oosted by a 28-season
high for iron ore, total
maritime tonnage for
the Port of Duluth-Su-
p e r i o r fi n i s h e d t h e
2023 navigation season up 4.5 percent
compared to 2022 and up 0.1 percent
against the five-season average.
The total float eclipsed 31.7 million
short tons, including more than 21.5 mil-
lion tons of iron ore, the most in a single
season since 1995. In the season's final
month, January 2024, nearly 1.1 million
tons of iron ore sailed from Duluth-Su-
perior, the most in a January since the
onset of electronic record-keeping in
2003. For the season, domestic iron
ore shipments neared 14.9 million tons,
an 11 percent increase over 2022, and
exports posted a 22 percent gain. In all,
iron ore tonnage topped last season by
14.3 percent.
D u l u t h - S u p e r i o r p o s t e d s e a -
son-over-season tonnage increases
B
6
| NORTH STAR PORT | WINTER 2024
SEASON SUMMARY
IN IRON ORE
TONNAGE
INCREASE
FROM LAST YEAR OF
14.3%
Total tonnage tops previous
season, 5-season average
PHOTOS / Gus Schauer, David Schauer, Chris Mazzella
