THUNDER BAY -- The busy local shipping season will officially come to an end this weekend.
The last ship is set to the leave the port on Sunday, bringing an end to the best local season since 1998 that saw 8.3 million metric tonnes of grain handled.
That is the most grain moved in the city since 1997.
Overall, the port handled 9.3 million metric tonnes of cargo, which is a 43 per cent increase from 2013 and a 29 per cent rise over the five-year average.
Those numbers are despite record-setting ice conditions at the start of the season that delayed the opening by four weeks.
Port Authority CEO Tim Heney said this year’s season shows shipping is still a viable industry in Thunder Bay.
“It shows the seaway and port are definitely a sustainable entity into the long-term,” Heney said. “The seaway is a competitive way to ship grain and it’s looking bright for the long-term.”
In 2014 there were 438 ships that arrived in the port, which is a significant increase from the 331 in 2013 and the five-year average of 374. There were 127 ocean vessels, which the port says is the most in a decade.
The port loaded more than two million metric tonnes of cargo that were exported to international destinations.
