The shipping platform

Location: Located at the western tip of the Great Lakes. General overview: Duluth, Minnesota and its sister port Superior, Wisconsin, are located at the W end of Lake Superior. The twin ports are important loading points for grain, iron ore and coal. They also handle imported goods and bulk materials for the Minnesota hinterland. Commodities shipped through the port include wheat (spring, durum, white and winter), corn, soybeans, sunflower seeds, canola, beet pulp pellets, barley, rye, oats and peas. Iron ore and coal are the Port's principal interlake cargoes totalling more than 35,000,000t a year. The leading inbound cargo is limestone. Other bulk cargoes include cement, salt, coke, calcium chloride, potash, bentonite clay, fertilizer and grain byproducts. The region benefits from a foreign trade zone, which is located at the port in the Clure Public Marine Terminal. Traffic figures: Approx 700 vessels, 30,550,000t of cargo and handled annually. Max size: Max size permitted through: Seaway Locks: Length 225.5m Beam 23.7m Draught 8.0m Soo Locks: Length 335.3m Beam 32.0m Draught 8.2m Largest vessel handled: "Lakers", LOA 335m.