THUNDER BAY – This shipping season is projected to be the second-busiest in the past 15 years.
The Thunder Bay Port Authority projects more than 8.7 million metric tonnes of cargo will have been handled at the harbour, with only 2014 having a larger total.
A warmer than average December allowed the port to move more than 1.1 million metric tonnes of grain during the month, with a year-end projection of the second-largest annual volume since 1997.
A significant amount of that cargo was handled by international ocean vessels, or salties, with 125 of those ships calling the port. That represents a 56 per cent increase compared to the five-year average.
Those ships moved 2.1 million metric tonnes of grain, exporting to Europe, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.
The MV Puffin, a bulk carrier registered in Jamaica, was the final ocean vessel to set sail from the port, leaving on Dec. 19.
Lakers are expected to continue passing through the port until the Soo Locks close in the middle of January.
