The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership
| September 14, 2021
| Ports & Terminals
The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership today reported that American and Canadian ports in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System handled 20,723,000 metric tons of cargo shipped through the St. Lawrence Seaway (Seaway) from the opening of the Seaway on March 22, 2021, through August 31, 2021 (i.e., Year-to-date or YTD). This is a 5.21 percent increase compared to shipments during the same time period in 2020. Additionally, total transits YTD reached 2,146 vessels, a 4.6 percent increase compared to transits through August last year. Commodities seeing a significant increase include iron ore, steel, as well as cement.
“At the midpoint of the Seaway’s navigation season, iron ore and steel products continue to be the standout commodities moving through the Great Lakes Seaway System,” said Craig H. Middlebrook, Deputy Administrator, Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. “Multiple vessels loaded with an array of steel products from over a dozen different countries arrived at U.S. Great Lakes ports in August, while iron ore exports to high demand countries including China, Japan, and South Korea saw a 29 percent tonnage increase compared to this time last year.”
