In Conversation
IN CONVERSATION WITH
DULUTH SEAWAY PORT AUTHORITY BY LEO RYAN
THE DULUTH SEAWAY PORT AUTHORITY IS THE LARGEST AND FURTHEST INLAND PORT ON THE GREAT LAKES, ACTING AS A MID-AMERICA GATEWAY FOR DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE. IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, DEB DELUCA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COMMENTS ON COMPETITIVE CHALLENGES, EXPANSION PROJECTS, ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND CARGO GROWTH.
Q
Since taking the helm of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority in August 2018, what has struck you as the biggest competitive challenges facing the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence transportation corridor?
A
My work with the Port Authority actually began in 2014, as director of government and environmental affairs, and ever since, I have been nurtured on the narrative that “… the St. Lawrence Seaway is only 50% utilized…,” which generates the eternal question: what are the barriers to increasing System use? For the Port of Duluth-Superior, the
furthest inland port in the system, any extraordinary costs compound over the 2,340-mile journey. Pilotage rates are a contributor to higher costs and create a significant competitive disadvantage as compared to traditional coastal ports – we hear about it from agents, customers, and cruise lines. This has been discussed often, and it bears repeating that pilotage reform is needed to level the playing field. In order to be effective, it should be approached through a collaborative, transparent process involving the U.S. Coast Guard, maritime stakeholders and the pilot organizations in both the United States and Canada. We
must find a solution that, long-term, is beneficial for all, but we haven’t yet found the forum for that process. Additionally, we must also continue to invest in infrastructure renewal, repair and improvement throughout the waterway and its nodes. Looking to the future, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence system will be at a disadvantage without a more advanced vessel traffic system utilizing ship-to-shore data sharing that optimizes vessel movements and improves system efficiency; this will need to be right-sized to the system and will likely need to be adopted incrementally. 17 17
