Optimistic Outlook for the Remainder of the Seaway Shipping Season
During the month of August, 3.46 million tons of cargo moved through the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system, bringing the year-to-date total to nearly 19.2 million tons shipped. While tonnage transported on the Seaway system is below the year-to-date total for 2021, total vessel transits remain stable for the same period. This shows that the Seaway is ready to respond to the opportunities between now and the end of the season, including Canadian grain shipments that could lead to a comeback this fall.
“This year, U.S grains, which includes corn, soybeans and seeds is up by 29% and all signs point to a strong Canadian crop, particularly in Ontario. This could offset the early season slow-down that we’ve experienced.” said Terence Bowles, President and CEO of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation.
While Canadian grain is still down 26%, salt, petroleum products, petcoke and potash continue well ahead of 2021 levels. For the year, shipments of petroleum products are up 40% to more than 1.5 million tons, petcoke shipments have increased more than 31% to 1.15 million tons and potash shipments are up more than 267% at 756,000 tons. Year-to-year shipments of windmill equipment is also up.
The Port of Thunder Bay reports that potash exports hit a modern monthly record of more than 218,000 tons in August, bringing the total for the year (through August) to 852,653 tons.
“Surpassing the 30-year annual high for potash is certainly a landmark for the port,” said Port of Thunder Bay CEO Tim Heney. “As for grain shipments, we anticipate seeing the arrival of the Prairie grain crop during September, with crop production expected to exceed 2021 volume by at least 30%.”
Activity at Port Windsor is picking up with total tonnage growing 5.6% over the same time period last year. “Grain continues at a strong pace, while salt has fully recovered with production out of its new seam at the mine,” said Steve Salmons, Windsor Port Authority President and CEO. “Aggregates are also ahead of last year and shipments are expected to double by year end, with delivery of 1 million tons of crushed stone to Windsor for the construction of the new electric vehicle battery plant.”
With Ontario poised to produce its fourth largest soybean crop ever, soybean exports through the Port of Hamilton are soaring. “We are already 78% above last year’s performance and we’re forecasting 1 million tons of soybean exports by season’s close,” said Ian Hamilton, President and CEO of HOPA Ports. “We are also seeing a steady increase in imports of raw sugar for processing, up 68% this year, driven by the success of SucroCan, a sugar producer located at the port.”
August was also a busy month for Picton Terminals’ Amy Lynn D tug, which moved a rotor from Valleyfield to Cacouna, in addition to towing a 2600m pipe from Hamilton to Toronto for the Deep Lake Water Cooling expansion project. The tug continues to ship aggregates from Picton Terminals to Toronto for several projects involving the Toronto Region Conservation Authority.
Hovercraft services plans to start Toronto to Niagara run next summer
Toronto to Niagara in 30 minutes?
In the latest attempt at a cross-lake transit link, a new hovercraft service plans to run rapid journeys between the two locations beginning next summer.
Two high-speed hovercraft will soon allow Niagara-bound travellers to skip the gridlock on the QEW and hover across Lake Ontario — from Ontario Place to Port Weller, St. Catharines — in barely more than the amount of time it takes to ride the Maid of the Mist.
Operated by Hoverlink Ontario Inc., a company formed for this purpose and funded by private Canadian investors, the two hovercraft hold up to 180 passengers each, and can travel in all weather conditions, across land, ice and water.
With a travel time of about half an hour, the new service aims to make Niagara’s tourist attractions more accessible for Torontonians and ease the pain for commuters, according to Hoverlink’s CEO Chris Morgan. “It’s a game changer,” said Morgan. “You could actually head to Niagara for the evening, grab a show, go to a winery and come back and not spend four to six hours in traffic.”
On the other end, the hovercraft will allow people living in the Niagara region to come into the city for a sports game or a concert, he said. The 130-km car journey from Toronto to Niagara Falls can take more than two hours in traffic. The train ride is also two hours.
Hoverlink is not the first company to try transportation across Lake Ontario, but previous cross-lake ventures have fizzled. A ferry that carried travellers between Toronto and Rochester, N.Y., was sunk after just two seasons in 2006 when the city of Rochester refused to fund it.
What makes this venture different, Morgan said, is the “craft capability.” The hovercraft are the first of their kind in North America, he said, adding that they are fast and environmentally friendly, with low emission engines and producing no disturbance to marine life. And according to Morgan, they are no louder than a standard dishwasher.
The craft have two propulsion systems that allow them to float above the surface, Morgan said: one that creates lift by pushing air down, and another that propels the vehicle forward.
With two vessels and up to 48 lake crossings per day, 365 days a year, the service plans to move more than 3 million passengers per year. According to Morgan, this equates to removing as many as 8,000 cars off the highway every day — or about 33 km of bumper-to-bumper traffic.
The hovercraft project has been in the works for more than a decade and has required approvals from all three levels of government, Morgan said. The service is set to open in July or August of next summer, after the craft pass safety tests.
Toronto Star
50-metre tall Port Colborne marine tower tumbled for TV
A massive thud heard and felt across Port Colborne signalled the end for a 50-metre tall marine tower that stood for 82 years on the city’s waterfront at Ceres Global Ag.
As it hit the ground, the tower once used to unload vessels at the former Robin Hood Multifoods crumpled, sending sparks and dust flying as onlookers watched from the opposite side of the weir. It seemed like the tower would never fall as crews from Owen Sound-based Roy-Mar Demolition prepped the structure for hours.
Read the full article at this link: https://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/entertainment/television/2022/09/15/marine-tower-tumbles-down-at-port-colbornes-ceres-global-ag-for-tv-show-salvage-kings.html
Niagara Falls Review
Denis Sullivan ship leaving Milwaukee, sold to Boston-based fleet
MILWAUKEE, WI – The sailing vessel Denis Sullivan has been sold and will be leaving Milwaukee, a Discovery World representative confirmed Thursday, Sept. 15.
The ship will set sail again this fall and continue its mission of educating the public about the natural environment. According to a news release, the ship will join the World Ocean School fleet.
Discovery World said it hopes the Denis Sullivan will make return visits to Milwaukee and offer educational programming when it does.
Fox 6 Milwaukee
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