THUNDER BAY – BUSINESS – Despite a later than usual start to the shipping season, the Port of Thunder Bay handled above-average grain shipments in April. Grain elevators loaded more than 688,000 metric tonnes of grain to both domestic and foreign vessels during the month, which is 12% more than the ten-year average for April.
The numbers are especially noteworthy given that the season’s opening date of April 10 is the second latest opening in the last 20 years, only falling earlier than last year’s record latest opening of April 21.
Strong grain shipments are a trend continuing forward from last season, when port elevators handled over 8.3 million metric tonnes of grain – a 17-year high.
The Thunder Bay Port Authority are forecasting another above-average season for grain shipments.
With Western Canadian grain farmers experiencing the two most productive crop seasons in history in 2013 and 2014, there remains a significant quantity of cargo to be moved.
