JULY 2026 American Journal of Transportation American Journal of Transportation 9 HARNESS THE GLOBAL POWER OF A GREAT LAKES PORT. Regional, national and international logisticians count on Port Milwaukee for a turnkey approach to solve their transportation and supply chain needs. Strategically located in the industrial center of the U.S., Port Milwaukee provides premier access to domestic and world markets. VISIT PORTMILWAUKEE.COM . PORT @MILWAUKEE.GOV US Great Lakes and Seaway ports seek new potential to pivot from tariff impacts By Julie Gedeon, AJOT US tariffs are hitting American ports on the Great Lakes and Seaway harder than in other US regions, with steel and aluminum products from Canada and Europe significantly lower because of the 50% surcharge. While steel imports to the US rose 6% in April, they remain about 30% lower year over year with a big impact par- ticularly on ports bordering Canada, but some of that is being offset with iron for domestic steel production and new and/or expanding port activities. Port of Cleveland The Port of Cleveland saw its steel imports drop about 30% last year when companies were stock- piling ahead of tariffs. This year’s volume is half of what it was in mid- 2024. “We’re seeing fewer vessels and they’re carrying less tonnage,” acknowledges Jeff Epstein, the Cleve- land-Cuyahoga County Port Authori- ty’s president and CEO. The good news is iron ore ship- ments are up at the port by some 30% through May. “Cleveland-Cliffs has amped up its local steel produc- tion and is shipping the ore from the Upper Great Lakes,” Epstein shares. “It’s being discharged at our bulk ter- minal where it’s reloaded onto smaller vessels to go about 6 ½ miles upriver to the steel mill.” Cleveland is seeing more project cargo this year with large machinery and cooling equipment arriving for a large data centre in central Ohio with plans for others. The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority has also launched an Economic Growth Fund. The revolving pool of capital will support manufacturing expansions, hous- ing projects, and other infrastructure developments throughout Northeast Ohio when traditional lenders cannot be secured, or financial gaps exist. Port of Detroit At the Port of Detroit, tariff impacts have resulted in a drop of both rolled and flat steel imports. “Tariffs and trade uncertainties have been a cloud over our heads for the past 18 months, but I do understand the reasoning behind them,” says John Jamian, the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority’s executive director. “We are seeing more iron ore ship- ments to support the resurgence in regional steel production.” The port is identifying and culti- vating new opportunities. “We’re all taking this moment to catch our breath and see what can be done to pivot until longer term investments, such as Nip- pon’s $14-billion pledge to US Steel, result in more domestic production.” Jamian notes the refocus on domestic manufacturing is already spurring demand for cement to build new infrastructure. The cement from Türkiye is helping to offset the lull in steel coil and slab imports. As a former US Maritime Admin- istrator (2003-2006), Jamian is thor- oughly familiar with shortsea shipping potential but says it remains a hard sell. “We almost had a deal with an automotive manufacturer 18 months ago – even ordering vessels – but it fell through because the economic savings weren’t large enough for the risk of a change,” he shares. “Getting shippers to try something new when what they have isn’t broken remains a challenge, so it’s mostly when there’s a supply chain disruption of some kind or fuel prices make trucking a lot more expensive that we get the opportunity to prove shortsea shipping is as an effi- cient and cost-effective alternative.” Not traditionally an agricultural port, Detroit is turning its attention to handling more crops. “Michigan is the third largest US sugar beet producer, as well as a leading soybean grower,” Jamian notes. “There’s opportunities GREAT LAKES & SEAWAY PORTS 2026 (PIVOT – continued on page 10) The Ocean7 Ranger arrived under Duluth’s Aerial Lift Bridge on April 8th, becoming the first oceangoing vessel to reach the Port of Duluth-Superior during the 2026 navigation season.
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