Cordero Meets With Great Lakes Constituents in Cleveland

Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Mario Cordero visited Cleveland earlier this week to meet with executives, officials, and mariners involved in Great Lakes related supply chain, port, shipping, and manufacturing endeavors.

Cordero travelled to Cleveland Monday and Tuesday where he held meetings with the Port of Cleveland, Interlake Steamship Company, the Great Lakes’ Carriers Association, and a group of shippers. Additionally, he had the opportunity to meet with the crew of the M/V Buffalo, a Great Lakes bulk carrier owned by the American Steamship Company; and to visit the ArcelorMittal USA Cleveland plant.

Chairman Cordero (R) observes vessel discharge operations during trip to Cleveland.

“By the nature of the work the Commission does, much of our attention is focused on the Nation’s top 11 ports and the infrastructure and networks that support them; however, the Great Lakes ports are also important gateways playing a critical role in our economy,” commented Cordero. “I am grateful to have had this opportunity to meet with individuals who are manufacturing and exporting goods from the Heartland and using Great Lakes ports.”

One issue Cordero wanted to examine during his visit was the “Cleveland-Europe Express”, a direct, regular container service from Cleveland to Antwerp that has operated since 2014.

“It was very interesting to learn more about the container service the Port of Cleveland is offering and their efforts to expand this line of business,” noted Cordero. “If international trade volumes continue to grow at the rates predicted, finding new ways to move more containers is going to be key to maintaining economic competitiveness. It will be worth monitoring the experiences the Port of Cleveland has with this service and if it becomes a reliable option for exporters to use to reach Europe and markets beyond.”