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St. Lawrence Seaway shipping up 4 percent: Grain leads the way

Posted 9/18/18

As the fall harvest approaches for many farmers in the Midwest, grain shipments continue to be strong on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System. According to the latest figures from the Chamber …

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St. Lawrence Seaway shipping up 4 percent: Grain leads the way

Posted

As the fall harvest approaches for many farmers in the Midwest, grain shipments continue to be strong on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System.

According to the latest figures from the Chamber of Marine Commerce, grain shipments via the St. Lawrence Seaway from March 29 to Aug. 31 topped one million metric tons, up 31 percent over the same period last year. The majority of U.S. exports originated from the Port of Toledo and were carry-over from the 2017 grain season.

The grain rush has helped boost overall cargo shipments on the St. Lawrence Seaway for the season to 21.4 million metric tons, a four percent increase over this time last year. Liquid bulk shipments at 2.8 million metric tons are also up 33 percent, with coal at 1.5 million metric tons, up 30 percent. Dry bulk shipments reached 5.5 million metric tons, down four percent.

“Total cargo shipments through the St. Lawrence Seaway are now ahead of last year’s very strong shipping season,” says Bruce Burrows, president of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. “We anticipate this momentum to continue into fall as the new harvests head to market and other commodities benefit from the strength of the American economy.”

Grain and coal shipments to the Port of Toledo in August helped move total tonnage for 2018 ahead of 2017. Grain shipments are up 80 percent over 2017 due to increasing global demand for soybeans. Increased volumes are also moving through the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway as an alternative to the U.S. Gulf, where grain export facilities are reaching capacity.

“With a steady stream of inbound ocean-going traffic, there is significant capacity for backhaul opportunities of grain through the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System this year,” said Joe Cappel, vice president of business development for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. “Shippers are taking advantage of our inland waterway system to access global markets with inbound and outbound cargo and, as a result, our saltwater traffic has doubled this year mainly due to outbound grain shipments.”

According to a new study released this summer, cargo shipments to ports on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River waterway support 147,500 jobs and generate U.S.$25.6 billion in economic activity in the eight Great Lakes states.