The Port of Cleveland unveiled plans to start a regularly scheduled express freight shipping service between the Cleveland Harbor and Europe, starting in April, the Port of Cleveland said Wednesday in a press release.
The Cleveland-Europe Express Ocean Freight Service will be the only scheduled international container service on the Great Lakes. “Currently, local manufacturers use East Coast ports to ship goods to Europe, incurring additional rail and truck costs along the way,” said Will Friedman, president & CEO of the Port of Cleveland. “The Cleveland Europe-Express will allow local companies to ship out of their own backyards, simplifying logistics and reducing shipping costs.”
The service will be the fastest and greenest route between Europe and North America’s heartland, allowing regional companies to ship their goods up to four days faster than using water, rail, and truck routes via the U.S. East Coast ports. The Cleveland-Europe Express is estimated to carry anywhere from 250,000 to 400,000 tons of cargo per year. This volume equates to approximately 10-15% of Ohio’s trade with Europe.
Marc Krantz, chairman of the Port of Cleveland Board, said the organization pursued the express service to meets the Port’s strategic initiatives by growing the Port’s maritime business, increasing the Port’s financial stability, and increasing regional trade opportunities on behalf of Northeast Ohio companies.
The Port is in final negotiations with the Dutch company Spliethoff Group to run the service via the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The Port will not have to invest any capital costs to start the service and has designed the service to be revenue generating, which it will reinvest in maintaining job producing infrastructure, cleaning up ship channel infrastructure, and opening up the waterfronts to public access.
Bart Peters, manager of Spliethoff Group’s America Service, explained that the Spliethoff Group plays a leading role worldwide in the transport market for various cargoes, such as heavy lift, general cargo, forest products, project based machinery, and yachts. The company owns and operates a fleet of about 100 multi-purpose, heavy-lift, and ro-ro vessels ranging in size from 9,500 to 21,000 tons, all of which fly under the Dutch flag.
The International Longshoremen’s Association, AFL-CIO, is in favor of the proposed service.
About The Port of Cleveland
The Port of Cleveland is a key to Northeast Ohio’s global competitiveness by providing the quickest route between North American’s Heartland and Northern Europe. An economic engine for Northeast Ohio, the Port brings 13-million tons of cargo through the Cleveland Harbor, and with it $1.8 billion in annual economic activity and nearly 18,000 jobs. As a Green Port on a Great Lake, the Port of Cleveland plays a key role in the environmental restoration and revitalization of Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River.
About the Cleveland-Europe Express
Ocean Freight Service is a nonstop direct cargo shipping service that will run between Cleveland and major European Ports. This freighter service will make the Port of Cleveland the only Port with scheduled international container service in the Great Lakes, and will be the fastest and greenest route between the North America and Europe.