IMMEDIATE RELEASE        February 1, 2002

DULUTH, Minn., U.S.A.-Total waterborne commerce in 2001 through the Port of Duluth-Superior reached 36.5 million metric tons, a 2.4 percent decrease from last year's 37.4 million tons, the Duluth Seaway Port Authority said in its season-end tonnage report.

Extended Tonnage

Strong performance in western coal shipments helped hold Port tonnage at a modest decline from last year's level despite reduced iron ore and grain shipments and low water levels.

Highlighting bulk cargo activity was Midwest Energy Resources Company's eighth consecutive record-breaking year of low-sulfur coal shipments as its Superior facility moved 15.1 million metric tons. The outbound record MERC reached in 1994 of 12.15 million metric tons broke coal-handling records dating back more than seven decades, when all of Duluth-Superior's coal was inbound.

The Port's other two principal cargoes, iron ore and grain, each experienced decreases with iron ore shipments down 5.3 percent and grain down 14.1 percent. The season's tonnage trailed the five-year average of 38.1 million tons by 4.3 percent.

According to the Lake Carriers' Association, Cleveland, decreased iron ore demand reduced the U.S.-flag lakes fleet to 28 active vessels in January, a decrease of 11 vessels compared to a year ago and 23 below 1999's level.

Lake Superior's water level in January was four inches below its long-term average and Lakes Michigan-Huron were 15 inches below average according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Each inch of draft means about 270 tons of cargo for the largest domestic lakers and about 100 tons for typical Seaway vessels.

The Corps' February forecast predicted a further decline in all Great Lakes water levels due to substantial evaporation because of mild conditions and lack of ice cover.

Total international cargoes of 11.9 million metric tons surpassed 2000's 11.7 million tons by 1.8 percent. Domestic trade of 24.6 million tons represented a 4.2 percent decrease from last year's figure of 25.7 million tons.

Coal continued its reign in 2001 as the Port's tonnage leader, representing 41.5 percent of total commerce. The Port's three principal cargoes of coal, iron ore and grain represented 90.1 percent of total commerce, with iron ore's shipments of 13.9 million metric tons making up 38.2 percent and grain movements of 3.8 million tons contributing 10.4 percent.

Coal had eclipsed iron ore during the 2000 season for only the second time in more than a century. Iron ore was first shipped through Duluth-Superior in 1892 and became the Port's dominant cargo in 1895. Since then, the only year prior to 2000 that it hadn't been the principal cargo was 1932 in the midst of the Great Depression.

Port developments during the 2001 season included:

" Construction of a $3.8 million, 104,000-square-foot East Warehouse Annex scheduled to open next month at the Clure Public Marine Terminal.

" Conversion of Garfield C & D, a 28-acre former grain elevator complex, into a site suitable for redevelopment as a cargo-handling facility.

" Development of forest product cargoes, including lumber delivered by barge from Thunder Bay, Ont., and the Port's first inbound maritime cargoes of European lumber and Canadian woodpulp.

This season's first commercial vessel arrival was Bethlehem Steel Corporation's Stewart J. Cort on March 26. The English-owned vessel Millenium Raptor was 2001's first full Seaway transit, arriving April 4.

The season's last vessel to transit the Seaway was the Norwegian-flag Spar Garnet which departed on December 17. The Cort departed January 8 with the Port's final outbound cargo, and the tug W.N. Twolan and barge McAllister 132 brought the Port's last cargo shipment in on January 12. USS Great Lakes Fleet, Inc.'s, Presque Isle and Philip R. Clarke arrived January 15 for winter berthing, bringing the total number of vessels wintering in Port to 13.

Total vessel arrivals in 2001 of 1,027 represented a decrease of 80 from last year. There were 613 U.S.-flag, 246 Canadian-flag and 168 overseas vessels.

CONTACT: Ray Skelton, Environmental & Government Affairs Director

Lisa Marciniak, Port Promotion Manager, 218-727-8525

More Tonnage Reports