Thunder Bay port sees busiest shipping season in decades

An official with the Thunder Bay Port Authority says it continues to be a banner year for shipping in the area.

Last year, the port had its busiest season in almost two decades, but this year is even busier, said Port Authority CEO Tim Heney.

A number of changes that affect the shipping industry are responsible for the upsurge in traffic, he said, including the loss of the Wheat Board monopoly, changes to the Grain Commission, and the change in ownership in some of the elevators in Thunder Bay.

"People will say that in the last two or three years, almost everything has changed," Heney said. "Basically these changes have worked out — obviously for the better — for the port. It's sort of a fundamental shift and we think there will be higher volumes going through from now on."

Port officials have also worked to bring products other than grain through Keefer Terminal, he said. Cargo ranging from structural steel and wood pellets to electrical components has already been shipped through Thunder Bay.

General cargo is up significantly this year, compared to last year — 11,220 metric tonnes this year compared to 233 metric tonnes last year.

While grain shipments were down in June, overall grain shipments are up this year (2,627,352 metric tonnes) compared to last year (2,419,030).