Summer-like sailing conditions on the Great Lakes have contributed to a fast season-opening start for the Port of Thunder Bay.
In its monthly report, the port authority said the volume of cargo moved over its docks this spring was 20 per cent higher than the five-year average, and 11 per cent higher than last year’s total over the same time.
In the period between March 26 and April 30, 858,918 tonnes of cargo went through the western Lake Superior port, compared to 772,016 during the first month of last year’s shipping season.
Most of that volume was a recorded 816,044 tonnes of grain, which is way up from the 688,223 tonnes posted in the spring of 2015.
Potash shipments more than doubled during the first month at 35,693 tonnes, compared to the 16,981 tonnes recorded last year.
The authority said the absence of ice on the lakes enabled vessels to arrive early and allowed shipments to move at a steady pace. Thirty-nine ships arrived in port this spring, compared to 33 last year.
Several so-called project cargoes are on the schedule for this year at Keefer Terminal, the general cargo dock in Thunder Bay. The first such shipment was the April move of crane parts from Alberta to Europe.
