St. Lawrence Seaway Expects Strong 2012 Traffic

St. Lawrence Seaway officials expect strong traffic in the 2012 navigation season, starting March 22, as foreign demand for North American iron ore and coal grows.

Tonnage shipped on the international waterway during last year rose 2.5 percent year-over-year to 37.5 million metric tons. Last year was the second consecutive year of Seaway traffic and tonnage increases.

“Grain shipments were down in 2011 because of spring flooding in the United States, and we are hopeful that that will not be repeated —the snow pack in this mild winter is not close to the size of last year,” said St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. spokesman Andrew Borgora.

Contact Courtney Tower at ctower@sympatico.ca