Shipping and Logistics

Strong Steel Shipments Seen on St. Lawrence Seaway

Written by Laura Miller

September 26, 2022

Shipments of iron and steel, coke, and scrap metal on the St. Lawrence Seaway System were robust in the first eight months of this year, according to the latest figures released by the Great Lakes Seaway Partnership.

Steel shipments on the Seaway were up 3.92% from the same period of 2021, reaching 1.282 million metric tons through August of this year.

Coke shipments saw a significant year-on-year rise, increasing nearly 32% to 1.154 million metric tons through August, and scrap metal shipments rose 29% to 35,000 metric tons.

09.26.22 St Lawrence Seaway Shipments

“Great Lakes port activity in August highlights the critical role that the Seaway’s maritime supply chain plays in delivering steel in support of the Midwest manufacturing sector,” said Craig H. Middlebrook, deputy administrator of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp.

August shipments of steel and wind energy materials were notable in Chicago’s Illinois International Port District, and the Port of Cleveland and Port of Detroit were noted as destinations receiving a high volume of inbound steel shipments. The Port of Toledo received multiple shipments of aluminum during the month.

Estimates are that US Great Lakes ports traded with at least 23 different countries during the month of August, down slightly from 27 the month prior.

The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System is a major trade artery 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) long, directly serving the states of Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York, and Pennsylvania in the US and the provinces of Ontario and Quebec in Canada.

By Laura Miller, Laura@SteelMarketUpdate.com

Laura Miller

Laura Miller is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. She has held a variety of positions within the steel industry since 2007, including reporting and editing for Steel Business Briefing/Platts, the Association for Iron and Steel Technology, and Kallanish Commodities, as well as marketing for what was then known as ThyssenKrupp Steel USA (now AM/NS Calvert). After a five-year hiatus working across other industries, she returned to steel in 2021 and has covered the flat rolled, tubular, and trade areas of the industry. She is a member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries and a past-president of the AWMI Pittsburgh Chapter. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at laura@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7869.

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