According to a report from the St. Lawrence Seaway, total cargo shipments between the opening of the shipping season on March 25 and November 30 reached 34.6 million metric tons, up 5 percent from the same period last year. Steel shipments in particular increased by 80 percent during the period.
As for individual ports benefiting from the seaway, the Port of Detroit saw a 10 percent increase of steel coils, wire and beams. The Port of Milwaukee, meanwhile, reported that this year it has recorded the highest tonnages of steel in recent decades.
Shipments at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor are projected to exceed last year's total by over 25 percent, with a steady stream of vessels scheduled through the end of the year. "If this pace continues, the port's annual shipments could challenge the all-time record set in 1994," said Jody Peacock, vice president for the Ports of Indiana. "We're seeing major increases in our highest volume cargoes and steel is leading the way, up more than 100 percent year-to-date versus 2013. Grain and salt shipments are also more than double last year's total, while limestone and project cargoes are on the rise as well."