b'22American Journal of Transportation ajot.comNiche ports on the riseBy Leo Ryan, AJOTOn the north shore of St.while,theporthasstarteda LawrenceRiver,thePortof$20-million design-build proj-Sept-les is enjoying a bannerecttorenovateandexpand year thanks to the significantintermodalcapacityatits surge in global market demandPointe-aux-Basques Terminal.foritscoreironorecargo.Anothernichesuccess Last year, it handled 29.3 mil- storyistobefoundatthe lion tonnes of cargo, up 15%Port of Thunder Bay on the overthepreviousyear.Andtip of Lake Superior. It is con-in 2020, it is on track to shat- tinuing to experience above-ter past records, with volumeaveragegrainshipmentsas at 18.8 million tonnes for theinternationaldemandfor 7-monthperiodtoend-Julywheatremainshighthrough versustheyear-earlier15.2the global pandemic.As of milliontonnes.Thatsa3.6July31,year-to-dategrain million tonne uptick! volume of 4.2 million tonnes Ourreliable,efficientstood at 26% higher than last world-class infrastructure pro- year.TheglobalCOVID-videsadvantagesthatallow19pandemichascreated Canadian iron ore companiesvoids in grain supply as some to be competitive with lead- countries restrict exports and ingproducerssuchasAus- consumers stock up in staple traliaandBrazil,indicatedfoods,commentedchiefThe niche port of Sept-Iles on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River is on a record pace thanks to robust global PierreGagnon,presidentexecutive Tim Heney. demand for high-quality Canadian iron ore.(Photo Port of Sept-Iles)andCEOoftheSept-Iles Port Authority. The excellent quality of Canadian iron oreCoalition of New England Companies for Tradeoninternationalmarketsis holding its own. China con-tinuestodrivethemarket,REGISTER NOW!Mr. Gagnon said, adding that Chinaaccountsfor50%to 60% of the iron ore volumes moving through Sept-les.OperationsattheportCONECT PRESENTS THE 19TH ANNUALhavenotbeenadversely affectedbytheCOVID-19 pandemic. Mining productionNORTHEAST CARGO SYMPOSIUMlevels in the Labrador Trough region were already bouncing backbymid-April.Mean-VIRTUAL EVENT (PLANScontinued fromTwo Days of Expert Industry EducationNovember 9 & 10, 2020page 20)Montreal handled an unprec-edented40.6milliontonnesTRADE DAY (metrictons)oftotalcargo andarecord1.75millionMONDAY, NOV. 9, 1:003:30 PMTEUs. Factoring in the com- Brenda Smith, Executive Assistant Commissioner, bined effects of the pandemicOffice of Trade, U.S. CBP on CBPs trade initiatives andwaterfrontstrikesas well as an anticipated strongCONECT Counsel Peter Friedmann on presidential showinginthefourthquar- election results and impact on tradeTrade Day KeynoteTransportation Day Keynote ter, Mr. Boemi affirmed: WeBCOs and trade attorneys on complianceExecutive Assistant CommissionerCommissioner Rebecca F. Dye willprobablyendtheyearchallenges and interpretations Brenda Smith,Federal Maritime Commissionwith a drop of 9% to 10% inOffice of Trade, U.S. CBPcontainertrafficandaboutTRANSPORTATION DAY 12% in total traffic. TUESDAY, NOV. 10, 1:003:30 PMLike the Port of Quebec, thePortofMontrealisstillRebecca Dye, Federal Maritime Commission,awaitingthefinalfederalon detention and demurrage environmentalapprovalofaCONECT Counsel Peter Friedmann on presidential planned new terminal project.election results and impact on transportation In an important step forward, the Port of Montreal in earlyHot topics in ocean shipping for BCOs, Matthew Bock, Peter Friedmann,Augustlaunchedapubliccarriers, and portsTrade Day Chair,CONECT Counsel,procurement process in prep- COVID-19 challenges and opportunities Middleton, Shrull & Bock FBB Federal Relationsaration for the design and con- for BCOs, carriers, and forwardersstruction of the C$750 million Contrecoeur terminal that willPLUS:boost the ports capacity from 2.1 million TEUs to 3.5 mil- Virtual networking opportunitieslion TEUs. CONECT Partner and Sponsor virtual exhibitFor its part, the deepwaterand display opportunitiesPort of Halifax reported con-tinuedsteadygrowthtrendsTotal CCS/CES/MES/MCS points: Alison Leavitt, Nicole Uchrin, in2019,withtotalandcon- 5 points for 2 days (2.5 points per day) Transportation Day Co-chair, Transportation Day Co-chair,tainer volumes nearly match-Chafee Scholarship raffle Wine & Spirits Shippers Association Gemini Shippers Associationing2018.Containercargo amountedto546,591TEUs andtotaltrafficattained8.6 million tonnes. In the past fewPARTNERSHIPS, SPONSORSHIPS AND BOOKLET ADS ARE AVAILABLE!(PLANScontinued onCall CONECT at 508-481-0424 or go to CONECT.org for details.page 24)NECS_8x10_081720.indd 1 8/17/20 2:21 PM'