St. Lawrence Seaway had a busy season
Despite a challenging year, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. closed out the 2021 navigation season with more than 38 million tonnes of cargo shipped through the 3,700-kilometre-long Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system.
Final figures from the corporation showed 38,136,000 tonnes moved through the system, a nearly one per cent increase over 2020’s final number of 37,762,000 tonnes.
“Despite the many challenges experienced by the transportation industry this past year, the seaway was able to maintain its operations and its position as a reliable commercial transportation corridor, ensuring consistent and predictable service for its customers and supporting the Canadian and U.S. economies during this difficult period,” said seaway president and chief executive officer Terence Bowles, in a release.
Craig H. Middlebrook, U.S. Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. deputy administrator, said the seaway’s performance highlighted its continued resiliency as a maritime supply chain.
“The seaway handled an increase in cargo tonnage over the navigation season, and did so safely, reliably, sustainably and in an environmentally sensitive manner.”
Iron ore, steel slabs and other steel products contributed to more than 10.5 million tonnes of 2021’s overall cargo total, the release said, driven by demand from the automotive and construction industries.
The seaway connects the world with North America. Cargo was traded with more than 50 countries, which could be seen in Niagara through ocean-going vessels headed upbound on the Welland Canal — from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie — to ports across Canada and the U.S.
General cargo was the biggest mover, at 3.9 million tonnes, up 1.6 million tonnes from 2020. A nearly 73 per cent increase. Petroleum products and other essential chemical products were up nearly five per cent over 2020 figures, a start to a return to more normal levels.
With the 2021 season over, the seaway is investing close to $70 million in maintenance and repair work.
In Niagara, bridges at Lakeshore Road, Queenston Street and Glendale Avenue are being repaired over the winter. The seaway said it will have invested $30 million in the Welland Canal’s infrastructure from April 2021 to March 2022.
With the canal closed until at least mid-March, repair work is being carried out on vessels docked in Port Colborne, including ships from Algoma Central Corp., Canada Steamship Lines and Lower Lakes Towing Ltd.