MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The Port of Milwaukee saw an increase of 34.5% in the amount of cargo traveling to and from foreign ports in 2012.
The final numbers show 210,406 metric tons of cargo went through either the St. Lawrence Seaway or by the inland river system to overseas ports. Typical cargo moving by ship through the Port of Milwaukee includes steel that is used locally in manufacturing and large finished goods that are shipped around the world.
In 2012, for the first time in decades, Milwaukee had U.S. flagged cargo vessels carry locally made goods overseas. The Maersk-Illinois transported two P&H mining shovels destined for Siberia and the BBC Houston carried a third shovel.
Overall, the Port of Milwaukee saw a decline in total cargo tonnage in 2012. That decline was the direct result of mild weather in the winter of 2011-2012 which led to smaller volumes of both salt and coal arriving at the Port.