THUNDER BAY — The Port of Thunder Bay has finished the 2018 shipping season showing ongoing stability in terms of the amount of cargo the port handles year after year.
In 2019, work will continue on an extensive reconfiguration at Keefer Terminal that will help position the port for future growth.
The Thunder Bay Port Authority on Monday released its year-end report on harbour activity, showing that for the fifth consecutive year, close to nine million metric tonnes of cargo was handled in the port.
Grain shipments, by far the leading cargo each year, increased slightly from 2017, and coal and potash shipments from western Canada were 20 per cent above the five-year average.
However, the movement of other dry bulk and liquid bulk was slower than previous years, accounting for a modest one per cent drop in the port's overall cargo tonnage, to 8.74 million tonnes.
Thunder Bay was visited by 408 domestic and foreign vessels in 2018, compared with 393 vessels the previous year.
The port's general cargo facility at Keefer handled a diverse slate of dimensional cargoes in 2018, ranging from structural steel and rail to windmills and modular buildings
The current $15 million reconfiguration project, including a new rail yard, expanded laydown area and doubling of heated storage capacity, is slated for completion in 2020.
According to officials, the port contributes $370 million annually to the city's economy, directly employs 1,000 people.
