October was a busy month on Seaway
Grain, coal and liquid bulk shipments on the St. Lawrence Seaway combined to make October the second busiest of the 2018 shipping season.
Figures released by the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. show from March to October of this year some 30.5 million metric tons of cargo moved through the 3,700-kilometre-long system.
That’s an increase of 3.99 per cent as compared to last year during the same time period.
Grain shipments sat at 8.3 million metric tons by the end of October, up 16.30 per cent over last year.
A release from the Chamber of Marine Commerce said an Australian drought is driving up global grain prices and leading to more demand for Canadian products.
“We’re anticipating that grain shipments will continue to dominate in the final two months of the season,” said Terence
Bowles, the Seaway’s president and chief executive officer, in the same the release
Salt shipments have significantly rebounded from earlier in the year due partly to international imports from Egypt and Morocco. North American salt was in short supply following a 12-week strike at the Goderich Mine in Canada that ended in July.
“Salt companies are filling any gaps in their quotas and contracts by importing salt on oceangoing vessels. It’s a good example of how the navigation system can quickly provide a reliable, competitive supply chain even when unforeseen circumstances arise,” said Bowles.
While grain shipments and salt were up, the biggest change was in liquid bulk moved through the seaway.
It saw an 18.8 per cent increase over last year, with 3.689 million metric tons moved.
Up too were coal shipments at 17.08 per cent, some 2.025 million metric tons.
Taking the biggest hit was iron ore shipments with a decrease of 10.83 per cent by the end of October. Also down was general cargo shipments with a drop of 7.04 per cent.
The seaway saw more vessels move through the same time period with a total of 3,375 transits, an increase of 5.21 per cent.
In addition to releasing the October traffic results, the Seaway announced the annual closing of the Welland Canal section.
Vessels can move through the system up to Christmas Day and any that need to transit after midnight on December 26 can only do so by prior written agreement.
All vessels, the Seaway said, must be clear of the Welland Canal by noon on December 31.
The Seaway notice said mariners are reminded that there is always a possibility that severe climatic conditions may occur during the closing period, and the dates for closing may change.