AND AWAY WE GO!
April tonnage numbers get Port shipping season going strong
(Green Bay, WI) – An early start to the 2015 shipping season got the Port of Green Bay off on the right foot with a 67 percent increase in imports/exports when compared to last April’s numbers. This year’s season began 15 days earlier than in 2014, making a positive impact on tonnage.
“We still had ice coverage on the Great Lakes last April, which delayed the start to the shipping season,” said Dean Haen, director of Brown County Port and Resource Recovery. “That’s not the case this year. Not only were we able to get ships moving sooner, but we saw solid increases in shipments of cement, coal, limestone and petroleum products.”
A total of 11 ships came through the Port in April, an increase of six from the same time last year.
Haen says he’s cautiously optimistic about the 2015 season. “We are headed in the right direction, but we are predicting that the demand for coal and salt shipments will be down this year,” Haen said. “So long as other commodities increase, anything equal to or above last year’s tonnage will be a successful year.”
The Port of Green Bay imported/exported 2.3 million tons of cargo in 2014 and has 15 active terminal operators involved in shipping commodities.
