SHIPPING
Shipping Rebound For Great Lakes, Covid Turns Down More than 30 million tons have passed through the Twin Ports, surpassing the previous year's total. After experiencing unprecedented lows during the coronavirus outbreak in 2020, Great Lakes ports are reporting a resurgence in cargo traffic this year, 2022.
T
his year, the Port of DuluthSuperior rebounded after cargo shipments fell to their lowest level since 1938 in 2020, with a total of 25.8 million tons passing through the lakes' major port.
28 | SKILLINGS MINING REVIEW March 2022
The port has handled roughly 29 million tons of goods as of the end of November, a 30% increase over the same period last year. As the shipping season comes to a close on Jan. 15 with the closure of the Poe Lock at Lake Superior's eastern edge,
the port has already topped 30 million tons for the year. "We had hoped for a turnaround. All the signs were pointing to a recovery from the COVID-induced lows "The Duluth Seaway Port Authority's communications director, Jayson Hron, stated. "Domestic steel demand was on the rise, which helps considering that iron ore accounts for little more than half of our overall cargo from this port." Through November, the port handled over 17.9 million tons of iron ore, up 37% from the previous year and roughly 22% more than the five-year average.
