14 American Journal of Transportation American Journal of Transportation ajot.com W W W . P O R T T B . C O M • Closest port to Florida’s largest and fastest growing market • Nearly 500,000 SF of on-dock warehouse space • More than 7,000 feet of berth • Florida’s largest steel port • Expanding lumber, perishable, container, project cargo, and heavy-lift business • Expanded container services with Central America, South America, Mexico, and Asia • Six post-Panamax gantry cranes DISTRIBUTION HUB FLORIDA’S BREAKBULK ideal waterfront location with great intermodal connections will be great for what’s now and what’s next at the Port of Duluth-Superior.” Hron is hoping policy- makers realize how underuti- lized the Great Lakes/Seaway system remains in terms of invigorating the North Amer- ican supply chain. “There’s so much more opportunity, capacity, and efficiency gains to be had in a multimodal mix that makes greater use of waterways,” Hron says. Beardsley says that neces- sitates binational collabora- tion. “We need everyone at the table working together to create the ideal North Ameri- can supply chain,” he says. The current lack of feder- al-level cohesion isn’t help- ing. “It’s important for those at the federal level to realize that all the ports on the Great Lakes and Seaway system are acutely affected by the trade relationship between the United States and Canada, more so than ports in other US areas,” Hron notes. Port Milwaukee Cargo diversification at Port Milwaukee also involves handling more agricultural commodities – including soy- beans and more recently corn – for export to the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Portu- gal. “We’re also seeing more demand recently from the Mediterranean region, partic- ularly Türkiye.” The Delong Co. Inc. recently completed a second phase expan- sion of its $40-million Agri- cultural Maritime Export Facility that opened at Port Milwaukee in 2023. Two new grain silos have been con- structed along with electrical service upgrades and addi- tional handling equipment. Port Milwaukee and Delong obtained a $9.3 million grant through the U.S. Maritime Administration’s Port Infra- structure Development Pro- gram for the expansion which increase the capacity to handle soybeans, soymeal and corn for export. “The additional silos both increase capacity by about 15,000 metric tons and improve the capabilities to handle mul- tiple commodities simultane- ously,” says Marie Cartier, Port Milwaukee’s marketing devel- opment manager. “The facility is a real success story for the port with a major expansion just three years after its opening and a service that is attractive to shipping lines because ves- sels can immediately load this cargo after offloading imports.” US Venture Inc. is using Port Milwaukee’s highly efficient liquid cargo pier to load and ship ethanol to the Port of Montreal for use by vehicles and rail services. “The company is also look- ing at expanding its facili- ties at the port,” Timm adds. “Wisconsin is a big ethanol producer with US Venture and other companies meeting the stricter requirements that Canada and Europe have for this fuel’s production.” Tariffs have affected port volumes of steel and cement products. “Businesses want predictability which is hard to come by right now with all of the unknowns at the federal level,” Timm shares. “While the uncertainty in some cases has benefitted Port Milwau- kee with some companies frontloading steel before the tariffs were in place, other businesses are down and the hesitancy to make longer term investments has led to a number of Milwaukee construction projects being halted or put on hold.” Annual review of the free-trade agreement – if it is kept - is another imped- iment. “Canada is Wiscon- sin’s biggest trading partner so impediments to our trade are significant,” Timm notes. “The free-trade agreement was meant to be renewed every six years to give people some predictability in making investments and purchases.” Ports of Indiana At the Ports of Indiana, positive changes include a $100-million expansion in Por- tage to open the only sea cargo container terminal serving the Port Milwaukee welcomed the Federal Nagara as the first vessel of the 2026 international season on April 3rd. (PIVOT – continued on page 23) (PIVOT – continued from page 11)
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