An Indiana company that supplies road salt to Ohio is importing shipments from the northern Africa nation of Morocco because of the short supply and high prices.
Midwest Salt plans to bring in 171,000 tons through the port of Toledo.
“Typically, we’re purchasing from domestic producers as well, but this was the next-best option,” said Andrew Thiele, president of Midwest Salt, which is based in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Most of the salt that typically comes through the Toledo port is from mines in northeast Ohio or southern Ontario, not from overseas.
The Ohio Department of Transportation’s first shipment from Midwest arrived earlier this month.
At least four more ships have been booked, said Joe Cappel, director of cargo development at the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.
The state will provide a trucking service to get the salt to stockpiles as needed so that communities buying salt through the state will need only to pay for the salt itself, said Steve Faulkner, a spokesman for state transportation department.
“We’re saving local communities potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in transportation” he told The Blade.
Ohio used more than 1 million tons of salt on state roads last year – a nearly 60 percent increase over the average. The average price per ton was $35 a year ago. This year, it’s up to more than $100 per ton. A few counties received no bids from suppliers.
The state employs a complicated buying program that allows counties and communities to join in and receive bids from salt suppliers for their winter supply, although not all communities participate.
The prices, which are bid on by county, were higher than last year in the first round of bidding – between $36 a ton and $81 a ton, compared to the state average of $35 per ton last year. Some communities waited until the second round in hopes of getting a better price but prices went up, including one quote of $165 per ton.
