Montreal container traffic
down 18.4% in first half

Increased grain traffic, market diversification
help lessen effects of economic downturn

August 13, 2009

The Port of Montreal handled 5.4 million tonnes of containerized cargo in the first half of 2009, down 18.4 per cent from the first six months of last year. The drop in full and empty containers was 14.6 per cent to 619,721 TEUs.

However, the port claims that according to data from the American Association of Port Authorities, its container numbers are better than those of its main competitors on the East Coast.

In the grain sector, the port enjoyed a 31-per-cent increase in marine transportation traffic over the first half of last year. Total traffic at the port’s grain terminal, including marine, rail and road transportation, amounted to 1.2 million tonnes for the first six months of 2009.

The port also said its market diversification efforts have had a favourable effect. Container traffic with the Mediterranean saw a 22.2-per-cent upswing in the number of full TEUs in the first half.

Total tonnage for the first six months of the year amounted to 10.9 million tonnes, down 2 million tonnes or 15.4 per cent from the year-ago period.

“The downturns we have experienced in containerized cargo and dry bulk such as iron, zinc and copper are due to difficulties in the manufacturing sectors of Ontario and the American Midwest, which were still being hit by the recession in the first half of this year,” said Sylvie Vachon, president and CEO of the Montreal Port Authority.

The Port of Montreal handled a record 27 million tonnes of total traffic and an unprecedented 1.47 million TEUs in 2008.