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Thunder Bay port buzzes with activity

Six months into the year, grain volumes through the Port of Thunder Bay reached an 18-year high. More than 2.
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Six months into the year, grain volumes through the Port of Thunder Bay reached an 18-year high.

Six months into the year, grain volumes through the Port of Thunder Bay reached an 18-year high.

More than 2.6 million tonnes of grain moved through the elevators with no sign of a slow-down in July as strong stores from two consecutive bumper crops in Western Canada continue to move through the supply chain.

Potash shipments were strong at more than 103,000 tonnes through June, slightly better than the 100,000 tonnes recorded last year.

Other cargoes that passed through the port included potash, liquid petroleum, coal and road salt.

The authority also reported that two local marine cargo records were broken this past spring.

In its June newsletter, the record for the largest single load of coal ever loaded in Thunder Bay was broken twice in April; first by the CSL Laurentian, which took on 31,384 tonnes at Thunder Bay Terminals on April 12 – besting the previous record of 31,348 tonnes set in July 2006 – followed two weeks later by CSL Assiniboine with 32,366 tonnes on April 27.

The record for the largest single load of grain ever loaded in Thunder Bay was broken on May 1. CSL Welland was loaded with 31,019 tonnes of wheat, topping the previous record load of 30,400 tonnes set in April 2009.

Keefer Terminal has been a busy place with a number of inbound project cargo shipments, including a load of structural steel offloaded and then railed to Western Canada.

A shipment of wind turbine blades and nacelles arrived at Keefer in May. It’s the second such shipment handled at the terminal destined for the Bow Lake wind project near Montreal River Harbour on the east end of Lake Superior.

Two shipments of European wood pellets arrived at Keefer – with more on the way – headed for the Thunder Bay Generating Station.

In mid-June, a shipment of reactors was delivered by barge from southern Ontario. The reactors were transferred onto truck for delivery to Oregon.

Keefer has handled 11,220 tonnes of general cargo as of June 30, compared to only 233 tonnes during same period last year. More such shipments were expected in July.