News

DULUTH, Minn. — Following a national search, the Duluth Seaway Port Authority Board of Commissioners named Kevin Beardsley to succeed Deb DeLuca as executive director of the Port Authority. His appointment will begin June 3, 2025, one day after DeLuca’s retirement. The Port Authority’s chief financial officer since 2014, Beardsley holds Port Professional Manager certification… Read more »

M/V Federal Nagara arrived under Duluth’s Aerial Lift Bridge at 6:05 a.m. on April 21, becoming the first oceangoing vessel to complete a full transit of the St. Lawrence Seaway and reach the Port of Duluth-Superior during the 2025 navigation season. Along with earning First Ship honors, the Fednav vessel also distinguished herself as the… Read more »

DULUTH, Minn. — During its annual meeting held March 26, the Duluth Seaway Port Authority Board of Commissioners elected officers for the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2025. The board elected Patrick Boyle to serve as president, succeeding Yvonne Solon, who remains a board member and will serve as secretary. Other 2025 officer appointments included… Read more »

DULUTH, Minn. — The Woman Today and the Duluth News Tribune recognized Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, with the 2025 Rosie Leadership Award at a ceremony last night celebrating the 8th Annual Rosie Awards. Presented annually to a woman who demonstrates outstanding leadership by challenging, motivating and inspiring others in… Read more »

DULUTH, Minn. — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz recently appointed Ida Rukavina to the Duluth Seaway Port Authority Board of Commissioners. Rukavina succeeds Commissioner Tony Sertich, who served a pair of six-year terms on the board, beginning with his appointment by then-Governor Mark Dayton in 2013. Rukavina’s six-year term is set to expire in January 2031.… Read more »

DULUTH, Minn. — Total waterborne tonnage through the Port of Duluth-Superior declined 6.8 percent compared to the 2023 season, finishing the 2024 navigation season at 29.6 million short tons. Diminished iron ore shipments drove the decline, as taconite totals fell from a 28-season high in 2023 to 19.4 million tons in 2024. While still exceeding… Read more »

DULUTH, Minn. — Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority since 2018, announced today her plan to retire on May 15, 2025. “This role has been the highlight of my career,” said DeLuca, who first joined the Port Authority as its government and environmental affairs director in 2014. “It has been an… Read more »

DULUTH, Minn. — The Marshall Islands-flagged Federal Biscay sailed this evening as the Port of Duluth-Superior’s last oceangoing departure of the 2024 navigation season. Carrying durum wheat destined for North Africa, the vessel will now navigate below-average ice coverage across the Great Lakes, exiting the St. Lawrence Seaway System prior to the Montreal-Lake Ontario section’s… Read more »

DULUTH, Minn. — The Duluth City Council recently appointed Jerome Johnson and Brian Murphy to the Duluth Seaway Port Authority Board of Commissioners. Johnson succeeds Commissioner Tyrone Walker, who resigned upon relocating with his family to New Jersey, and Murphy succeeds Commissioner Rick Revoir, who concluded 14 years of service on the Port Authority Board… Read more »

DULUTH, Minn. — Duluth Seaway Port Authority Chief Financial Officer Kevin Beardsley recently earned Port Professional Manager (PPM) certification from the American Association of Port Authorities, graduating Oct. 30 with a nine-person cohort at the 2024 AAPA Annual Convention in Boston. Beardsley’s collaborative capstone project explored best practices in capital investment strategy development for mid-sized… Read more »