The Port of Duluth, Minn., says 306,000 freight tons of wind energy cargo moved through its hands in 2019, setting a single-season record.
The previous high was 302,000 freight tons, set in 2008.
Duluth Cargo Connect managed the unloading, storage and dispatch of the cargo to sites throughout the Midwest.
“This has been a banner year for wind energy cargo and also for the Clure Public Marine Terminal and Duluth Cargo Connect,” says Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. “And it’s no accident. We’ve made more than $25 million in strategic investments to the terminal over the past four years – enhancements that help support the excellent work Duluth Cargo Connect does in handling these oversize wind cargos.”
As the Great Lakes’ top tonnage port and inland North America’s premier world port, Duluth emerged as a primary destination for wind energy cargo beginning in 2006.
“Wind energy has been an important part of our cargo portfolio, dating back to our first shipments more than a decade ago,” says Jonathan Lamb, president of Duluth Cargo Connect. “As the farthest inland port in North America, we’re geographically well-situated to support wind farm installations in the upper Midwest and central Canada. We pride ourselves in providing a seamless connection between modes of transportation for our wind energy customers.”
Approximately 900 vessels and 35 million short tons of cargo move through the Port of Duluth-Superior each year.
