b'24American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comSpliethoff holds course on GREAT LAKES PORTS 2025 transatlantic routes with diverse cargo shipments By Julie Gedeon, AJOTLongstandingcustomerpeanUnionwouldbemost relationshipsalongwithawelcomed to make the costs of healthy cargo mix are keep- doing business more certain. In ingSpliethoffstransatlanticthemeantime,Spliethoffhas services robust despite someseen a marked shift in booked customerhesitationovervolumes destined for the Cana-tariffuncertainties.Thelinedianmarket,whichistradi-is maintaining solid bookingstionally strong for the liner but foritstwice-monthlysail- notably higher this year.ings between the Great LakesWhile Spliethoff is always and Northern Europe and theopentodiscussingnewser-Mediterranean respectively. vice opportunities, a return to Ports of Indiana has selected Louis Dreyfus Co. to operate the grain export facility at its Lake Michigan port. Werefortunatetohavelowercontainerratesmakes a strong mix of cargo on ourthelaunchofdedicatedcon-vessels so that if the demandtainerservicesinsufficiently Unusual order timings have Great Lakesfortransportingonetypeofprofitable at present. We saw commoditiesisreducedorcontainer rates spike during the port managers holding their breathheld off for a while, we havepandemic in 2021 and 2022 as others to fill our vessels, saysthe world restocked commodi-It is wait-and-see for Great Lake Ports, but there are still bright spots. StenKnst,whomanagesties,Knstexplains,but Spliethoffs Atlantic and Greatthoseratesnormalizedata By Julie Gedeon, AJOT Lakes department. Weve hadlower level in 2023 with there a slowdown in steel shipments,being less demand.PortofCleveland.Tariffuncertainties,umes were on track with 2024s early seasonforexample,butcontinuetoHowever, Spliethoff con-coupled with a slower start to the season atbut could plummet if the Trump administrationship a combination of containertinues to provide regular con-some ports, are making it a wait-and-see yearmaintains a 50% tariff on imported steel. goods,seasonalyachts,andtainer shipments to the ports in Great Lakes shipping, while the St. Law- Meanwhile, the port is seeking new oppor- heavy project cargo. ofClevelandandDuluthas renceSeawaymaintainscoursewithrecordtunities. In late June, it signed a strategic agree- Many commodities havepart of its mixed cargo ship-grain exports. ment with the Shannon Foynes Port Company,been on shipment order sincements. This service has been At the Port of Cleveland, the year beganIrelands second largest port, to bolster tradelast year, with others requiredsupportedbypre-booked strong with the first international vessels arriv- linksbetweentheGreatLakesandEurope.even if tariffs will make themcontractssecuredlastyear, ing in early April. We moved a lot of cargo inThe more partners we can find to work withsomewhatmoreexpensive.which have helped to provide April and May and were still up 11% by Julyus on building transatlantic container flow, theWerecollaboratingverystability, Knst notes. over last year, but early shipments were likelybetter, Gutheil says. closely with our customers toKevinBeardsley,the booked to avoid tariffs, says David Gutheil,Significantinvestmentsincludethe$32help them to navigate currentDuluth Seaway Port Author-the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Author- million in federal and state grants announceduncertaintiesaroundtradeitysExecutiveDirector, itys Interim President and CEO. Junes slightlast year towards modernizing the ports gen- andmaintainconfidencepraises the services for offering downturn has made people uneasy about pos- eral cargo terminal. Major structural improve- intheirdecisionswithus,extensiveflexibilityinbook-sible tariff impacts. ments to the terminals largest warehouse areKnstsays.Forexample,ing parceled space. Weve had AugustandSeptemberbookingsareonexpected to be completed by next year withweveintroducedaclausefarmingequipmentandother parwithearlierthissummer,slightlydownthe entire projectincluding the facilities tothatallowseitherpartytoheavy machinery arrive in con-from 2024. Our port handles a lot of high- use more electrically powered equipmentinwithdraw from a contract intainers, he says. gradeEuropeansteel,sothoseordersareplace by 2027. the event that a shipment isHigh-cranecapacityon likely to slow unless the Trump administrationTariffshavespurredinterestintheFor- affected by unforeseen tariffsSpliethoffslinervessels reaches certain trade deals, Gutheil adds.eign Trade Zone program that allows a port toor dutiesits not ideal but isfacilitatestheloadingand The regular barge service transporting areduce, defer or eliminate duties on importedso far working well. discharge of heavy and non-significantamountofCanadiansteelmightgoods while theyre kept in designated FTZs.A trade agreement betweenstandardcargoatvirtually also be affected. As of early July, those vol- (TIMINGScontinued on page 25) the United States and the Euro- any Great Lakes port.'