GLIN==> Duluth-Superior shipping season winds down; YTD-Dec 09 tonnage report + winter layups

RE: 2009 shipping season winds down; Last Lakers due in for winter
layup. YTD-Dec 09 marine tonnage report attached

 

 

January 13, 2010


For Immediate Release


Contact: Adele Yorde, 218-727-8525

 

Note to media:  Last lakers headed in for layup this week. Arrival times
are estimates, may change due to ice/weather conditions.  American
Integrity due later today; Walter J. McCarthy late Thurs; Indiana Harbor
late Fri.  Last vessel(s) may arrive via either the Superior Entry or
Duluth Ship Canal, depending on harbor ice conditions and/or fueling
needs.

 

Duluth-Superior Shipping Season winds down;

Last 3 Lakers headed in for winter layup

Duluth, Minn., USA - As the shipping winds down this week, the Port of
Duluth-Superior, the Great Lakes, and the entire Great Lakes St.
Lawrence Seaway System are closing the books on one of the most
difficult navigation seasons in the waterway's history. The recession
hammered the construction, automotive, steel and appliance industries in
the U.S. and Canada reducing demand for raw materials. All sectors of
the freight industry felt the ill effects, in particular, maritime. 

 

"Mid-summer, we thought the Port might reach 34 million short tons this
year," noted Adolph Ojard, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port
Authority. "But it looks like we'll end up closer to 31 million tons
once the navigation season closes."  

 

While final tonnage figures for the 2009 navigation season for the Port
of Duluth-Superior won't be available until next week, here is a recap
of where things stood through December:

*	Overall tonnage for Duluth-Superior off 32% from last year   
*	Largest decline in Iron Ore - lagging 57% behind last year's
numbers  

*        Coal tonnage running 17% behind last year        

*        Grain up some 32% from this time last year 

*        Other commodities off just over 21% (e.g. limestone, cement,
salt, etc. + general cargo/freight)

 

Local declines in tonnage mirror those reported at ports across the
Great Lakes. The largest drop came in iron ore cargos for the steel
industry.  The Port of Duluth-Superior will top 8 million tons handled
locally by the end of this navigation season, less than half the ore
shipments for 2008.   

 

As reported recently by the Lake Carriers' Association, Iron ore
shipments on the Great Lakes, long the backbone of the navigation
system, fell to their lowest level in 71 years in 2009. Iron ore 

cargoes totaled only 31,792,629 short tons - off 50 percent compared to
2008, and the lowest level recorded since 1938 when the trade finished
the year at 21,574,573 tons."   (Note: Duluth-Superior recorded
11,642,507 short tons in '38).

 

Ojard sounded hopeful for the upcoming shipping season. "It (2009) was a
tough year for maritime on our inland waterway. But signs indicate an
uptick in demand. Some regional steel mills began re-firing blast
furnaces near year-end, Keetac resumed operations and steel prices have
shown some firming. We actually had lakers moving product this month
compared to this time last year, when no ore moved in January. Signs are
positive that by mid-2010 we will start seeing shipments of iron ore,
limestone and coal rebounding to levels of previous years." 

 

Though the Seaway System may not see the same volume of 'salties' due to
a weakened U.S. dollar and decreased demand for imports in the Lower
Lakes (e.g. steel), Ojard anticipates greater activity in inbound wind
turbine shipments, which bodes well for backhauls of grain to Northern
Europe and the Mediterranean. "If the economy continues to move forward,
the Port of Duluth-Superior should be much nearer a 40 million-ton mark
for overall tonnage at this time next year."

 

For Quick Reference: 

 

 YTD AVG thru DEC (2004-08)    YTD thru Dec. 08       YTD thru Dec 09
% change      

       5-year averages                Actual
Actual                                        

Coal                    20,076,893                21,704,037
18,023,555         -17.0%

Grain                    2,520,462                  1,234,120
1,625,726         +31.7%                 

Iron Ore            18,324,839                18,240,158
7,864,069         -56.9%          

Other                   4,133,242                  3,870,815
3,037,654         -21.5%    

Grand Total      45,055,436               45,049,130
30,551,004         -32.2%          

(short tons)

 

For more detailed information, see Port of Duluth-Superior Marine
Tonnage Report - December 2009 

sent with this release and/or available at www.duluthport.com

 

##

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adele Yorde

Public Relations Manager

Duluth Seaway Port Authority

1200 Port Terminal Drive

Duluth, MN  55802-2609 U.S.A.

218-727-8525

218-390-6973 (cell)

 

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