Shipping leaders reflect on a season filled with headwinds, but hopeful for the next one.
2025 was not a great year for the cargo numbers for the port of Duluth-Superior. Just over 25 million tons moved last year. But leaders remain optimistic about the future.
At a press conference on Friday, the Executive Director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, Kevin Beardsley, shared, “It was season of headwinds, especially for the bulk cargo. Port wide tonnage numbers will reflect. But there is no single cause for this. It’s a combination of factors. Market trends, shifting trade lanes and geopolitical forces. Even the weather. We had we had an early December freeze up.”
Iron ore, the king of cargoes, was down nearly 3 million tons. Most of which was on the export side.
Breakbulk cargo was the lone bright spot, narrowly beating the 2024 numbers. That’s things like wind or energy components that aren’t poured into the holds.
Still, they are looking to new cargos in the future.
Fraser Shipyards is also in talks with the U.S. Navy, hoping to bring repair of nation’s vessels here. Patrick Kelly shared more with at the International Ship Masters’ Association convention in Duluth.
“Today, there’s a 100-day backlog in their repair work on the East and West coast of the U.S. These are the military home ports that were established shortly after World War II,” Kelly said.
So even though it’s the downtime for those on the water, there’s still plenty of momentum behind the scenes.
