Page 69: of Marine News Magazine (May 2018)

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PEOPLE & COMPANY NEWS

Great Lakes Knoy Middlebrook barges around the ? rst of May. Over an 80 year history, Jeffboat’s work- ers built 12,900 vessels, with recent workforce numbers seen as high as 1,300 teammates. With orders run- ning out and no future backlog of business, the shipyard will launch its last barge sometime in the middle of

April. Knoy added, “While we’re very sorry that market conditions have left us with no choice but to close

Jeffboat. The shipyard closure will not have an impact on ACBL’s barge freight business or its customers, ven- dors and teammates.”

U.S. Great Lakes Optimism

High as Seaway Begins 60th Season

As the St. Lawrence Seaway opened on March 29, US Great Lakes ports geared up for a busy 2018 shipping season fueled by new business and infrastructure expansion. U.S. Great

Lakes ports have made signi? cant in- vestments in infrastructure and ser- vices that are attracting new business to their respective regions and facilitat- ing American cross-border and inter- national trade. The Port of Cleveland, for example, saw a 20 percent increase in international tonnage in 2017; something port of? cials are cautiously optimistic will carry into 2018. Else- where, iron ore shipments through the Port of Duluth-Superior wrapped up last season on a high note, top- ping 19.7 million short tons, making www.marinelink.com MN 69

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