Due to increased international tonnage through St. Lawrence Seaway
Cleveland, OH – The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority (Port of Cleveland) reported a 19 percent increase in international traffic during the 2017 navigation season, earning it the Robert J. Lewis Pacesetter Award from the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC), an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“The Port of Cleveland has changed the mindset about what’s possible on the Lakes, and people are finally able to look beyond the horizon and support a new type of traffic with the Cleveland-Europe Express (CEE),” said Middlebrook. The CEE is the only direct, scheduled vessel service that moves containerized and non-containerized cargo between the Great Lakes and Europe.
“This award serves as a way to raise awareness among the wider community about how important ports are as assets to not just local communities, but the region and nation as well,” said Middlebrook.
The Port saw an overall increase in economic activity in 2017 including handling 464,000 metric tons of general cargo, specifically iron, steel and steel slabs. “The year-over-year increase in international tonnage is directly attributed to the increased business and diversification of our cargo mix, including non-containerized steel, imported containers, and several custom, project cargo moves across the Midwest,” said Friedman. “Receiving this award as we celebrate our 50th Anniversary Year is a reminder of our progress and success over the past 50th years and the opportunity for continued growth and development for the Northeast Ohio community in the future.”
The SLSDC Pacesetter Award was founded in 1992 to recognize the achievements of U.S. ports whose activities resulted in increasing international tonnage shipped through the St. Lawrence Seaway, excluding Canada, in comparison to the previous year.
