Exports of western Canadian grain are moving again through the Port of Churchill.
The first grain ship of the 2013 shipping season was loaded last week at the northern Manitoba port.
The ship, Atlantic Dream, will carry CWB spring wheat destined for Mexico.
As of last week, two more grain ships were anchored at Churchill, waiting to be loaded.
The Churchill shipping season starts on Aug. 1 and continues until Oct. 31 each year.
The port normally handles around 500,000 tonnes of Western Canadian grain each year.
Last year, some grain industry observers predicted that changes to the Canadian Wheat Board will result in lower grain volumes at Churchill.
In 2012, roughly 421,000 tonnes of grain and oilseeds were shipped from the port, down from 508,000 tonnes in 2011 and 656,000 tonnes in 2010.
The port’s 10-year average is 498,000 tonnes per year.
Total shipments in 2012 were Churchill’s lowest since 2004, when roughly 400,000 tonnes of grain were exported.
