October was second busiest month on St. Lawrence Seaway

NEWS RELEASE –St. Lawrence Seaway shipping had its second busiest month of the season in October, fueled by increases in shipments of grain, salt and construction materials.

Overall cargo shipments via the St. Lawrence Seaway (from March 29 to October 31) totaled 30.5 million metric tons, up four per cent over the same period in 2017.

The increase in construction materials, like cement and clinker shipments which are up 20 per cent, can partly be attributed to cement moving into terminals in Ste. Catherine, Quebec and the Port of Oshawa.

Year-to-date, Canadian grain shipments reached 6.4 million metric tons, up 10 per cent compared to the same time period in 2017. An Australian drought is driving up global grain prices and leading to more demand for Canadian products.

“We’re anticipating that grain shipments will continue to dominate in the final two months of the season,” says Terence Bowles, President and CEO of The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation. “It’s also promising to see the demand for construction materials this time of year and salt recovering nicely.”

The Port of Thunder Bay grain terminals are well stocked and rail car loadings at the Port are holding steady.

“Adding to another large crop season, November and December bodes well to end on a strong note and we are expecting to start next year on a similar pace,” says Tim Heney, President and CEO of the Thunder Bay Port Authority. In October, the Port’s grain shipments totaled 737,000 metric tons, exceeding October 2017’s grain totals.

Salt shipments have significantly rebounded from earlier in the year due partly to international imports from Egypt and Morocco. North American salt was in short supply following a 12-week strike at the Goderich Mine in Canada that ended in July.

“Salt companies are filling any gaps in their quotas and contracts by importing salt on ocean-going vessels,” says Bowles. “It’s a good example of how the navigation system can quickly provide a reliable, competitive supply chain even when unforeseen circumstances arise.”

“At the Port of Johnstown, salt continues to trickle in as the major salt companies work to get the salt into position for the winter,” says Robert Dalley, General Manager of the Port of Johnstown.

The Port of Johnstown had a successful October with large shipments of soybeans and grain. The Port set a record for the most soybeans received in a single month at 116,000 metric tons. This brings their total for the 2018 harvest to just under 150,000 metric tons with expectations that shipments will surpass the 2016 season record of 200,000 metric tons of soybeans. The Port also saw 102,000 metric tons of grain shipped out of the Port, nearly doubling the total grain exported in comparison to last year at this time.

“Even with these impressive numbers we still see a backlog of soybeans in the system waiting for Lakers and Salties to move them out,” says Dalley. “We expect five vessels to arrive this month that will help with the storage capacity situation in Eastern Ontario. October was an extremely busy month and hat’s off to the staff at the Port for their tireless efforts in processing this tremendous amount of cargo.”

At the Port of Windsor, petroleum, salt and grain shipments this season are all tracking ahead of 2017’s strong volumes. Grain shipments from March to October 31 were up 12 per cent compared to the same period in 2017.

“It’s a strong year for the Port as we facilitate domestic, cross-border and international trade,” said Steve Salmons, President and CEO of the Windsor Port Authority. “Our international tonnage is up 73 per cent over last year. Trade tariffs in the U.S. have led to steel imports from Europe and Russia coming into the Port and a flurry of Canadian grain exports heading out to European markets. However, we have also seen a huge jump in the amount of aggregate being carried by U.S. ships from American quarries into Windsor; a 483 per cent increase from 2017.”

The cruise ship season at the Port of Toronto has wrapped up for the year. From May to October, 17 passenger ships made Toronto a port of call, bringing approximately 6,000 visitors to the city. This is an increase from the 2017 season, which welcomed 16 cruise ships. The Port of Toronto is expecting to double this total in 2019.

It has also been a busy season at the Port of Hamilton as the fall harvest makes its way from Ontario farms to grain terminals at the port.

“Grain volumes so far this year have reached 1.9 million metric tons; 96 per cent higher than the same period in 2017. The three grain terminals located at the Port of Hamilton, operated by G3 Canada Ltd., Richardson International and Parrish & Heimbecker, offer Ontario producers some of the industry’s fastest truck receiving times to deliver their product – part of an efficient Canadian supply chain that is globally competitive,” says Ian Hamilton, President & CEO, Hamilton Port Authority.

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Flickr – Download photos of Great Lakes-St. Lawrence shipping:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/marinecommerce/39879651892/in/album-72157657049769546/

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

jfields@cmc-ccm.com

(613) 294-8515