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MAGAZINE .... ! tVaterwa ys : 'Most economical' ! route for large bulb shipments I (kmtimn'd from I~. 3 ! '1 I I I I I I I I I I I I 1 Duluth. These figures indicate whal ap- pear to be significant movements. Ilow- ever, the limitations on Great Lakes cargo have a negative impact, too. Those limitations include lock size, season length and channel dimensions, changes which would require significant capital commitment. The lock size at the Welland Canal be- tween Lakes Ontario and Erie prohibits entry into the Great Lakes system of new large-sized cargo vessels. The main problem is that lock width limits vessels to 76-foot beam dimension, restricting total vessel length to 750 feet. Only a new lock system would solve this problem. Tolls pay for all mainte- nance costs for the seaway system, hut building a new lock system would re- quire significant outlays from both the United States and Canada. The interna- tional' implications make the problem even more difficult. Season length is another challenge. "Operating in the ice increases cost of shipping in winter by at least 10 per- cent," said Bill Newstrand, director ol ports and waterways for the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Nega- tive environmental impacts ol winter transportation on the Great Lakes are feared, but not proven. Channel depth is another problem that increases Great Lakes shipping costs. Common channel depth is 27 feet, restricting draft (th~ portion of the ves- sel under the water line) to 251/~ feet. Most oceari-going,,vessels traveling through the system, however, draft about 35 feet with capacity cargo. Be- cause of the shallower.channel depths, such vessels are forced to load at as much as 35 percent below capacity. This proble'm is compounded in Duluth/Superior because the upper harbor is dredged to only 23 feet, re- stricting development and reducing the use of some terminals. The Army Corps of Engineers has recommended deepening the channel, but the change will require congressio- nal action. Cortes said that the Seaway Port Au- thority of Duluth "strongly favors deep- ening of the channel as a matter of po/- GRAIN SHIPMENT ON BARGES LOOKS GOOD THIS YEAR Mississippi River business fluctuates with economy icy." But the recession in the late '70s and early '80s, coupled with the impor- tation of foreign steel, greatly reduced the demand for Minnesota iron ore. "With no demand, channel depth isn't the most pressing concern:' David VanBrunt, general manager of operations with U.S.S. Great Lakes Fleet, Inc., is greatly concerned about the impacts on the demand lor domestic steel. VanBrunt ekes studies that show the large surplus of low-priced, and in many eases foreign government subsi- dized, iron ore available, even to the steel mills located in America's heart- land. "Our vessel officers see foreign ore coming up the Mississippi River and discharging right alongside our ships at many of the ports on the Great Lakes," he said. MnDOT's Newstrand summed up the situation with the state's ports and wate~,ays: "Indeed, the most economi- cal way to handle large quantities of bulk goods is over the water. If we con- tinue to work to address the challenges, we'.Il get back to getting the full eco- nomic advantages of our water system."