YOu can now have service from Cleveland to Antwerp, Belgium, Europe on a dedicated container ship. It’s not a large one– 869 teu (twenty-foot equivalent units, half of a normal-40 foot ocean container). But it provides a link for Mid-American businesses that avoids using either coast. Antwerp is a major European port.
One of the risks in this trade is the two-month closure of the St Lawrence river locks for maintenance each year. If your goods will be trapped, there is a free-trade zone (FTZ) at Cleveland so you won’t have to pay duty on your detained cargo– it won’t actually be landed yet.
Previously the firm running it, Spliethoff, moved some container trade using a multipurpose ship.
People have been trying to revive the Great Lakes ship trade for a long time. We will see if this gambit works. It looks like Spliethoff has thought through a lot of the problems and brought solutions for some customers.
Sam Chambers September 13, 2021
Great Lakes welcomes regular dedicated liner service – Splash247
Supply Chain and Logistics 