Buoyed by strong exports of U.S. petcoke and grain, overall cargo shipments via the St. Lawrence Seaway reached 3.8 million metric tons in July.

Total cargo shipments for the season hit 15.7 million metric tons through July, down 7.65% compared to the same time period in 2021.

Year-to-date shipments of petcoke, which is being used for cement production in Europe, reached more than 1 million metric tons at the end of July, an increase of 46% over last year. Meanwhile, U.S. grain shipments via the Great Lakes-Seaway system totaled 511,000 metric tons from March 22 through July 31, an increase of 37% over the same timeframe in 2021. Much of the increase can be attributed to exports of corn and soybeans.

Bruce Burrows, President & CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce says U.S. grain continues to be sent to Europe and North Africa due, in part, to the disruption of trade patterns caused by the Ukraine-Russia war.

“International and cross-border trade has been a major driver of U.S. Great Lakes-Seaway port volumes during the first half of the shipping season,” Burrows said. “With the new harvests coming through soon, we expect U.S. grain exports through the St. Lawrence Seaway to remain strong as we head into the autumn.”