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Iron ore, grain boost St. Lawrence Seaway shipping
By Rod Nickel, REUTERS
Last Updated: January 13, 2011 1:52pm
"WINNIPEG - Shipping through the St. Lawrence Seaway, connecting North America’s Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean, rose 15% in 2010 from the previous year, as shipments of iron ore and grain picked up.
Total cargo shipments climbed to 35.5 million tonnes, the most in two years, including a 35% increase in iron ore and a 10% rise in grain movement, the Seaway said on Thursday.
General cargo volume, which includes loose cargo such as iron and steel shipments and project cargo such as wind turbine components, rose 63%.
Iron ore shipments spiked to 9.4 million tonnes as auto manufacturing picked up, said Terence Bowles, chief executive of St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp.
“It is often said that the transportation sector serves as a barometer of economic activity,” he said. “We are optimistic of what we may experience in 2011, as economic growth continues to regain strength.”
Most steel and auto manufacturing in Canada and the United States is located in the Great Lakes Basin.
Grain shipping rose to more than 9 million tonnes amid large supplies of wheat, corn and soybeans from Eastern Canada and Northern U.S., with wheat filling a void after Russia halted grain exports last summer due to drought, said Dave Przednowek, senior manager of ocean freight and terminal operations for the Canadian Wheat Board.
The Canadian Wheat Board, which markets Western Canada’s wheat and barley, moved less grain through the Seaway after a big program the previous year, Przednowek said.
Total 2010 tonnage on the Seaway was below the 10-year average, as it recovered from a sharp drop in 2009 due to the global recession.
“It’s certainly an improvement from last year, but it’s safe to say we have more work to do to regain the tonnage we’ve traditionally held,” said Seaway spokesman Andrew Bogora.
The entire Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway system extends 3,700 km (2,340 miles) from the Atlantic Ocean to the head of the Great Lakes, allowing ocean-going ships access to central North America.
The Seaway is owned by the Canadian and U.S. governments. (Reporting by Rod Nickel; editing by Rob Wilson")
Iron ore, grain boost St. Lawrence Seaway shipping
By Rod Nickel, REUTERS
Last Updated: January 13, 2011 1:52pm
"WINNIPEG - Shipping through the St. Lawrence Seaway, connecting North America’s Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean, rose 15% in 2010 from the previous year, as shipments of iron ore and grain picked up.
Total cargo shipments climbed to 35.5 million tonnes, the most in two years, including a 35% increase in iron ore and a 10% rise in grain movement, the Seaway said on Thursday.
General cargo volume, which includes loose cargo such as iron and steel shipments and project cargo such as wind turbine components, rose 63%.
Iron ore shipments spiked to 9.4 million tonnes as auto manufacturing picked up, said Terence Bowles, chief executive of St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp.
“It is often said that the transportation sector serves as a barometer of economic activity,” he said. “We are optimistic of what we may experience in 2011, as economic growth continues to regain strength.”
Most steel and auto manufacturing in Canada and the United States is located in the Great Lakes Basin.
Grain shipping rose to more than 9 million tonnes amid large supplies of wheat, corn and soybeans from Eastern Canada and Northern U.S., with wheat filling a void after Russia halted grain exports last summer due to drought, said Dave Przednowek, senior manager of ocean freight and terminal operations for the Canadian Wheat Board.
The Canadian Wheat Board, which markets Western Canada’s wheat and barley, moved less grain through the Seaway after a big program the previous year, Przednowek said.
Total 2010 tonnage on the Seaway was below the 10-year average, as it recovered from a sharp drop in 2009 due to the global recession.
“It’s certainly an improvement from last year, but it’s safe to say we have more work to do to regain the tonnage we’ve traditionally held,” said Seaway spokesman Andrew Bogora.
The entire Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway system extends 3,700 km (2,340 miles) from the Atlantic Ocean to the head of the Great Lakes, allowing ocean-going ships access to central North America.
The Seaway is owned by the Canadian and U.S. governments. (Reporting by Rod Nickel; editing by Rob Wilson")
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