CLEVELAND PORT, VESSEL OWNER ADVANCE EFFORT TO START INTERNATIONAL CONTAINER SERVICE
Canadian vessel, the Dutch Runner, to visit Cleveland Port; Service would make Cleveland a more vital maritime destination and support regional jobs, shipping industry
October 22, 2010 -- Cleveland is moving closer to becoming the U.S. home base and first and only city on the Great Lakes that would have a regular scheduled service shuttling containers to and from Canada. Port of Cleveland officials and the owners of the two feeder vessels are in active dialogue to launch the Cleveland-Montreal service in the spring of 2011 and will be available at 3 p.m. today to discuss the service.
Stan Shumway, Managing Partner of Great Lakes Feeder Lines, will accompany the Dutch Runner as it travels to Cleveland today to meet with port officials about the service, which is expected to have financial and environmental advantages for the greater Cleveland region.
Will Friedman, CEO of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, says the service would be significant as the region attempts to attract additional cargo and take advantage of its lakefront maritime facilities.
“This is an exciting economic opportunity for the port, the region and the state,” he said. “Simply put, Cleveland would be the first city on the Great Lakes that will have a pin on the global map when it comes to container service.”
Friedman stressed that the Port does not require capital investments or enlarged facilities to begin moving containerized freight and other non-containerized cargoes. “We have the space, equipment, a capable terminal operator and a productive waterfront workforce in place. We can move containers today.”
Shumway agrees: “Cleveland has always been attractive to us as the largest market on Lake Erie and a center for manufacturing. We are pleased that the new Port administration is receptive and look forward to proving our business model,” he said.
Great Lakes Feeder Service has two versatile vessels that have capacity for container and break-bulk cargo. The service would allow ocean carriers to hand-off trans-Atlantic containers into the Great Lakes, providing a more cost-effective and environmentally-friendly alternative to truck and rail transport. For more information, please visit: http://www.portofcleveland.com/
