The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership today announced the tonnage report for traffic through the St. Lawrence Seaway through July, showing a continuation to a steady 2022 shipping season.

“As the season progresses, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System continues to provide shippers a reliable route for a diverse range of commodities flowing in and out of the U.S. heartland,” said Craig H. Middlebrook, Deputy Administrator, Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. “Cargo numbers continue to improve thanks to the dedicated workers at our ports and on the vessels who are keeping essential products like grain and steel moving efficiently through the Seaway’s maritime supply chain.”

Between the start of the shipping season and the end of July, the Seaway System moved 514,000 tonnes of grain, marking a nearly 37 percent increase compared to the same period in 2021. This increase highlights the ongoing demand for U.S. grain shipments in response to food shortages caused by the conflict in Ukraine.

It's estimated that U.S. Great Lakes ports traded with at least 27 countries during the month of July, up from 26 in June.

Below is a breakdown of the key performance indicators and commodity trackers comparing tonnage numbers through July 2022 to the same period of 2021.

2022 Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway Key Performance Indicators**

2021

2022

Change (+/-)

Total Transits*

1,761

1,791

+1.70%

Total Cargo*

17,024,000 mt

15,721,000 mt

-7.56%

*Combined U.S. and Canadian traffic

**All data is compared year-over-year (2021: Shipments from April 1 to July 31, 2021) (2022: Shipments from March 22 to July 31, 2022)

2022 Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway Key Commodity Trackers***

2021

2022 (listed in descending order)

Change (+/-)**

U.S. Grain

373,000 mt

511,000 mt

+36.97%

Coke*

700,000 mt

1,019,000 mt

+45.62%

Salt*

1,191,000 mt

1,327,000 mt

+11.47%

Potash*

143,000 mt

526,000 mt

+267.75%

Scrap Metal*

27,000 mt

44,000 mt

+62.56%

Iron & Steel*

1,002,000 mt

1,099,000 mt

+9.62 %

Ores & Concentrates*

60,000 mt

139,000 mt

+132.43%

Other General Cargo (including wind energy equipment)*

46,000 mt

104,000 mt

+128.04%

*Combined U.S. and Canadian traffic

**Percentages rounded to nearest tenth

***All data is compared year-over-year (2021: Shipments from April 1 to July 31, 2021) (2022: Shipments from March 22 to July 31, 2022)