The lineup of grain vessels waiting for loading at Vancouver increased to 21 for Week 8 of the grain shipping season.
Reports by Quorum Corp., which monitors prairie grain handling, said vessels at Vancouver were up 31 percent from the previous week. The increase in ships raised sentiments that grain orders and exports may soon pick up.
At Prince Rupert, three vessels were waiting.
Total western port unloads were 14 percent higher than the four-week rolling average but three percent lower than the previous week.
As of Week 7, grain shipments leaving from the port of Vancouver were 11 percent below last year at 2.324 million tonnes, compared to 2.612 million, and 10 percent below the five-year average of 2.577 million.
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Prince Rupert was picking up some of the slack, operating at 38 percent ahead of last year (664,900 tonnes compared to 482,000 tonnes) and 11 percent ahead of the five-year average (600,700 tonnes).
Overall, shipments through west coast ports were three percent less than a year ago and six percent below the five-year average.
Thunder Bay shipments are down two percent compared to last year and 25 percent below the five-year average.
Meanwhile, country stocks in store (excluding stocks stored at export terminals) were below last year at this time (3.727 million tonnes compared to 3.941 million tonnes) but ahead of the five-year average of 3.251 million tonnes. That’s based on Quorum’s Week 7 reports, ending Sept. 25.
