St. Lawrence Seaway sees improved shipping traffic

CORNWALL, Ontario (WWNY) - Despite “another challenging year,” shipping traffic on the St. Lawrence Seaway improved in 2021.

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation announced Wednesday that more than 38 million metric tons of cargo made it through the system during the 2021 navigation season. That’s about 374,000 metric tons more than 2020.

The SLSMC says traffic on the seaway was up 1.6 percent over 2020.

So, what were the ships carrying? Iron ore, steel slabs and other steel products were up 14 percent, driven by demand from both the automotive and construction industries, according to officials.

In contrast, officials said shipments of grain were down 20 percent due to a smaller crop and drought conditions in both western Canada and the U.S. mid-west.

The SLSMC added that petroleum and chemical products were up 5 percent and are starting to return to more normal levels.

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