IMMEDIATE RELEASE             May 24, 2005

Duluth, Minn., U.S.A.—Maritime Day 2005 will be celebrated Wednesday, May 25, in the Port of Duluth-Superior.

National Maritime Day, which is sponsored by the Propeller Club of the United States, commemorates the first steam vessel crossing of the Atlantic Ocean on May 22, 1819, by the SS Savannah. National Maritime Day is a day to pay special tribute to the benefits that the maritime industry provides this country and to all who live here.

According to the U.S. Maritime Administration, the U.S. marine transportation system annually:

Nearly every American depends on the maritime industry for the products they use every day, whether the goods are imported or produced domestically. Many others depend on the maritime industry for their livelihoods. According to Pennsylvania-based consultant Martin Associates, the annual economic impacts of U.S. waterborne cargo movements provide:

Locally, Duluth Mayor Herb Bergson and Superior Mayor Dave Ross will each issue proclamation setting May 25, 2005, aside in the Port of Duluth-Superior in recognition of the contributions of waterborne commerce to this community.

The Port of Duluth-Superior Propeller Club will hold the local Maritime Day ceremony beginning at 10:30 a.m. aboard the harbor excursion vessel Vista Star (located adjacent to the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center).

A seafarers’ memorial service will be included in the program, and guest speaker for the event is Minnesota State Rep. Tom Huntley, DFL-Duluth. Huntley is chairman of the Great Lakes Commission, a binational agency representing the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces that border the Great Lakes.

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