Seaway shipments of iron ore up, coal down in August

August saw total cargo shipped on the St. Lawrence Seaway system up by 13.26 per cent as compared to the same time last year.

The biggest increases, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. reported, came in iron ore and general cargo shipments. Iron ore shipments were up 53.85 per cent as compared to last year, while general cargo shipments were up 40.37 per cent.

Coal shipments saw the biggest drop in August as compared to last year, down 24.49 per cent. Grain and liquid bulk shipments were also down slightly.

The seaway corporation said more vessels transited the system, which stretches from the mouth of the St. Lawrence River to the west end of Lake Superior, including the Welland Canal in Niagara.

It also reported total cargo tonnage from March 20 to Aug. 31 reached 19.9 million tonnes — 2.3 million tonnes more compared to the same period in 2016.

“Our bread and butter cargoes remain raw materials such as iron ore, grain, and road salt that keep North American factories running, feed cities and ensure that our highways are safe,” said corporation president and CEO Terence Bowles, in a release from the Chamber of Marine Commerce.

“As well, the Great Lakes– Seaway system continues to make significant inroads at attracting high-value general cargo such as specialty steel, machinery and oversized project cargo,”

The release said ports across the Great Lakes are making infrastructure investments and marketing efforts that are paying off with a more diversified cargo mix.

Following a major $35-million dock expansion and rehabilitation project, eastern Ontario’s port of Johnstown received shipments of wind-energy related project cargo destined for Kingston this autumn as well as two ships loaded with steel beams for regional construction projects. Another ship is expected in November.

“The rehabilitation project upgraded facilities for our existing grain and salt customers but it also gave us acres of lay down space that we needed to be able to accommodate new breakbulk and project cargo business,” said Robert Dalley, general manager of the port of Johnstown, in the release.

“We now have all the pieces in place to go after new business and we’re getting results.”

The port of Algoma, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., attracted 161,000 tonnes of cargo of third-party cargo so far this season to diversify beyond its anchor customer, Algoma Steel.

The release said that cargo includes steel billets from South America destined for a local manufacturer servicing the oil and gas sector. And for the first time in many years, road salt mined in southern Ontario is being shipped by water to the port, where it is then being trucked to Northern Ontario communities and over to the U.S.

“This salt was being trucked all the way to Sault Ste. Marie. Now, it’s on the water for the long haul and by truck for the last mile. This is a much more cost-efficient and environmentally smart way to move this cargo. It relieves congestion on Ontario highways and reduces carbon emissions,” said Anshumali Dwivedi, CEO of the port of Algoma.

The port of Thunder Bay has also reported a strong year for its general cargo docks, including welcoming a ship from Poland carrying a hotel broken into prefabricated modular pieces. The hotel project adds to the list of Calgary-bound shipments.

Laurie Ritter, from Polcom USA, the logistics company that organized the hotel transport, said Thunder Bay provides “a cost-effective water arrival option to Central and Western Canada without compromising security and inland resources.”