NEWS RELEASE
Immediate Release
Ottawa, Ontario – Overall cargo shipments on the St. Lawrence Seaway between March 29 and July 31 totaled 16.5 million metric tons, bolstered by grain exports and Great Lakes construction activity.
“After a late start, Seaway cargo shipments have been gaining ground all season and are now in line with last year’s robust performance. Canadian grain exports to Europe continue to climb due to a large carryover from 2017. With a strong 2018 harvest expected, this momentum should continue in the autumn,” said Terence Bowles, President and CEO of The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation.
Year-to-date grain shipments via the Seaway (including U.S. and Canadian grain) totaled 4.2 million metric tons, up 7.5 per cent compared to the same period in 2017. Canadian grain shipments, which represent 3.3 million metric tons of the volume, were up 3 per cent while U.S. grain was up nearly 32 per cent.
Prairie grain elevators have been busy the past several weeks at the Port of Thunder Bay. For only the second time in 20 years, July grain volumes surpassed 800,000 metric tons. The surge brings the grain tally at the port in line with the previous season and four per cent greater than the five-year average.
Tim Heney, President and CEO of Thunder Bay Port Authority, said: “We are optimistic for another strong fall season of grain movement in Thunder Bay. Carryover on the Prairies is higher than normal for this time of year, particularly in Saskatchewan where the majority of Seaway grain comes from. Recent grain deliveries by CN and CP are trending well ahead of last year.”
It also continues to be an excellent year for grain at the Port of Hamilton. Close to a million metric tons has been shipped this season, with almost 60 per cent of that being overseas exports of Ontario-grown corn.
Year-to-date coal shipments are also an area of strength on the St. Lawrence Seaway, totaling 1.2 million metric tons, up 33 per cent over the same period last year. Year-to-date liquid bulk shipments via the Seaway, which include petroleum and asphalt products among others, totaled 2.3 million metric tons – up 25 per cent. Dry bulk shipments are down 9 per cent, due to a decrease in salt shipments. But within the dry bulk category, stone shipments were up 27 per cent and cement shipments were up 26 per cent.
These trends were reflected at the Port of Hamilton. As of the end of July, steelmaking inputs coal and coke continue to trend about 40 per cent higher at the port than the same period in 2017, while iron ore has been stable so far year over year. More than 187,000 metric tons of products such as gasoline and diesel has transited the port so far this season, 56 per cent more than in the same period in 2017.
Overall, the port’s tonnage to the end of July exceeded 4.7 million metric tons, 20 per cent higher than YTD 2017.
Ian Hamilton, President and CEO at the Hamilton Port Authority, said: “The commodities transiting the port’s piers showcase the role of marine transportation in a number of key southern Ontario industries, such as steel-making and other advanced manufacturing, agriculture, construction, and petrochemicals.”
According to a new study released in July, cargo shipments to ports on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River waterway generate CDN$60 billion worth of economic activity and 328,500 jobs in Canada and the U.S. That breaks down to 181,000 jobs and CDN$26 billion in economic activity in Ontario and Quebec. The results include cargo carried on the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Seaway and Lower St. Lawrence River.
View the full study at www.marinedelivers.com and our Infographic on the results:
Flickr – Download photos of Great Lakes-St. Lawrence shipping:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/marinecommerce/albums/72157657049769546/with/39879651892/
About the Chamber of Marine Commerce
The Chamber of Marine Commerce is a bi-national association that represents more than 130 marine industry stakeholders including major Canadian and American shippers, ports, terminals and marine service providers, as well as domestic and international ship owners. The Chamber advocates for safe, sustainable, harmonized and competitive policy and regulation that recognizes the marine transportation system’s significant advantages in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence, Coastal and Arctic regions.
Media Contact:
Julia Fields
Chamber of Marine Commerce
613-294-8515
The Chamber of Marine Commerce (CMC) is a bi-national association that represents diverse marine industry stakeholders including major Canadian and American shippers, ports, terminals and marine service providers, as well as Canadian domestic and international ship owners. The Chamber advocates for safe, sustainable, harmonized and competitive policy and regulation that recognizes the marine transportation system's significant advantages in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence, Coastal and Arctic regions.
Media Contact:
Jason Card
Chamber of Marine Commerce
jcard@cmc-ccm.com
(613) 447 5401