Great Lakes shipping cargo down 5.63% this year
Great Lakes shipping is down 5.63% so far this year, but a strong September brought the total closer to its 2021 level.
Total cargo on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 23.36 million tons through the end of September, down from 24.75 million through the same period last year, according to the Great Lakes Seaway Partnership. Transits rose 2.98% to 2,664, up from 2,587 through the same period last year.
In September, the United States traded with 15 countries around the world via the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes port system, which includes the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor and the Port of Chicago. That’s down from 23 in August, according to the Great Lakes Seaway Partnership.
U.S. grain shipments remain robust. Ships moved 689,000 tons of U.S. grains on the Great Lakes through the end of September, a 41.24% increase over the same period in 2021.
“September’s tonnage report reaffirms that the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System is a reliable shipping corridor enabling U.S. growers and producers to feed the world,” said Jeff Scharf, acting deputy administrator of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. “With a busy few months remaining in the 2022 season, we’re confident that our Great Lakes ports are ready to finish the year strong.”
Shipments of coke were up 16.95%, potash 261.5%, scrap metal 11.3% and petroleum products 42.5% through the end of September.
Port Milwaukee took shipments of steel and yacht components last month.
“Port Milwaukee is realizing new maritime commerce opportunities with an increase of high-value breakbulk and project cargoes traveling through our terminals,” said Port Milwaukee Director Adam Tindall-Schlicht. “From The DeLong Co., Inc. assembling a new ship loader for agricultural exports, to the delivery of curved steel plates, brewery tanks, and superyacht pieces, Port Milwaukee stands ready to welcome and transport cargo of all kinds in supporting regional economic activity that moves the Great Lakes supply chain forward.”
A strong September narrowed the year-to-date gap from 8.9% through the end of August to just 5.6% through the end of last month. Among items helping close the gap were wind turbines from several countries, including Germany, Spain, Vietnam and China.
Soon the Great Lakes will start to ice over and become impassable for maritime commerce.
“It was good to see a nice jump in grain shipments last month,” said Bruce Burrows, president and CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. “We are optimistic that the positive numbers for September are an indication that it will be a strong fourth quarter and robust finish to the 2022 shipping season.”
NWI Times
Record 52 cruise ships docked in Detroit this year
If you spent any time along the Detroit River this summer, you probably noticed an increase in the number of cruise ships. Now, we know this summer was a record-breaking cruising season along the Great Lakes.
According to Cruise the Great Lakes and the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority, there were 52 cruise ships that visited Detroit in 2022, more than double the last cruising season in 2019.
The organizations said the cruise passengers had a $125 million economic impact on Detroit with nearly 150,000 passenger visits to Great Lakes ports.
As of this year, there were nine different ships that cruise the Great Lakes, and that number is expected to increase to 11 next year with the addition of the Viking Polaris and Hanseatic Inspiration.
In 2023, it’s expected that the increase will continue with an expected 170,000 cruise ship passengers to regional ports with a total economic impact of $180 million.
Some of the Great Lakes cruise voyages include a Montreal to Detroit route, which goes through Lake Ontario and Lake Erie with stops in Montreal, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Cleveland and Detroit.
WXYZ
World Ship Society report of casualties, demolitions
Vessels with a Great Lakes / Seaway connection reported as a casualty or sold for demolition. Taken from October 2022 issue of Marine News – Journal of the World Ship Society.
Casualty: HOLIDAY ISLAND (7041431 / 1971) – Canadian flagged passenger ferry caught fire in the engine room on 22/7/2022 while arriving at Wood Islands, Prince Edward Island, Canada and was intentionally grounded. Passengers and crew were safely rescued and vessel was refloated on 24/7/2022 and berthed. The engine is badly damaged.
Demolitions: none to report
Report prepared by Barry Andersen and René Beauchamp
