Port Milwaukee, positioned on the western shores of Lake Michigan, allows for direct access to global markets via the St. Lawrence Seaway. As the northernmost approved port on the Great Lakes with access to the inland river system, Port Milwaukee also has access to Gulf Coast ports.
The port offers several facilities and over 50 acres dedicated to dry bulk storage handling, including four storage domes totalling 50,000 tonnes of storage capacity.
In 2023, Port Milwaukee’s overall tonnage was 2.55 million metric tonnes.
Port Milwaukee specializes in bulk materials, project and breakbulk commodities. Dry bulk commodities make up a majority of the port’s throughput. The port’s experienced dry bulk stevedore offers ample storage capacity and equipment to manage various dry bulk commodities.
Dry bulk commodities include a wide variety of materials, such as salt, cement, ash, grain, limestone, aggregates, and fertilizers. The port’s dry bulk handling services include storage, stock piling, direct transfer service to trucks, rails, and barges; vessel loading and unloading; packaging; palletizing; and processing.
The port’s new state-of-the-art DeLong Agricultural Maritime Export Facility officially opened in the summer of 2023. The initial shipments transported animal feed, dried distillers grains with solubles, and soybean meal to northern Europe by way of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The DeLong facility consists of a receiving building with a pit for truck and rail access, a flat fabric storage building with a capacity of 32,000 metric tonnes, and a shiploader.
Through the support of a Port Infrastructure Development Program grant, additional investments are being made for an expansion to the terminal. These expansion plans include additional silos for increased grain storage capacity, electrical service upgrades, and additional handling equipment.