MUSKEGON, MI - The St. Lawrence Seaway opened Monday, March 21 kicking off a pivotal shipping season for the Port of Muskegon.

"I think there is a lot of excitement on the water this year, maybe even more than normal," said Muskegon County Commissioner Terry Sabo. "It's the beginning of a new era."

West Michigan's Port of Muskegon faces a landmark year for better or worse in 2016. The B.C. Cobb power plant is scheduled to close, and the port is no longer receiving shipments of coal that historically accounted for roughly half of the shipping tonnage received each year.

The total tonnage of freight moved is one factor the Army Corps of Engineers considers when deciding which ports and harbors to dredge and do maintenance work on. Harbors handling more than 1 million tons annually are classified as a high-use commercial harbors.

But Ben Cross, chairman of Muskegon County's Port Advisory Committee said that last year the Port came close to meeting the mark by shipping large amounts of raw materials, like loose stone or road salt, to the Verplank and Lafarge docks.

"They were just under a million tons," Cross said. "Nothing is certain, but as the numbers are looking right now, I think we'll exceed that million-ton threshold."

U.S. and Canadian seaway corporations announced the opening March 21, with Canada Steamship Lines' Thunder Bay traveling through Welland Canal which connects Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The ship, carrying a load of road salt, will be replenishing stocks depleted by ice storms which repeatedly struck Eastern Canada over the winter.

"We certainly welcome the warmer weather. A return to an opening in the third week of March provides our clients with the opportunity to move cargo in a timely manner, and make the most of the navigation season," said Terence Bowles, President and CEO of The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation.

Some West Michigan officials also see the Port of Muskegon as a potential boost to regional economy, if local industries start to ship other products, and more of them.

"Bulk Cargo has always been the bread and the butter of the seaway system," said Betty Sutton, Administrator of the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.

Some pilot projects are making the shipping of high-value products more feasible. The Port of Cleveland two years ago started a liner cargo service to Europe that has expanded from making runs once a month to three times a month.

"Since its inception, I think it went up 400 percent," Sutton said, although she's quick to add that the project is in its early stages. "There are perhaps chances for other ports to see if they might be able to engage in moving containers as well."

In Muskegon, an entrepreneur and logistics professional have said they're planning to start a shipping service on the Great Lakes starting this season that could handle shipping containers as well bulk raw materials - a project Cross said he's following closely.

"There's a lot of potential there (in Muskegon)," said Sutton, who visited Muskegon last year. "You have the docks to handle the really, really big ships."

Muskegon Lake sees a lot of use by recreational, smaller boats, too - Cross has called it a "mixed-use" port because the fishing, motorboats and sailboats that frequent the waters play a role in the local tourism industry, as well as local recreation.

And there's a third type of boats that he's hoping to see more of in 2016: cruise ships. The Port of Muskegon was a stop for a cruise ship last year, and for next year, it's currently listed alongside Holland, Mich. as a port of call for the Pearl Mist, owned by Pearl Seas Cruises.

The Pearl Mist could dock at the Mart Dock, as it did last year, but Muskegon County is currently working on a plan to improve a dock at Heritage Landing, a green event space owned by the county in Downtown Muskegon.

"It gives us an opportunity to show off what we have in Muskegon," Sabo said.

Sutton said the cruise activity is also growing."There does seem to be an uptick and it's something we support," she said. "We talk to the cruise lines to encourage them to bring their business to the Great Lakes ... outreach has made a difference."

Stephen Kloosterman is a reporter for MLive. Email him at sklooste@mlive.com or follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+

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