Potash shipments have nearly doubled and shippers say they are prepared to pick up global slack caused by Ukraine war
Canadian Great Lakes ports saw a 26 percent decrease in prairie grain shipments through the St. Lawrence Seaway coming into this spring but as the war in Ukraine rages on and other coastal ports remain jammed, the seaway route is ready to pick up the slack.
Potash shipments have nearly doubled, with April alone seeing 90,000 tonnes being exported from the Port of Thunder Bay, Ont., according to the Chamber of Marine Commerce, the highest monthly total since 2007.
Julia Fields, communications director for the chamber, said the St. Lawrence Seaway continues to be important for exporting agricultural products.
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“And potentially even more in the fall once we have the new harvest in,” she said, with grain exports likely being critical as the war in Ukraine impacts its capacity. “We do anticipate that customers that use the grain companies in Canada and transport out of the Great Lakes system — to Europe in particular — will be looking to transport more than usual to make up for some of the losses.”
Fields said the challenges faced in global logistics have made the St. Lawrence Seaway more efficient.
“It hasn’t had any disruptions, the whole industry came together to make sure the transportation network remained extremely reliable,” she said. “I think that is something we can make more use of in the future and think of this transportation network as an alternative to some of the over-congested ports in the coastal areas.”
However, a looming labour issue could affect the future.
“We know that something like 43 percent of Canadian seafarers are expecting to retire over the next 10 years,” said Fields. “That’s not counting those that might be moving into other industries or going into different types of careers.”
The Marine Chamber, along with federal agencies, unions and educational institutes, is working to attract more Canadians into the sector, creating the Marine Industry Foundation.
Fields said there is an array of sea and land-based occupations to choose from in the industry.
While western agricultural products outside of potash saw exports through the seaway decline, Ontario had a better year with corn and soybeans, as well as a 34 percent increase in grain, moving out of the Port of Hamilton.
That port is also expected to double its sugar refinery capacity by 2024 to 200,000 tonnes as part of an expansion project by Sucro Can to support the region’s $1 billion agri-food cluster.
