Cleveland port had good year in '06
The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority said it had a banner year in 2006, with the volume of cargo passing through the port rising 8% from 2005 and the amount of steel it handled increasing nearly 30%.
In a statement, Steve Pfeiffer, vice president of maritime operations for the port authority, said the surge in waterborne traffic “demonstrates high local demand for commodities such as steel, iron ore and limestone and is representative of what’s going on in terms of our region’s manufacturing needs.” Mr. Pfeiffer called 2006 “one of the best years in the 39-year history of the port authority.”
Port officials said more than 14.9 million tons of cargo in 1,053 vessels passed through the Port of Cleveland in 2006, versus 13.8 million tons in 2005 on 1,026 vessels.
The port handled 584,071 tons of steel last year, up 29% from 451,743 tons in 2005. Iron ore shipments through the port rose 17% to 3.4 million tons in 2006 from 2.9 million tons the previous year.
A longer shipping season helped improve the numbers.
Port officials said the St. Lawrence Seaway’s 48th season, which ended Dec. 30, 2006, set a record with 283 days of operation, exceeding by two days the previous record, set in 2004.
In a statement, Steve Pfeiffer, vice president of maritime operations for the port authority, said the surge in waterborne traffic “demonstrates high local demand for commodities such as steel, iron ore and limestone and is representative of what’s going on in terms of our region’s manufacturing needs.” Mr. Pfeiffer called 2006 “one of the best years in the 39-year history of the port authority.”
Port officials said more than 14.9 million tons of cargo in 1,053 vessels passed through the Port of Cleveland in 2006, versus 13.8 million tons in 2005 on 1,026 vessels.
The port handled 584,071 tons of steel last year, up 29% from 451,743 tons in 2005. Iron ore shipments through the port rose 17% to 3.4 million tons in 2006 from 2.9 million tons the previous year.
A longer shipping season helped improve the numbers.
Port officials said the St. Lawrence Seaway’s 48th season, which ended Dec. 30, 2006, set a record with 283 days of operation, exceeding by two days the previous record, set in 2004.