The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership today launched the third installment of American Anchor, a series of short films highlighting resilient transportation supply chains and illustrating the global and regional economic impacts of Great Lakes Seaway shipping.

The third American Anchor short film tells the tale of the supply chain for the third largest source of electricity in the U.S. – wind energy. The story for this sustainable energy source begins at manufacturing facilities across the world where these gigantic wind turbines are built. Some of the largest turbines can be found on towers 787 feet tall with blades more than 531 feet long.

Because of their size, the movement of wind energy components is only made possible by the greenest mode of commercial transportation, shipping. Ocean-going vessels carry these giant cargoes from around the world into the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system to be unloaded and stored. Today, more than 65,000 wind turbines across the United States are generating clean, reliable power. Without Great Lakes Seaway shipping the jobs and clean energy produced by this industry would not be possible.

“American Great Lakes ports serve as hubs for freight in the Great Lakes Seaway system,” said Steve Fisher, Executive Director of the American Great Lakes Ports Association and Managing Director of The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership. “Great Lakes Seaway shipping empowers a resilient supply chain to move these large wind turbines, ultimately arriving in ports across the Great Lakes to be unloaded and stored. American Anchor represents the idea that we are all participants in the supply chain ranging from shippers to manufacturers and ports to end-users - each plays a critical role in lifting up one another and building a future of prosperity for all.”

Each year, waterborne transportation in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region is responsible for supporting over 237,000 jobs and $35 billion in economic activity by moving necessary cargos that support the agriculture, construction, automotive and energy industries.

The American Anchor series artfully captures the impact of Great Lakes shipping, the St. Lawrence Seaway, Great Lakes ports, foreign and domestic vessels, farmers, manufacturers, labor, and the relationship of each to their local and global communities.

American Anchor is now available to watch online. Join the conversation through The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership’s social channels on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system serves a dynamic economic region that includes eightU.S. states and two Canadian provinces. If the region were a country, it would have the 3^rd largest economy in the world with a GDP of $5.5 trillion – larger than that of Japan, Germany, Brazil, or the United Kingdom. The region is home to 107 million people and accounts for almost 40 percent of the total cross-border trade between the U.S. and Canada.

Great Lakes-Seaway shipping is a foundation of this vibrant economy. More than 160 million metric tons of commercial cargo are transported on the waterway each year, providing low-cost and efficient transportation for the region’s manufacturing, mining, agriculture, and energy sectors. Great Lakes- Seaway shipping lifts American and Canadian economies on an annual basis by supporting:

• 237,868 jobs
• $35 billion in economic activit
• $14.2 billion in personal income and local consumption expenditures
• $6.6 billion in federal, state/provincial, and local tax revenue

About the Great Lakes Seaway Partnership

The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership is a coalition of leading US and Canadian maritime organizations working to enhance public understanding of the benefits of commercial shipping in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway region of North America. The organization manages an education-focused communications program, sponsors research and works closely with media, policy makers, community groups, allied industries, environmental stakeholders, and the general public to highlight the positive attributes of marine transportation.

For more information, please visit www.greatlakesseaway.org.

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