More cargo expected for St. Lawrence Seaway

More cargo expected for St. Lawrence Seaway    The St. Lawrence Seaway opened last week for its 53rd season with predictions that cargo shipments on the waterway would increase about 7 percent to 39.1 million tons this year.
   Demand for staple raw materials such as iron ore and grain as well as shipments of road salt to replenish inventories depleted during are hard winter is expected to lead to higher vessel traffic, the Quebec-based St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp said.
   The company, which manages 13 of the 15 locks on the waterway, also said it expected more project cargo to transit the waterway due in part to continued operations in the oil sand regions of Canada.
   Recent announcements by three Great Lakes carriers — Algoma Central Corp., Canada Steamship Lines, and the Canadian Wheat Board — to invest more than $350 million in replacement and new vessels are a sign that business is expected to do well in coming seasons, officials said at a kickoff ceremony.