By Dee DePass Star Tribune JANUARY 31, 2019 — 11:14PM
The Port of Duluth-Superior finished the 2018 shipping season with the best iron ore shipments in five years, signaling a solid recovery for the recently ailing taconite industry.
Total port shipments grew 7 percent from 2017 to 35.9 million tons of cargo, with iron ore composing the largest chunk, port officials said. Iron ore shipments jumped 9 percent to 21.5 million tons.
Iron ore cargoes outpaced “the five-year average by 30-plus percent,” said Duluth Seaway Port Authority Executive Director Deb DeLuca.
