Area manufacturers rely on the port to help deliver their locally-made products to U.S. and foreign markets and to obtain low-cost delivery of raw materials. Ninety percent of all cargo entering and leaving the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority is produced or consumed within a 75-mile radius, earning the Port Authority the title of “destination” port. As a destination port, the economic impact is felt closer to home.

Eight international cargo docks consist of 110 acres of land alongside Lake Erie on the east side of the Cuyahoga River, while the Cleveland Bulk Terminal transshipment facility occupies 44 acres just west of the river. The Port Authority averages 12.5 million tons of cargo per year.

Overall Annual Tonnage

• Break Bulk (packaged materials): 500,000 tons
• Dry Bulk (loose materials such as limestone and grain): 12 million tons
• 2008 (PDF - 16.0 KB)
• 2007 (PDF - 17.9 KB) 
• 2006 (PDF - 36.5 KB) 
• 2005 (PDF - 13.70 KB)
• 2004 (PDF - 52.3 KB)
• 1993-2003 Annual Tonnages (PDF - 52 KB)

Primary Cargoes

• Inbound: Steel, heavy machinery, liquid/dry bulk
• Outbound: machinery and steel

Security

U.S. Coast Guard and Customs officials monitor the Port Authority at all times. Cameras installed in strategic locations provide 24-hour dockside and perimeter security. 

Awards

The Port Authority was awarded its sixth Robert J. Lewis Seaway Pacesetter Award in 2004 by the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. The award is presented to ports with an increase in international overseas cargo tonnage shipped through the seaway during the previous navigation season.

Tariffs

Click here to view a schedule of rates or charges for the Port Authority.

Highway H₂O

The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway or Highway H₂O is a bi-national inland waterway that moves cargo into the industrial centre of North America via regional ports, as well as international ports such as the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority. This convenient, environmentally friendly transportation route is a significant economic asset to the United States and the region. Read more on how this resource aids commerce in Northeast Ohio.