Courtesy Photo The SS Alpena comes to shore to receive a shipment of cement from Holcim, the Alpena-based cement manufacturer.

ALPENA — Great Lakes shipping took off for the spring season as Holcim, the Alpena-based cement manufacturer, loaded its first bulk shipment of the year on Thursday.

According to Jeff Scott, Holcim plant manager, the cement company sent off 10,000 tons of cement aboard the SS Alpena, one of three ships Holcim owns. The load will go to the company’s branch in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

“We usually have about 40 to 50 vessel loads every year, per vessel,” Scott said. “So that’s about 120 to 150 loads per year, and they ship out about 2 million tons of cement.”

Scott said 2.4 million tons of cement is manufactured at the Alpena plant.

While 2 million tons of cement is shipped by water, 400,000 tons will be shipped either through trucking to local stores or through Holcim’s three different rail systems it utilizes to get to other company facilities.

Scott said using large vessels to ship most of the manufacturer’s cement is the most effective way to transport the bulk supply and that about 98% of its product is bought in bulk.

“For the last 115 years, we’ve helped build large systems and infrastructures for major cities across the Midwest region of the United States,” Scott said. “Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, Green Bay, our cement is in each of these cities, making the buildings people use today.”