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Shipping Service: Cleveland

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Cleveland Port Authority Board Approves Agreement to Expand Cleveland – Europe Express Liner Service 

The board of directors for the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority on March 31 approved a new service agreement with the Spliethoff Group to continue operating the Cleveland – Europe Express. 

The agreement doubles to twice monthly the frequency of the liner service, which was launched last year to create a direct maritime link between the Midwest and global markets. The port says early bookings for 2015 are "robust" and that a planned awareness campaign coupled with improvements to terminal efficiency and capacity will position the liner service for an impressive shipping season. 

"The port’s new agreement with Spliethoff is a sure sign that the Cleveland-Europe Express is gaining traction in the market," said Port President Will Friedman. "We already compete on transit time and cost, and now we offer the frequency of sailings to meet the needs of the market. The port built this service to provide Ohio exporters with a better alternative to congested coastal ports and railroads, and now is the time for them to start using the Ohio gateway to the world."

At that same meeting, the board approved an agreement with a construction firm for improvements at the port’s confined disposal facility (CDF) for processing sediment dredged from the Cuyahoga River shipping channel. Built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, CDF-12, as it is officially known, will be repurposed to recycle dredged sediment in a cost-effective and environmentally safe way.  

The work is being funded via a $1,450,000 grant from the Ohio Healthy Lake Erie Fund through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Site work is expected to take approximately six weeks so the facility will be operational for the 2015 season. 

"The CDF 12 work marks the start of a new era of sustainable sediment management in Cleveland that will become a national model," said Mr. Friedman. "I want to thank our partners at the State of Ohio for their financial, technical, and policy support. This would not be happening without the state’s progressive leadership on this issue." 
 

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