GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – At just over two months underway, officials with the Port of Green Bay say the 2023 shipping season has seen a significant increase in tonnage compared to the same period last year.

A release from the Port & Resource Recovery Department of Brown County states that early tonnage totals are starting to accumulate since the season got underway on March 15.

The combined totals for March and April were just over 186,000 tons, which officials say is an 84% increase over last season’s tonnage for the same two months.

“We’re having a strong start to this shipping season with a significant increase over last year’s tonnage for the same period,” said Dean Haen, Port of Green Bay Directory. “While it’s very difficult to predict what a new shipping season will be like and we expect to see ups and downs from year to year, we’re pleased with the start to this year’s season and are confident that we’ll continue to see a steady inflow of commodities over the coming months.”

Salt has been the leading cargo import in 2023 with 85,351 tons, followed by petroleum products, cement, and coal with 37,565 tons, 36,935 tons, and 17,199 tons respectively.

In total, 17 ships entered the Port between March 15 and the end of April. That total is six more ships than the same period in 2022.

“When our last season came to a close on January 25, just over 1.75 million tons of cargo had moved through the port,” Haen added. “While it’s still early, we’re optimistic that we’ll have strong movement through the Port of Green Bay this season.”

Local 5 will stay up to date on the Port of Green Bay’s tonnage totals throughout the season.