WINNIPEG — A lack of ice on the Great Lakes means the St. Lawrence Seaway will start shipping grain earlier than last year.
The seaway’s opening was delayed until the beginning of April in 2015 because of the amount of ice in the system, said Bruce Hodgson, director of market development for the seaway.
The seaway will have two opening dates this year: the Welland Canal opens March 21 and the Montreal-Lake Ontario section opens March 23.
“Certainly we’re ahead of last year, which bodes well for the shippers,” Hodgson said.
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He said international ships will likely come into the system earlier.
“They typically hold back when there’s ice in the system,” he said.
“They don’t like to come in when it’s like that.”
Limited ice also allows ships to move more quickly than they otherwise could once they’re in the water.
“Last year we had ships in the system, but once they got to Lake Erie they literally couldn’t go anywhere, so this year we don’t anticipate that,” Hodgson said.
He estimates the seaway will move 7.5 to eight million tonnes of grain this season, but that could change as farmers start harvesting.
“I guess you could say there’s going to be a reasonable carryover from last year, so we expect the year to start off not strong, but not weak. It’ll be a medium start, I guess,” he said.
The seaway moved 10.8 million tonnes of grain last year.
