St. Lawrence Seaway handles 36m tons of cargo in 2015

The 2015 navigation season commenced April 2 and ended ice free Dec. 31.

   The St. Lawrence Seaway handled 36 million tons of cargo during the 2015 shipping season, which lasted for 274 days, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) said.
   The seaway commenced its 2015 navigation season April 2, a week later than usual, as a result of frigid conditions in the early Spring, and closed ice free Dec. 31 with temperatures well above the 10-year average.
   Grain volumes on the seaway, which were well above the five-year average, totaled 10.8 million tons in 2015.
   “The 2015 navigation season saw highs and lows in traditional cargoes that move through the Seaway System,” U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation Administrator Betty Sutton said. “Global demand for coal remained below last year’s levels whereas general cargo to and from international and domestic markets remained high with over a 100 percent increase. Project cargo and dry bulk materials to support the construction and manufacturing industry also remained in positive standings.”
   Now that the shipping season has concluded, the two U.S.-owned locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Snell Lock and the Eisenhower Lock, are currently undergoing maintenance, Sutton said. In addition, the seaway includes 13 Canadian-owned locks.
   “The seaway continues to serve as a vital trade artery, enabling cargo to move to more than 50 countries across the globe,” St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation President and CEO Terence Bowles said in a statement.