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Wikipedia / Port of Cleveland

The Port of Cleveland is a bulk freight and container shipping port at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River on Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is the third-largest port in the Great Lakes and the fourth-largest Great Lakes port by annual tonnage. Over 23,000 jobs and $7.07 billion in annual economic activity are tied to the roughly 13 million tons of cargo that move through Cleveland Harbor each year.

The Port of Cleveland is the only container port on the Great Lakes, with bi-weekly service between Cleveland and Antwerp on a service called the Cleveland-Europe Express.

In October 2025, Jeff Epstein took over as CEO. Epstein was previously Cleveland's chief of integrated development.

Cargo

The Port of Cleveland handles the bulk of raw material shipments for regional manufacturing, as well as exporting some local resources (salt mined from under Lake Erie, materials quarried locally, Ohio farm surpluses).

Primary Cargoes

  • Inbound: Steel, heavy machinery, iron ore, limestone, liquid/dry bulk items, and shipping containers

  • Outbound: Steel, iron ore, limestone, cement, salt, power generators, wind turbines, capital equipment, and heavy machinery

Overall Annual Tonnage

  • Generating $3.5 billion per year in trade.

  • Annual cargo handling averages between 11 million to 16 million tons

  • Dry Bulk (loose materials such as limestone, iron ore and grain): 12 million tons

  • Break Bulk (packaged materials): 500,000 tons

  • about 1,000 vessel visits,

Connections

Rail

Connections to: (2) Class I railroads:

and several regional/short-line railroads:

Truck

Port has truck access to four major Interstate highways:

as well as local bypasses/connectors:

and Ohio State Routes, such as:

Facilities

Eight international cargo berths and docks consist of of land alongside Lake Erie on the east side of the Cuyahoga River, while the Cleveland Bulk Terminal transshipment facility occupies just west of the river.

Geography

The Port of Cleveland spans across the Cleveland Harbor on Lake Erie and up the Cuyahoga River to the turning basin.

Maritime

Docks are maintained at a full Great Lakes seaway depth, which is .

Operators

Four terminal operators use port facilities:

Cleveland Bulk Terminal

Cleveland Bulk Terminal (CBT), located at 5500 Whiskey Island Drive, on Whiskey Island, is port-owned but operated by Carmeuse NA which handles iron ore transfers. The lakefront facility can accommodate vessels used to discharge and reload rail cars. The automated CBT iron ore loader system on Whiskey Island on the west side of the Cuyahoga River loads materials onto boats from the terminal and transfers materials at a rate of 5,200 tons per hour. Limited handling of materials greatly improves the quality of pellets delivered to the mill. The ore loader operation benefits three Cleveland companies:

  • Cleveland-Cliffs — supplier of iron ore pellets, uses iron ore pellets at its steel mills, and coke plants

  • Carmeuse NA — CBT operator and materials transporter

Terminals

These facilities are:

  • Nine berths and docks in either open dock or two-berth facilities

  • Capacity for lifting up to 150 net tons

  • Direct rail access and warehousing ability

  • Over of linear dock space,

  • of warehouse space and

  • of open storage for general cargo operations.

Foreign Trade Zones

Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, Grantee #40, operates-owns several General Purpose Zone Foreign Trade Zoness in Cuyahoga County, Ashtabula County and Lorain County.

Port of Cleveland

Port of Cleveland complex located on Lake Erie at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River includes five general cargo facilities operated by port-approved stevedoring contractors.

Tow Path Valley Business Park

Tow Path Valley Business Park is located on both sides of the east and west bank of the Cuyahoga River bordered by Jennings Road on the south, Upper Campbell Road on the east, I-490/I-77/Dille Road on the north and West 14th Street to the west.

See also

Notes

References

Other sources