Seaway reports increase in shipping

After a horrible year for the marine shipping industry, customers are coming back to the St. Lawrence Seaway — a sign, the head of the Seaway Development Corp. said, that the U.S. and Canadian economies are rebounding from the recession.

Because opening days differ each year, an exact comparison isn't available. But on Tuesday, the Seaway reported that from opening day March 25 through the end of April, 3.65 million tons of cargo were shipped. That's up sharply from the 3.1 million tons shipped from last year's opening day March 31 through April — an 18 percent increase in March and April cargo shipments compared with 2009.

"We're sort of a barometer of the U.S. and Canadian economies. And it's certainly encouraging to see that the economy is kicking back to life," Seaway Administrator Collister W. "Terry" Johnson Jr. said.

Last year, the Seaway handled 10 million fewer tons of cargo compared with 2008, down 28 percent.

Mr. Johnson said the marine shipping industry is a good indicator of North America's economy as it responds quickly to changing market demands for commodities in the Great Lakes region, which is home to numerous energy, dry goods and major manufacturing businesses on both sides of the border.

The shipping volume, however, is still less than at the beginning of the Seaway's 2008 season, when 3.79 million tons of cargo traveled the Seaway between its March 22 opening day and the end of April.

"What's most encouraging is that the steel industry is rebounding," Mr. Johnson said, adding that shipments of iron ore have increased by 127 percent in March and April compared with last year, an indication that the auto market is recovering.

Allister Paterson, president and chief executive officer of Seaway Marine Transport, St. Catherines, Ontario, said more cargo on the shipping channel means more jobs for the people living in the region.

"With the economic rebound being experienced by the core industrial sectors we serve, especially the steel industry, we anticipate a higher level of fleet activity and crew employment levels this season," Mr. Paterson said in a news release.

According to a 2001 study by Martin Associates, a transportation consulting firm in Lancaster, Pa., the Seaway is responsible for approximately 75,000 direct and indirect jobs in Canada and 150,000 in the U.S. and annually generates more than $4.3 billion in personal income, $3.4 billion in transportation-related business revenue and $1.3 billion in federal, state and local taxes.