WASHINGTON, DC, US — US grain shipments on the St. Lawrence Seaway System reached 1.078 million tonnes for the 2022 shipping season from March 22 to Nov. 30, according to the most recent Great Lakes Seaway Partnership report.

US grain shipments on the Seaway System were down 2.6% compared to 1.106 million tonnes from April 1 to Nov. 30, 2021. Through October 2022, US grain shipments had been nearly 25% ahead of the 2021 pace at 934,000 tonnes.

The Port of Oswego, New York, US, on Lake Ontario continued its strong year as an agricultural exporter with an outbound soybean shipment in November.

“This year has shown the immense capabilities of the Great Lakes to deliver food to the global market, and Oswego has played a significant role in that,” said Bill Scriber, executive director, Port of Oswego. “November was another productive month on our docks and we look forward to finishing the 2022 year strong.”

November grain exports originated from Oswego, Toledo, Milwaukee and Duluth, highlighting the Seaway System’s supply chain and the global access that North American growers and exporters have via the Great Lakes. 

“Shipping on the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System depends on the capabilities of a network of highly capable ports that help feed the world and empower our economy at home,” said Adam Tindall-Schlicht, administrator, Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. “The November tonnage report is another indicator that international supply chains through Great Lakes ports are diverse and reliable as we near the close of the 2022 shipping season.”

It's estimated that US Great Lakes ports traded with at least 19 countries during November, up from 18 in October.

The Great Lakes-Seaway System serves an economic region that includes eight US states and two Canadian provinces. More than 160 million tonnes of commercial cargo are transported on the waterway each year for the region’s manufacturing, mining, agriculture, and energy sectors.