May 19, 2023
According to the Chamber of Marine Commerce the first tonnage statistics for the 65th navigation season on the St. Lawrence Seaway indicate an overall start that is in line to prior year's traffic at this point in the season.
One particularly bright spot was grain being shipped from Western Canada, which recorded a total of nearly 1 million tonne of traffic for the period.
In addition to the strong start for Canadian grain, both cement and steel slab traffic were up, with steel slabs being up 109.77% year over year (40 thousand total tonnes), and cement being up 11.79% year over year (231 thousand total tonnes).
From mid-March to the end of April 3.4 million tonnes of total traffic traversed the seaway down slightly from the 3.9 million tonnes of traffic recorded for the same period last year, and with significant variation across commodities.
"Through careful planning, investment, and responsiveness to the needs of shippers and ship owners, we do our part to move goods efficiently, safely, and in an environmentally sustainable manner. While ongoing fluctuations in commodities can be expected, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence shipping corridor, a dependable green corridor, is well positioned to ensure shippers maximize opportunities presented in 2023," said Terence Bowles, President and CEO of The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC).
Source: Chamber of Marine Commerce