Seaway shipments up in 2017
Iron ore and general cargo were the big movers on the St. Lawrence Seaway in 2017, contributing to an overall increase of nearly nine per cent in goods shipped compared to the previous year, says St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp.
In a release, the seaway authority said 38 million tonnes of cargo moved through the 3,700-kilometre-long system that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the western end of Lake Superior.
“Without a doubt, 2017 was a good business year, and we successfully wrapped up the season thanks to the skill and dedication of our employees. Collectively, we got the job done,” said seaway CEO Terence Bowles in the release.
While more general cargo, up 30.36 per cent, and iron ore, up 28.97 per cent, moved through the seaway’s 15 locks — 13 Canadian and two American — grain was down 10.62 per cent in 2017 as compared to 2016.
Dry bulk shipments, things such as potash, road salt and stone, saw the third highest increase in 2017, with nearly 10.5 million tonnes moved as compared to nearly 8.9 million tonnes in 2016. Coal shipments saw a slight increase in 2017, up 0.40 per cent, while liquid bulk shipments were up 2.85 per cent.
Since its opening in 1959, more than 2.9 billion tonnes of cargo valued at more than $450 billion has moved through the seaway system.
“The final tonnage results reflect solid gains over 2016, particularly with respect to iron ore shipments and we were pleased to see the strong finish for the year,” said Craig H. Middlebrook, deputy administrator of Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corp., which operates the American side of the seaway,
The 2017 season, which actually wrapped up on Jan. 11, saw 4,119 vessels move through the system, up 345 from 2016.
Seaway spokesman Andrew Bogora said it was the latest closing of the seaway on record. It was set to close on Dec. 31, with vessels to be clear of both the Welland Canal and the locks near Montreal. The reason for the late ending was due to heavy ice conditions on the lower part of the seaway, between Kingston and Montreal, created by a cold snap in the final two weeks of the 2017 navigation season.
In addition to the ice causing the seaway authorities to push back the closing date, the grounding of the ocean-going vessel Pacific Huron, near Wellesley Island, N.Y., added to the delay as it had to be freed before the closure. The ice conditions saw Montreal-based Fednav’s Federal Biscay get stuck in the inside the Snell Lock, at Massena, N.Y. on New Year’s Day, trapping four ocean-going vessels — Pacific Huron, Mitiq,
Beatrix and Billesborg — behind it, and further delaying the closing of the St. Lawrence Seaway on both sides of the border.
Fednav, private contractors, and Canadian and American seaway employees work to eventually free the Federal Biscay on Jan. 6. It was the last vessel to clear the seaway, passing through the St. Lambert Lock on Jan. 11.
“I am very proud of the professionalism, dedication and sheer grit that seaway employees put forward to successfully wrap up the navigation season. In the face of weather conditions that swung from one extreme to the next, our teams overcame many challenges and all of the ships safely exited the waterway,” said Bowles.