25 July 2003

Montreal has record first half

The following article is excerpted from the 24 July 2003 edition of “The Journal of Commerce”.

The Port of Montreal on Thursday [24 July] reported a 5.6 percent increase in container traffic to a six-month record 4.8 million metric tons through June.

The port handled 527,735 TEUs through June 30, a 5.8 percent increase over the year-ago period, according to the Montreal Port Authority. Container traffic accounts for just over half of total traffic through the port. The Port's total traffic of 9.5 million metric tons was up by 840,000 tons, or 9.6 percent, over the first half of 2002.

….

Non-containerized cargo totaled 248,000 metric tons, up 14 percent, due mainly to higher steel volumes. Liquid bulk traffic rose 42.3 percent to 2.2 million metric tons, and other liquid bulk traffic - mainly hydrocarbons and methanol, increased 12.1 percent.

Grain shipments plummeted 40.1 percent to 436,000 tons from the previous year after two consecutive years of drought in Western Canada. Other dry bulk traffic was up 11.3 percent to 1.8 million metric tons in the first half, mostly raw materials for local industries including road salt, scrap metal, fertilizer, ferrous alloys and raw sugar.