CORNWALL, Ont. – While the numbers have improved somewhat in the last month for overall cargo, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation is still seeing fewer ships on the water.
As of the end of August, overall tonnage was down 3.6 per cent (20.8 million metric tons compared to 21.6 million metric tons in 2018) – an improvement over the previous month.
The biggest loses of cargo are in general cargo (31 per cent) and coal (16 per cent). In fact, the only gain is in dry bulk goods (up 12 per cent).
While the seaway is making ground on the amount of goods, the number of ships on the seaway continues to fall.
There were 154 fewer transits to the end of August. At the end of July, the number was 121 fewer ships. The percentage decline compared to 2018 remains about the same – 6.3 per cent.
The seaway has been riding big shipping gains over the last two years.