October 27, 2022
The Chamber of Marine Commerce reports that September proved to be a strong month for shipping on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system, moving total cargo tonnage closer to 2021 levels.
September shipments reached nearly 4.2 million tons, bringing the year-to-date shipping total to 23.4 million tons. September tonnage helped to narrow the year-to-date gap from 8.9% through August to 5.6% through September.
"The strong September tonnage is a good sign and a reflection of what we have been hoping for in recent months," said Terence Bowles, President and CEO of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation. "There was a nice jump in Canadian grain shipments, and we are seeing the grain pipeline start to fill up. We look for the grain tonnage to continue to be strong in the coming months."
Canadian grain shipments reached 840,000 tons in September, but remains about 20% below the year-to-date total from last year. While Canadian grain remains down, potash (+262%), other general cargo (+181%), petroleum products (+43%) and U.S. grain (+41%) have shown nice gains over 2021.
The Seaway has also seen shipments of several wind projects, with turbines produced in Germany, Spain, Vietnam and China transported through the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system.
Source: Chamber of Marine Commerce