Traffic through the St. Lawrence Seaway continued to lag last year’s pace through May, with grain shipments showing one of the steepest declines among major commodities.
Total cargo moving through the system reached 8.06 million tonnes year-to-date, down 3.3% from the same period in 2025.
Grain volumes were particularly weak, falling 12.6% from a year earlier to 2.61 million tonnes, a decline of 377,000 tonnes.
Other bulk commodities showed mixed results. Dry bulk shipments increased 8.7% to 2.56 million tonnes, supported by gains in industrial commodities, while iron ore traffic rose 2.9%. Meanwhile, coal shipments slipped 4.6%, liquid bulk cargo fell 5.1%, and general cargo posted the sharpest percentage decline, down 13.2%.
Despite lower cargo volumes, vessel activity remained steady, with total transits edging up slightly to 888 ships, four more than during the same period last year.
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