THUNDER BAY – A mild winter and less ice coverage on the Great Lakes has the shipping season off to a great start.
The Port of Thunder Bay opened with a solid week of shipping to start the 2017 navigation season. Just over 260,000 metric tonnes of cargo transited the port during March; the navigation season opened on March 24 with the arrival of the first cargo ship, MV Manitoulin.
The March volumes are above the ten-year-average of 117,000 metric tonnes, although historical results for the month vary widely due to fluctuating weather and ice conditions. The majority of the cargo shipped was carry-over grain from last year’s strong prairie harvest. Other shipments included outbound coal and an inbound load of road salt to replenish the stock for local use.
Thunder Bay Port Authority anticipates steady cargo shipments through the month of April. Significant grain stocks remain in port and in prairie elevators. Keefer Terminal, the port’s general and project cargo hub, anticipates its first marine shipment – a load of electrical transformers – in mid-April.
