Duluth Makes Way for More Containers

Investments in intermodal connections and procedures to ensure homeland security compliance have increased the Port of Duluth’s Clure Public Marine Terminal capacity to handle international shipping containers transported by vessel.

“Considering the significant congestion and delays occurring at some coastal ports, we provide a fluid alternative for containers to move inland and bypass those coastal bottlenecks,” says Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.

As North America’s farthest-inland seaport, Duluth is an uncongested choice for shippers to move containerized cargo to and from Americas heartland. This new waterborne container option is available through Duluth Cargo Connect.

Port of Toledo Sees Huge Increase in Iron Ore

With the Cleveland-Cliffs Direct Reduction Plant fully operational this season, the Port of Toledo is experiencing a major increase in incoming iron ore – a nearly 63% increase over recent seasons. The down-bound movement of the raw material feeds Cliff’s new natural-gas plant, which produces hot-briquetted iron, or HBI, a high-quality product for American steel customers.

The year the plant opened, Cliffs transformed from being a legacy iron ore mining company into a fully integrated mining and steel producer. The transformation is reaching into the throughput for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, according to seaport numbers released in November.

According to Lake Carriers Association, iron ore movement on the Lakes is up 32.4%, amounting to 42.9 million tons last year.

Canada’s Mariners Support Mandatory Vaccination Policies

Canadian marine shipping organizations welcome recent federal mandatory Covid-19 vaccination rules, according to the Chamber of Marine Commerce (CMC). The Transport Canada requirement is said to align with the CMCs model policy, which Canadian ship operator members helped develop.

Many of the Chamber’s members and partners, from ship operators to Canadian ports to the St. Lawrence Seaway to pilotage authorities, will be impacted by the new rules. All of CMC’s Canadian ship operator members are adopting mandatory vaccination policies for onboard crews and shoreside personnel.

Commemorative Soo Locks Posters Available

Three vintage-inspired posters of the Soo Locks are now available in two sizes. The custom artwork was commissioned by the Great Lakes Seaway Partnership to celebrate and commemorate the historic and modern significance of the locks.

Currently, there is a $1.4 billion super lock under construction at the Soo, which has been called for by Congress, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the regional shipping industry. Proceeds from the sale of the posters benefit the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, Ohio. To order, go to nmglstore.org/collections/frontpage/products/the-soo-locks-commemorative-posters.