About

Over 140 million tons of cargo are moved each year on the Great Lakes. In fact, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says that Great Lakes commercial maritime saves the American economy over $3.9 billion in transportation costs over moving the same cargo by rail or road. A Great Lakes ship is 59 percent more fuel-efficient than rail and 773 percent more efficient than trucks and has a carbon footprint 10 times smaller than trucks and three times smaller than trains.

The Great Lakes Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) was founded in 1992 to promote waterborne commerce and related industries on the Great Lakes. We represent a broad spectrum of the women and men of Great Lakes commercial maritime. Vessel owners, cargo shippers, shipboard and shoreside labor, port authorities, shipyards, marine construction companies, and a host of other interests have united under the GLMTF banner to ensure that Great Lakes shipping remains a foundation of American industry, agriculture, and infrastructure.