St. Lawrence Seaway shipments drop 12% YTD

A total of 22 million metric tons of cargo have been shipped through the St. Lawrence Seaway between its opening April 2 and Sept. 30, a year-over-year drop of 12 percent.    The St. Lawrence Seaway reported a total of 22 million metric tons of cargo have been shipped through the seaway between when it opened April 2 and Sept. 30, a year-over-year drop of 12 percent.
   Iron ore shipments and coal shipments between April 2 and Sept. 30 were down 15 percent and 40 percent, respectively, compared to the same period in 2014.
   In addition, liquid bulk shipments fell 11 percent in comparison to the same period last year.
   On the flip side, 6.5 million metric tons of dry bulk shipments, including road salt from mines and construction materials, had been shipped through the seaway between through the end of September, a year-over-year increase of 8 percent. Potash, stone, gypum and pig iron shipments were up 32 percent, 27 percent, 68 percent and 288 percent, respectively.
   U.S. grain shipments were also much stronger than in 2014, increasing 60 percent year-over-year.
   “Despite slower iron ore and coal, growth continues on the seaway in shipments for domestic sectors like construction, salt mining, agriculture and manufacturing,” Chamber of Marine Commerce President Stephen Brooks said in a statement. “Strength in these sectors along with the investments we’ve seen in recent weeks are testament to the vitality of Great Lakes-Seaway shipping.”
   The Port of Monroe secured a $3 million loan two weeks ago for improvements to accommodate larger vessels, the Chamber of Marine Commerce said.
   The Port of Toledo has handled a series of project cargo shipments as a result of the construction of a gas fired electricity plant in Oregon, Ohio, according to Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority Vice President of Business Development Joe Cappel.
   “The Port of Cleveland continues to post strong tonnage numbers in 2015, with general cargo numbers running more than 18 percent higher than 2014,” Port of Cleveland Vice President, Maritime and Logistics David Gutheil said in a statement.
   The Port of Oswego is seeing a record year in aluminum shipments through the seaway. “In September, the port authority received 19,000 metric tons of aluminum via McKeil Marine barges from Sept-Iles, Quebec for use in the automotive manufacturing sector,” said Port of Oswego Executive Director Zelko Kirincich.