October Cargo Shipments Set Seaway Record

The St. Lawrence Seaway today said cargo shipments in October were 4.4 million metric tons, up 9.8 percent from October 2011. 

For the shipping season period to date, March 22 to Oct. 31, cargo shipments totaled 29.5 million metric tons, an increased of 1.4 percent compared with the same period in 2011.

In the closing months of the 2012 shipping season, tonnage figures for traditional cargoes remain on the positive side for U.S. ports.

U.S. grain, which has been down consistently this season, notably posted a 46 percent increase in October, although year-to-date shipments were down 31 percent.