Grain movement helped power an increase in early season cargo traffic through the St. Lawrence Seaway.
According to the Chamber of Marine Commerce (CMC), the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. is reporting that total cargo transiting the seaway through the end of April amounted to 4.5 million tonnes, up 3.7% from a year earlier. Grain and potash had a particularly strong start to the year, with more than 1.5 million tonnes of grain moving, an increase of nearly 23% on the year. Meanwhile, 155,000 tonnes of potash moved through the seaway, up a hefty 43% from last year.
“These numbers illustrate how Canadian grain and potash producers have been stepping up to meet increased global demand for more than two years in response to changing global dynamics that include the ongoing conflict in Ukraine,” CMC said in a release Tuesday.
The Port of Thunder Bay in northern Ontario has played a huge role in the successful movement Canadian grain, the CMC release said. The port provides access to European markets for Western Canadian grain producers through the longest grain supply chain in the world. The port has engaged in a continuous evolution of its infrastructure over the past 20 years, which has included tens of millions in capital infrastructure investments that have modernized cargo handling assets, and focused on management of heavy, oversized, and project cargo.
