounding the... Read More
Great Lakes Limestone Up 10.7 Percent in October
Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.9 million tons in October, an increase of 10.7 percent compared to a year ago. Limestone cargos were also above the month’s... Read More
Potential Railroad Strike Threatens 30% of US Cargo Shipments
Story updated 12:00PM, 9/15/2022 Unions and management reached a tentative deal early Thursday, averting a freight railroad strike that had threatened to further disrupt U.S. supply chains and drive prices... Read More
Farming-Related Exports Drive Great Lakes-Seaway Shipping Activity in June
Exports buoyed shipping activity through the St. Lawrence Seaway in June, with U.S. coke and Canadian potash heading to overseas destinations for the season reaching a 20-year record high. Canadian... Read More
Great Lakes Iron Ore Trade Down 32.6 Percent in June
Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 3.9 million tons in June, a decrease of 32.6 percent from 2021. Shipments were 29.5 percent below the month’s 5-year average.... Read More
Great-Lakes Seaway Cargo Rose by 7% in 2021
A new system-wide report from the Chamber of Marine Commerce shows that Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway ships carried an estimated 149 million metric tons of cargo to and from domestic ports, and... Read More
Keeping Goods Moving: Great Lakes/Seaway Trades With 50 Countries, Delivers More Than 38 Million Metric Tons in 2021
While supply chain interruptions dominated the news, the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway system kept filling ships and moving cargo. The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) reports that more than... Read More
Cement Market Transformation
LafargeHolcim Leads Change to Low-Carbon Product Producing OneCem Portland limestone cement creates an immediate 10% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The engineered blend has been tested and proven an effective... Read More
Raising Questions: Industry Looks to Protect Shipping Channels as Marine Sanctuaries Increase in the Great Lakes
The proliferation of marine sanctuaries to protect shipwrecks in the Great Lakes – including one proposed for eastern Lake Ontario whose public comment process just concluded – is raising questions... Read More