August saw a surge in cargo ships on the Great lakes heading to both domestic and foreign ports. It marks a rebound from a stale first half of the season.
The Lake Carriers Association reports a 10 percent increase in August for U.S.-flagged cargo compared to a year ago, while the St. Lawrence Seaway put out numbers this week that shows things are up slightly in August from July. Lake Carrier’s Glen Nekvasil says shipping rallied for U.S.-flagged vessels in August after a lackluster first half of the year. Coal ships led the gains, up 40 percent. “It certainly was a very, very good month,” said Nekvasil. “We moved 1,000,000 more tons than we did in August of 2012. It was a very satisfying month. Whether or not it’s going to be that kind of pace for the rest of the year, I don’t know, but don’t turn it down, right?”
Overall, domestic cargo is down by about 1 percent compared to last year, and Seaway figures are off 9 percent. The lone plus is resurgence in domestic grain going overseas: that’s up 37 percent. Duluth Seaway Port Authority Director Adolph Ojard says it’s been a steady year, but not one to write home about. “Given what the economy is, there’s really no growth. It’s just been kind of steady and steel production has been pretty flat as well.”
Ojard says a bright spot is higher water levels in the Great Lakes, “which means the ships that are sailing can handle more tonnage,“ he said. ”That could have meant that some of the ships that were laid-up early in the year didn’t sail because there was an improvement in the water levels and an improvement in the capacity of ships that are sailing.” Three freighters are laid up in the Twin Ports, and six vessels overall on the Great Lakes are out of service.
