Last year, the overall tonnage that passed through Port Milwaukee was 2,355,343. That’s up 3.6% from the total tonnage amount of 2,272,972 in 2022 and up 0.3% from 2,348,419 in 2021.

The number of vessels that passed through Port Milwaukee in 2023 also saw a sizable increase. The port welcomed 542 vessels in 2023, up 51.2% compared to 358 in 2022. Broken down, those 406 vessels included 406 barges, 73 American/Canadian lake freighters, 33 foreign ships and 30 cruise ships.

Port Milwaukee’s net income in 2023 was $504,188, down from $1.1 million in 2022.

“Operational change was driven by projects on Jones Island. Construction of the Agricultural Maritime Export Facility and relocation of a combined sewer outflow, in preparation for the construction of a new dredged material management facility, physically changed Port operations,” said Jackie Carter, director of Port Milwaukee, in the annual report. “Challenged by detours, temporary closures and the need for increased coordination, tenants, customers and Port partners worked together to adjust and keep business moving.”

Last July marked the grand opening of Port Milwaukee’s $40 million agricultural maritime export facility, built in partnership with Clinton-based The DeLong Co., Inc. The facility is expected to have a $60 million annual impact on the state’s economy.

“The DeLong facility gives Wisconsin and regional farmers direct access to markets around the world,” reads the report. “The first shipments transported animal feed, dried distillers grains with solubles and soybean meal via international vessels for export to Europe by way of the St. Lawrence Seaway.”

The 2023 passenger cruise season brought 11,502 passengers to the city, which was down 18.3% from 13,611 in 2022. A total of 30 cruise ship stops occurred at Port Milwaukee in 2023, down 10% from 33 in 2022. However, the number of unique cruise vessels that visited Milwaukee climbed to nine, the highest in any season, up from 8 in 2022. Milwaukee ended the cruise season with the departure of the French-flagged Le Dumont-d’Urville in October.

Looking ahead at Port Milwaukee, plans are underway for a phase two expansion project at the DeLong terminal. Thanks to a $9.2 million federal grant, Port Milwaukee will build two new grain silos, make electrical service upgrades, and buy additional grain and cargo handling equipment. These upgrades will expand Port Milwaukee’s capacity for staging ingoing and outgoing grains by over 1.3 million bushels.