St. Lawrence Seaway reports increases in cargo as part of season’s strong start

The bi-national St. Lawrence Seaway’s 67th shipping season is off to a strong start, despite the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and Canada.

This is good news for the Niagara region, which has the Welland Canal, one of the seaway’s most vital links.

4,500,000 tonnes of cargo moved through the St. Lawrence Seaway in April, a 3.7 per cent increase compared to last year.

The Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA) noticed this increase as well.

“We are up about 17 per cent over the same period last year,” said Larissa Fenn, the vice-president of corporate affairs with HOPA. “That rise is driven by exports of agricultural commodities, as well as fertilizer, and those construction materials that are essential for civil and residential construction.”

The Seaway released numbers on cargo shipped in the thousands of tonnes.

Dry bulk saw an increase of 7.51 per cent compared to last year, liquid bulk saw an increase of 15.95 per cent and all grain saw an increase of 22.03 per cent.

The Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) said the increase could be because last year’s crop was so large.

“Corn, soybean and winter wheat are our biggest exports out of the province of Ontario,” said Dana Dickerson, the director of market development and sustainability at the GFO. “Those are our biggest grain exports in the region, so it’s likely they had a good amount of crop left over to market to the world.”

They also say there has been an increase in demand.

“For corn and soy, we’re seeing more exports to the U.K., Ireland, and Spain, which are key export markets for those crops, and for winter we saw an increase in demand for Mexico and our other Caribbean markets,” said Dickerson.

One of the most vital links in the St. Lawrence Seaway is the Welland Canal, because it connects Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.

Jim Bradley, the Niagara Regional Chair says the Welland Canal is also extremely important for the local economy.

“Probably about half a billion dollars in terms of GDP contribution,” said Bradley. “Having the shipping season improving one season over another is extremely important because that is one measure of how the economy is doing, and when we see those kinds of figures coming out, we’re very encouraged here in Niagara.”

The St. Lawrence Seaway president said it is too early to know the full extent of what lies ahead with the tariffs and other pressures, but he says the numbers do show the corridor continues to support North American trade reliably and efficiently.

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