North Star Port

6 | NORTH STAR PORT | SUMMER 2023 Antwerp-Duluth liner service to expe- dite delivery to their 87-country distri- bution network, while also delivering enhanced customer service consistency. "The traditional method involved loading the containers in Superior (Wisconsin) and sending them by rail to coastal ports for loading on a ship," said Tom Pelland, director of distribu - tion and logistics for AMSOIL. "With the launch of this new monthly liner service from Duluth, we can eliminate those extra touchpoints and get our goods moving more efficiently, taking advantage of the inland seaport right here in our own backyard." In addition to reducing transit times, the Antwerp-Duluth liner service also strengthens a longtime bond between AMSOIL and its home port. "We were founded in Duluth-Superior and we've had a long connection with the folks at the port," said Pelland. "We keep in touch, so when we heard about this new monthly liner service, we were definitely interested in exploring it as an opportunity to enhance our supply chain, both for export and also for import." Jonathan Lamb, president of Duluth Cargo Connect, views it as a quintessen- tial win-win-win for the port, Spliethoff and a regional manufacturer. "This type of collaboration, and these types of gains, are exactly what this liner service was designed to provide," he said. "For manufacturers, producers and retailers in the Upper Midwest, it gives a more consistent, tailor-made, service-oriented way to get their exports to market faster, and also import what they need from around the world." Another benefit is the flexibility to parcel the ship, which gives cargo owners the lift they need without min- imum load-size constraints. Add to that a ready supply of containers from the Spliethoff pool, plus the company's years of experience operating between the Great Lakes and Europe, and it's a winning equation for almost any type of shipment moving to or from the North American heartland. Subsequent summer sailings have included a broad mix of breakbulk, agricultural, indus- trial and retail cargoes. "We look forward to building Duluth a s a m a j o r t ra n s p o r t at i o n h u b o n to p o f o u r ex i s t i n g C l eve l a n d - E u- rope Express," said Spliethoff 's Joe Swartout. "The port's leadership has a strong vision for what this can become, and we wish for that vision to become a reality." Not only can the new Duluth-Antwerp liner service get cargoes there faster, it can get them there greener, too! According to multimodal routing data from CPCS, the truck-to-Duluth, liner-to-Antwerp method ranks as the least carbon-intensive option for many Upper Midwest markets, including those in northern and central Wisconsin, northern Minnesota and eastern North and South Dakota, reducing emissions up to 56% compared to alternatives. Fast and (eco) friendly SEASON UPDATE 56% PHOTO / Bob Welton

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