Port of Thunder Bay hit a milestone in November with over 1 million tonnes of cargo shipped through the port during one month for the first time since May 2009. Tonnages were bolstered by strong grain shipments. The volume of grain – 891,000 tonnes – shipped out of Thunder Bay grain elevators during November was the most for one month since May 2002.
Year-to-date grain tonnage this year has already surpassed the total grain tonnage for the entire year of 2010, with another month to go in the shipping season. Types of grain that have had the greatest boosts in shipments through the port are wheat and canola. There has been a 15-per-cent increase in wheat shipments and a 125-per-cent increase in canola shipments in 2011 compared with 2010. Canola shipments are expected to exceed 1.2 million tonnes during the 2011 season – a record for canola shipments at the Port of Thunder Bay.
With year-to-date 2011 shipments approaching full-year 2010 shipments, Port of Thunder Bay is well on its way to record strong growth during 2011, after two years of steep declines.