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February 7, 2008
The Port of Duluth-Superior finished the 2007-08 shipping season with its fourth consecutive year of growth. Tonnage for this year's season, which ended on January 17 with the departure of the Mesabi Miner, was 47,858,484 net tons. Over the past four years Port tonnage has increased 24 percent or 9.4 million net tons. In spite of near-record-low water levels across the Great Lakes during much of the just-completed season, Duluth-Superior saw an increase of just more than 800,000 net tons, or 1.7 percent. This increase was posted against a backdrop of a 5.1 percent decrease in tonnage moved by the total U.S.-flagged laker fleet. Part of the Twin Ports' growth in 2007-08 was attributable to grain shipments, which surged 942,000 net tons over the season before. A weak dollar, poor grain harvests overseas and a strong domestic harvest were the main drivers for the increase. A total of 1,231 vessels called on the Port, an increase of 44. A total of 158 ocean ships called on the Port in 2007-08 -up 22 ships from the season before. Grain is the primary cargo for ocean ships. Unfortunately, lower water levels on the Great Lakes required 22 additional U.S. and/or Canadian ships to move almost the same tonnage as the last shipping season. The average laker, which typically (but not exclusively) transports iron ore or coal, carried 300 fewer tons per voyage than in the previous shipping season. -30- Contact: Adolph Ojard, Executive Director, 218-727-8525 The Port of Duluth has an economic impact of $210 million with 2,000 jobs dependent on the port and $2 billion worth of cargo transshipped via Duluth-Superior docks. |
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