Potash exports drive Thunder Bay port Cargo volumes through the Port of Thunder Bay at the halfway mark of the 2017 shipping season are 15 per cent above the 10-year average, especially on grain and potash shipments.
In its August newsletter, the port authority reports grain elevators have shipped about 350,000 tonnes more gain than usual.
Potash cargoes are moving at a record pace.
Volumes of the commodity spiked for the fourth straight month, said the port authority, more than the doubling the ten-year average tonnage.
The 87,000 tonnes of potash shipped during the month of July was the highest for that particular month since 1988.
The year-to-date shipments of potash have exceeded annual results for the last four seasons, with over five months to go before the shipping season closes for the winter.
Most potash shipments are heading to destinations in Brazil and Europe.