Shipping Industry Gears Up For Winter

     The Duluth-Superior shipping season is coming to a close for winter but the field has other employment opportunities off the water as the companies gear-up for the off-season. 

Seven Lakers will soon be calling Twin Ports home and hundreds of workers will be hired to take care of the ships while they are docked for winter. 

 Adele Yorde Public Relations at Duluth Seaway Port Authority said,”Shipyards and a lot of subcontractors are hiring on extra crew to work on The Seven Lakers here in the Twin Ports.”

This job creation is a big boost for an industry that has felt several recent economic blows. The lay-offs on the range have been felt at port. 

Yorde said,”An average year for all of the commodities moving through the port of Duluth–Superior is about 38 million tons and we will end up about 32 million tons this year.”

Duluth Seaway Port Authority is looking forward to what new prospects 2016 could bring.

Yorde said, “Ideally it would be great if by spring they are going to start producing again.”

The Soo Locks are set to open again on March 25th to kick-off the 2016 season.