SHIPPING OUTLOOK

Industry executives in the know give their forecasts for the 2020 shipping season and share their upcoming ventures SHIPPING OUTLOOK :

TERENCE C. BOWLES PRESIDENT AND CEO, THE ST. LAWRENCE SEAWAY MANAGEMENT CORPORATION

The 2019 tonnage results on the Seaway reflected the more challenging conditions encountered last year as compared to 2018, in which Seaway tonnage was at a 10-year high. Trade tensions, difficult navigational conditions due to very high water flows within the St. Lawrence River, combined with adverse weather conditions impacting grain harvests, all served to restrain total cargo volumes.

There is little doubt that trade tensions certainly were felt within the shipping industry, and we earnestly hope that the implementation of the USMCA (the revised US-Canada-Mexico trilateral free trade agreement) will be one of several improvements within the global trading arena, providing for a better cargo outlook in 2020. With those improvements in mind, we are optimistic that Seaway tonnage in 2020 will exceed the 2019 total of 38 million tonnes. n

TIM HENEY CEO OF THUNDER BAY PORT AUTHORITY

The 2019 shipping season in the Port of Thunder Bay featured notably higher cargo shipments than the past several years. Strong shipments of prairie-grown grain and other dry bulk commodities from Western Canada buoyed the port’s cargo tonnage to 9.3 million metric tons, the highest since 2014.

Grain volumes increased by 500,000 metric tons this year as Thunder Bay elevators funneled larger quantities of canola to markets in Europe and South America. Coal tonnage hit a seven-year high, while potash shipments remained above average for a third-straight year. Both the foreign and domestic vessel fleets contributed to the strong season in Thunder Bay; vessel calls and cargo tonnage for both fleets were up compared to the prior year.

The Port of Thunder Bay is projecting another strong season in 2020. Thunder Bay grain terminals continue to set the bar for efficiency, producing the fastest railcar and vessel turnaround times of all Western Canadian grain ports. A highlight for the 2020 season will be increased shipments of wind turbine cargoes for Western Canadian wind farm developments. n

ADAM SCHLICHT DIRECTOR OF PORT MILWAUKEE

Cargo travelling through Port Milwaukee increased significantly in 2019 led by growth in all major dry bulk categories. Increases included 10 per cent more cement, 20 per cent more limestone, and 56 per cent more salt. Overall, combined tonnage reported in 2019 from both public and private facilities at Port Milwaukee was up 11 per cent, totaling over 2.6 million tons. Port Milwaukee’s total activity in 2019 exceeded its five-year and ten-year average tonnage performance.

Port Milwaukee anticipates further activity in 2020, including increased utilization of the Port’s fully refurbished liquid bulk pier, currently operated by U.S. Venture/U.S. Oil. The Port has significantly increased its position as the premiere turnaround cruise ship port-of-call on the western edge of the Great Lakes. The Port recently received an over $15 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, which will help build a new Maritime Agricultural Export Facility at the Port. n

SYLVIE VACHON PRESIDENT AND CEO, MONTREAL PORT AUTHORITY

In 2019, for the sixth consecutive year the Port of Montreal set a record for cargo volume, and for the first time exceeded 40 million metric tons. The container sector also broke a new record with 1.75 million TEUs, up 5.4 per cent over last year, including an 11 per cent increase in the Midwest market. With strong results in dry bulk, liquid bulk and cruise ship traffic, the Port of Montreal can look back on a very positive 2019 as it continues to be an economic driver at the heart of an ecosystem of 6,300 businesses and in proximity to a pool of 110 million consumers.

Steady growth in recent years has brought the Port of Montreal closer to its full capacity on land. To prepare for the future and support the growth of the container market, striving as always to boost efficiency and performance, the Port of Montreal is actively planning its next phase of development: a container terminal in the municipality of Contrecœur, located 40 kilometres from its current facilities. Now that this project is backed by the Canada Infrastructure Bank, its development will continue in 2020 heading for commissioning in 2024.

The Port of Montreal remains committed to a long-term vision for regional and national economic vitality that benefits businesses, clients and consumers, which includes providing the utmost environmental protection. n

PAUL C. LAMARRE III PORT DIRECTOR, PORT OF MONROE

At the Port of Monroe “coal is king” and will always be the top commodity delivered to the Port as fuel for DTE Energy’s 3200 megawatt Monroe Powerplant. This cargo which totaled 1,034,924 metric tons in 2019 was complimented by 322,164 metric tons of limestone used in the plant’s flue gas desulfurization (FGD) process. The Port also handled nearly all biproducts produced at the facility shipping synthetic gypsum and bottom ash to locations in the U.S. and Canada. These inter-lake cargoes were bolstered by a record year for international Seaway cargoes which included import of salt, high value project cargo, and the export of wind tower sections manufactured at the Port.

The 2020 shipping season is shaping up to be yet another record year for international cargo as the Port of Monroe has become a Midwest distribution hub for General Electric Wind and will welcome at least a dozen BigLift vessels carrying wind components destined for Michigan projects. n

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