Overall tonnage shipped through Port Milwaukee was up 5.4% to 2,812,008, the highest annual cargo volume for the port in the last 7 years, according to the city of Milwaukee.
The increase was led by agricultural exports and handling of cement.
“Port Milwaukee’s resilience was on full display in 2020,” said port director Adam Tindall-Schlicht. “We overcame flooding resulting from unusually high water levels on Lake Michigan at the start of the year. We also overcame the (COVID-19) pandemic’s sustained effect on the economy and on the port’s essential operations. Our workforce, our partners, and our customers deserve enormous credit for this past year’s successes.”
Tonnage at the port’s municipal facilities on Jones Island was down a little more than 1% in 2020 when compared to 2019. But that tonnage still exceeded both the five-year and ten-year averages for the port.
Led by outbound grain shipments and construction material, private docks in the harbor handled nearly 37% more cargo than last year.