Grain shipments account for the bulk of the increase.   Ottawa—An early opening and strong international demand for grain got the St. Lawrence Seaway off to a good start for the 2021 season, which observers see as encouraging signs of life in the North American economy. Shipping started March 22 and by the end of April reached just over 4 million tonnes of freight was transported through the waterway, a 3.7 percent increase from the same date in 2020. The Seaway opening last year was delayed to April 1 to help lower Great Lakes water levels. Grain shipments were up 9.9 per cent to 105,000 tonnes and accounted for about three-quarters of the tonnage increase. Dry bulk, iron ore and general cargo shipments were also strong. “Marine shipping is a bellwether for what's happening in the wider economy,” said Bruce Burrows, President and CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. The opening results “are a positive sign that the U.S. and Canadian economies continue to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic,” May 18, 2021 – Canadian Great Lakes ports and the St. Lawrence Seaway are reporting an uptick in cargo shipments this season, a reflection of the economic upturn in North America. The increase in grain shipments is being driven by Ontario soybean exports, corn and wheat via ports such as Hamilton, Windsor and Johnstown, along with robust Prairie grain exports out of the Port of Thunder Bay. Construction materials, including cement shipments to Ontario and the United States, have helped boost the dry bulk category, up 1.6 per cent over 2020. Shipments of iron ore for Canadian steel production have increased 6.89 per cent and general cargo has risen 23.2 per cent due to increases of iron and steel imports from Europe and other overseas destinations. “Shipments through April are a positive reflection of the recovering economies and growing demand for goods in Canada and the United States,” said Terence Bowles, President and CEO of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation. “The increase in construction materials is a welcome turnaround from 2020 and a promising start to the year.” The Windsor Port Authority experienced a 30 per cent increase in grain shipments out of the gate in 2021. The Port also reports a strong volume in steel products as construction activity picks up in the region. The Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority reported dramatic increases in grain and fertilizer shipments after a strong fall harvest and perhaps in anticipation of this year's demand for Ontario-grown grain. Port of Thunder Bay exported more than 1.15 million tonnes of Prairie grain while the Port of Johnstown reported a doubling of its grain revenues from the same time period last year. The Johnstown is nearing the completion of its $12.5 million-dollar Grain Export Project, that includes the replacement of nine spouts for loading grain onto vessels and three new state-of-the-art Neuro spouts to improve the efficiency of loading vessels destined for export markets. The improvements will decrease the turnaround time for vessels using the Port to export grain. Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.