Mark Szakonyi, Associate Editor | Jul 12, 2012 2:25PM EDT
Strong iron ore and coal shipments for the steel and construction industries were key in driving traffic on the St. Lawrence Seaway up 1.3 percent year-over-year from late March through the end of June.
The international Seaway between March 22 and the end of June handled 13.2 million metric tons of freight, as iron ore traffic rose 34 percent year-over-year and coal shipments jumped 30 percent in the same period, according to the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. The shipping of general cargo such as wind turbine components skyrocketed 163 percent, helping to offset a 16 percent plunge in grain traffic, which has fallen for the second straight month because of the drought.
“The Seaway continues to show its global relevance as a vital marine route moving high value wind components worldwide,” said Rebecca Spruill, SLSDC director of trade development. “We anticipate that trend to continue, especially in light of the pending tax credit deadline set to expire at the end of the year.”
The SLDC expects volume to increase 3 percent year-over-year this shipping season, after volume rose 2.7 percent in 2011 from the prior year.
Contact Mark Szakonyi at mszakonyi@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter @szakonyi_joc.