Total cargo volume on the St. Lawrence Seaway to the end May amounted to 8.06 million tonnes, 3.3% lower than the corresponding period of 2025, according to statistics released by the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation.
The overall drop was mainly due to a decline of 12.6% in grain shipments to 2.6 million tonnes.
Early 2026 navigation season shipping was impacted by challenging ice conditions.
Iron ore and dry bulk showed respective gains of 2.9% and 8.7% at 1.2 million tonnes and 2.5 million tonnes.
Liquid bulk decreased by 5% to 957,000 tonnes while general cargo, at 485,000 tonnes, showed a 13% decline.
Vessel transits posted a slight increase at 888.
(Photo of Welland Canal by SLSMC)