Busy Season for Seaway
Grain shipments through the St. Lawrence Seaway are up 7 per cent this season, continuing the pace set last year when ships carried the largest volume of grain through the navigation system in 14 years. According to The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, grain shipments (including Canadian and U.S. grain) totaled 1.9 million metric tons from April 2 to May 31. The Port of Thunder Bay, the largest grain port on the Great Lakes, reported that its grain shipments were off to the strongest start this season since 1997, as the major handlers continue to export the harvest from 2014. So far this season, Algoma Central Corporation’s ships have carried 50 per cent more grain, mainly from Thunder Bay to Quebec for transshipment overseas.
Canadian Seaway: Transit Rate Increase
The Canadian St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) increase tolls 3% for 2013 season. There are no tolls charged for transiting the U.S. section of the Seaway's lock system which is operated by the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. More than 39 million metric tonnes of cargo transited the Seaway during the 2012 navigation season which represented a 4 percent increase in cargo volume. The increase in cargo tonnage reflects the modest economic recovery taking place within the Seaway’s client base and the emergence of new trade patterns.
No Toll Increase for Seaway in 2011
The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) announced that there will not be a toll increase in 2011. The decision to extend the toll freeze was made in an effort to maintain the momentum underlying the Seaway’s market development initiatives. A 15.46% increase in tonnage during the 2010 navigation season testifies to a rebound in activity, following a difficult 2009 season. The effectiveness of the SLSMC’s business development initiatives can be witnessed with over a million tonnes of new business passing through the system in 2010. “Given the recuperation of the economy, an extra year with no toll increase will assist our stakeholders in their efforts to develop new business and will serve to reinforce the Great Lakes St.
