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Cargo Statistics: Great Lakes/Seaway, Puget Sound, San Pedro

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General Cargo Shipments Dominate Seaway traffic in June 

June was an active month for cargo moving to and from U.S. Great Lakes ports via the St. Lawrence Seaway, with tonnage increases for containerized cargo, aluminum, steel and U.S. grain exports to Europe, according to the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC).

Toledo’s marine terminals handled more than 3.1 million tons of cargo through June. "That’s a significant benchmark for this early in the shipping season putting the 2015 season on par with the success of the 2014 season," said Joe Cappel, PPM®, vice president of business development for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, who noted that general cargo shipments, including project cargo, aluminum and steel, are up 17 percent from last year. Furthermore, he said: "The port terminals have been busy not just with maritime commerce but also with vessel maintenance and repair work, robust rail to truck trans-loading activity, and new roadway construction projects that are part of our ongoing modernization initiative."

At the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor, cargo tonnage increased by nearly 17 percent in June and 7.0 percent year-to-date. "The port continues to be a preferred inland hub for large specialty cargoes and the craft brewing industry," said Port Director Rick Heimann. "The increased popularity of craft brewing has brought multiple shipments of European-made beer tanks to the port in the past two years. We have handled over 40 fermentation tanks, generally in excess of 20,000 gallons apiece, for at least three different breweries in Illinois and Michigan."

The Cleveland-Europe Express liner service launched last year by the Port of Cleveland appears to have been a sound strategic investment. "International tonnage of steel and project cargo has increased 37 percent compared with this time in 2014," reports Dave Gutheil, the port authority’s vice president of maritime and logistics. "The total volume of shipping container traffic has increased by over 300 percent, and we are connecting Greater Cleveland to over 30 countries across four continents now." 

The Port of Oswego received its second barge of the season carrying 11,000 metric tons of aluminum, most of it for the local Novelis plant. "We continue to stay on target for another record year in aluminum shipments," said Port Authority Executive Director Zelko Kirincich.

"The rate commodities are moving through the Port of Milwaukee is near the strong pace set last year," said Paul Vornholt, Port Director. "We have been busy with steel arriving through the Seaway, and that follows last year’s near-record quantities. Cargo expected to move in the coming weeks will continue that trend."

As for the Seaway itself, the SLSDC reports shipments through June 30 of the shipping season that began April 4 totaled 10.4 million metric tons, down 10.4 percent from a year ago due in part declines in iron ore (-12 percent), coal (-33 percent), and liquid bulk (-7 percent.  Gainers included stone (+24 percent), potash (+179 percent), general cargo (+1.0 percent) and U.S. grain exports (+17 percent).

Puget Sound Gateway Container Volumes grow in June

International container volumes through the Puget Sound gateway ports of Seattle and Tacoma jumped 14.3 percent in June from a year ago, with gains of 10.7 percent and 63.1 percent by import-laden and empty containers, respectively, and a 4.9 percent drop in exports. The total count, including domestic container movements, rose 7.5 percent to 344,573 TEUs. First half volumes remain stable at nearly 1.8 million TEUs, up percent from January-June 2014. 

In other year-to-date cargo news:
  • Breakbulk volumes were down 2 percent to 141,608 metric tons
  • Grain exports fell 8 percent to 3,554,868 metric tons
  • Auto imports continued to grow, up 5 percent to 93,890 units
The ports are well along with their plans to form The Northwest Seaport Alliance. The two port commissions are expected to vote on the final agreement at a joint meeting August 4.

San Pedro Ports Box Traffic up- 3.2 Percent In May

The San Pedro Harbor ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles together handled container volumes totaling just over 1.3 million TEUs in June, down 1.9 percent from the preceding month and 3.1 compared to June 2014. In detail, the data show declines from a year ago of  4.7 percent for inbound loads, 9.7 percent for outbound loads, and an increase of 5.9 percent in empty containers That brought year-to-date throughput at America’s largest container handling complex to 7.2 million TEUs, down 2.0 percent from 7.4 million TEUs in January-June 2014. View the PDF for additional detail.
 

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