The Port of Milwaukee was awarded the Pacesetter Award on Wednesday by the Federal Department of Transportation's St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation in recognition of nearly doubling the international tonnage processed at the St. Lawrence Seaway in 2006, due in part to a 62 percent increase in steel shipments.
Milwaukee accounted for the movement of more than 700,000 metric tons of international goods that passed through the St. Lawrence Seaway in 2006 - a 99 percent increase in traffic over the port's total in 2005. The increase was the second largest among the ports and terminals in the St. Lawrence Seaway, which connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
Dan Steininger, president of the Port of Milwaukee's Board of Harbor Commissioners, said, "Today's presentation of the Pacesetter Award to the Port of Milwaukee reconfirms the port's status as a vibrant Great Lakes hub and driver of our economy."
Mr. Steininger also stated that the increase was mainly driven by the growth in shipments from Wisconsin for the United Nation's world food program, Wisconsin's large wind power equipment, and a 62 percent increase in steel shipments.