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n mid-October, the binational St. Lawrence Seaway corpo- rations announced their 2025 seasonal closure dates, which continue the trend of maximizing crucial cargo movement. According to Seaway Notice No. 12: • All ships must be clear of the Mon- treal-Lake Ontario Section on Jan. 5, 2025, by noon Eastern Time. • All ships must be clear of the Welland Canal on Jan. 10, 2025, by noon Eastern Time. • The Soo Locks' seasonal closure date is set by the U.S. Army Corps of Engi- neers and is traditionally Jan. 15. This date is subject to change. For historical context, the 2023 navi- gation season ranked as one of the lon- gest in Duluth- Superior history, with the outbound Lee A. Tregurtha cracking the ice on March 23, bookended by the latest-departing saltie on record (Nor- dika Desgagnes; Dec. 29, 2023) and the season's last arrival, the laker John J. Boland, on Jan. 21, 2024. In all, the inter- national shipping season spanned 277 days and the interlake season stretched to 305 days. The 2024 season began even earlier than the 2023 campaign, with Dulu- th- Superior's first outbound vessel, the Boland, sailing on March 21 and the Poe Lock at Sault Ste. Marie opening on March 22. As a result, the current nav- igation season looks likely to again top 300 days. This is a significant expan- sion compared to previous eras, during which vessels rarely moved to or from Duluth-Superior prior to April 1 or after Christmas Day. TOTAL TONNAGE FOR THE PORT OF DULUTH-SUPERIOR tracked within 3.5 percent of the five-season average through early fall, aided by a strong September float approaching 3.5 million short tons. Reflecting the U.S. Wheat Associates' upbeat production report, September spring and durum wheat shipments from Duluth-Superior topped September 2023 by more than 50 percent. Season to date, spring wheat tonnage trended nearly five times greater than the 2023 pace, a testament in part to higher yields and less stress during the growing season. Head-of-the-Lakes wheat wins helped push St. Lawrence Seaway grain tonnage totals 4.24 percent higher compared to 2023 through Sept. 30. Every major cargo category moving through Duluth-Superior trended favorably in September 2024 compared to September 2023, led by double-digit percentage gains for grain, limestone, cement, salt and general cargo. Duluth Cargo Connect welcomed 16 general cargo ships to the Clure Public Marine Terminal through September, as the region's multimodal logistics hub handled a variety of wind energy cargoes, heavy-lift industrial pieces and containerized cargoes. That same genial general cargo story resonated throughout the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, with Seaway breakbulk tonnage up nearly 19 percent compared to 2023. Shipping boom under the harvest moon SEASON UPDATE Stretching the seasons I Bahamas-flagged Juno loads grain in early October at the CHS facility in Superior. Upon exiting the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, the ship carried her cargo to the Port of Bilbao in Northern Spain. Fraserborg arrives for wheat on Oct. 1, 2024. PHOTOS / Adam Bjornberg; Stephanie Judd Irwin DULUTHPORT.COM | 5