Seaway season opens with traffic boost
The St. Lawrence Seaway opened this spring with volume up 3.7 percent in the first two months of the season compared with the same months last year, the Journal of Commerce reported.
Cargo shipments since the season opened March 22 to May 31 totaled 7.6 million metric tons transported, compared to just under 7.4 million in the same period last year, St. Lawrence Seaway Management reported Tuesday.
Iron ore traffic declined 39 percent to 1.6 million metric tons, mainly due to the continued idling of the U.S. Steel plant in Hamilton, Ontario.
But salt, coal and petroleum products rose 31 percent with total grain shipments equaling 1.8 million tons on both U.S. and Canadian increased exports. U.S. shipments were especially strong because of diversions from flooding on the Mississippi River.
Vessel transits rose 10 percent year-over-year for the same period. Wayne Smith, vice-president of the Algoma Central shipping line, said increased traffic caused Algoma to call in an additional four ships than originally planned.
Montreal-based Fednav Group, Seaway’s largest ocean-going customer, is spending C$100 million (US$102 million) on three new vessels to bring steel, minerals and fertilizers in to Great Lakes ports and to take grains out. The Port of Hamilton, located in Ontario, welcomed the first of the vessels, Federal Yukina, last week.
Cargo shipments since the season opened March 22 to May 31 totaled 7.6 million metric tons transported, compared to just under 7.4 million in the same period last year, St. Lawrence Seaway Management reported Tuesday.
Iron ore traffic declined 39 percent to 1.6 million metric tons, mainly due to the continued idling of the U.S. Steel plant in Hamilton, Ontario.
But salt, coal and petroleum products rose 31 percent with total grain shipments equaling 1.8 million tons on both U.S. and Canadian increased exports. U.S. shipments were especially strong because of diversions from flooding on the Mississippi River.
Vessel transits rose 10 percent year-over-year for the same period. Wayne Smith, vice-president of the Algoma Central shipping line, said increased traffic caused Algoma to call in an additional four ships than originally planned.
Montreal-based Fednav Group, Seaway’s largest ocean-going customer, is spending C$100 million (US$102 million) on three new vessels to bring steel, minerals and fertilizers in to Great Lakes ports and to take grains out. The Port of Hamilton, located in Ontario, welcomed the first of the vessels, Federal Yukina, last week.
