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DULUTHPORT.COM | 5 PHOTOS / David Schauer, Jayson Hron t was a near-average season in the Port of Duluth-Superior, and while that's not an espe- cially compelling summative statement, one shouldn't con- clude from it that the 2024 navigation season lacked notable developments. Several highlights emerged between the John J. Boland sailing as Duluth-Supe- rior's first departure (March 21, 2024) and returning as its last arrival (Jan. 17, 2025). • Maritime import /export tonnage finished the season nearly 15 percent ahead of last year's pace, driven primar- ily by a 31 percent increase in export tonnage. Spring wheat led the boost in exports, more than tripling the 2023 tonnage total. • Buoyed by a fourth-quarter rally, over- all grain tonnage approached 800,000 short tons, its best mark since 2021. • Breakbulk cargoes—the high, wide and heavy pieces moving through Duluth's Clure Public Marine Termi- nal—climbed 70 percent year-over-year, destined for locations as distant as the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada. • Wind energy cargoes posted their highest volume since 2020. • Duluth Cargo Connect total tonnage (including sea, road and rail) topped 500,000 freight tons, a year-over-year increase of approximately 21 percent and the highest total since 2020. • Spliethoff added regular trans-Atlan- tic liner service between Duluth and the Mediterranean, augmenting the Duluth- Antwerp service it launched in 2023. • Limestone deliveries via ship topped 3.3 million short tons, the most since 2019. • Low-sulfur coal tonnage, still above 5 million short tons, posted a modest year- over-year increase. Despite the highlights, overall mari- time tonnage through Duluth-Superior dipped approximately 6 percent com- pared to 2023, driven primarily by an almost 10 percent decline in iron ore tonnage. It's worth noting, however, that this drop came after a 28-season high in 2023, and nearly 19 million short tons of iron ore sailed from the port in 2024, which still tops the five-season average by roughly 2 percent. I Grain gains spur late season comeback The Algoma Compass unloads salt at Duluth's Compass Minerals facility, while in the background, Jamno loads wheat from the Ceres Riverland Ag elevators on Dec. 11, 2024. The vessels' arrival coincided with a cold wave that plunged temperatures into the minus-teens Fahrenheit. A SEASON WORTH ITS SALT The lake freighter John J. Boland arrives Jan. 17 in Duluth, completing a seafaring scene and bringing the navigation season to a close at North America's farthest-inland seaport.