The Port of Milwaukee plays a role in supporting local manufacturing by moving cargo all over the world, and on Saturday it shipped some exceptionally unique, oversized products.
The products were six sections of a rotary kiln–pieces over 17 feet in diameter, up to 44 feet long and weighing as much as 225,000 pounds–manufactured by the West Allis company, A-C Equipment Services.
Federal Marine Terminals loaded the pieces using Port of Milwaukee cranes. They are scheduled to depart Milwaukee early this week, traveling by barge through the St. Lawrence Seaway to their final destination of Port-Daniels-Gascons in Quebec.
The sections will ultimately be installed at a cement manufacturing plant.
City of Milwaukee spokesman Jeff Fleming said shipping the sections through the port adds value and efficiency because transporting items of that size over land is “prohibitively expensive.”
“Millions of tons of cargo move through the Port of Milwaukee each year. When companies ship through the Port, they promote the regional economy,” Mayor Tom Barrett said. “The Port’s efficiency supports local manufacturing jobs, and that’s good for everyone in our community.”
The steel used by A-C Equipment Services to build the rotary kiln also arrived in Milwaukee through the port.
