Increases in cement, steel create another strong year at Port of Toronto in ‘20
High construction volumes in the Greater Toronto Area in 2020 combined to create another strong year for demand at the Port of Toronto.
The port announced on March 16 that it moved more than 2.2 million metric tonnes of goods despite the supply chain challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlights included the highest cement cargo levels in 16 years, and the return of short sea shipping—where goods are moved from one port to another without crossing oceans.
Overall, 174 cargo vessels visited the port in 2020, bringing 2,208,358 metric tonnes of cargo.
The port recorded its highest cement cargo imports in 16 years with more than 728,600 metric tonnes delivered through the Port of Toronto last year. It also recorded an 11-percent increase in sugar imports, with 638,283 metric tonnes imported from Central and South America. In addition to importing 677,726 metric tonnes of salt and 92,072 metric tonnes of aggregate in 2020, the port had another strong year for steel products such as steel coils, rebar, plates and rail from Sweden, Spain and Turkey, totalling more than 59,381 metric tonnes.
The port also saw the return of short sea shipping with the movement of 375 containers from the Port of Montreal to the Port of Toronto in October. Arrangements with Transport Canada are being made to ensure that the Port of Toronto can continue to support the region's supply chain through short sea shipping.
The port also saw the first of several bridge spans arrive from Nova Scotia via tug/barge for Waterfront Toronto's Villiers Island project, and was critical in providing berthing for marine equipment working on the City of Toronto Ashbridge's Bay Sewer Treatment Plant new outfall project.
"The Port of Toronto experienced another strong year in 2020, with more than 2.2 million metric tonnes of cargo moving through the port and carrying much of the food, construction materials and other resources that the Greater Toronto Area needed to keep it moving during these challenging times," said Geoffrey Wilson, CEO, PortsToronto. "In 2021 and beyond, the Port of Toronto will continue to provide Canadian and international businesses with a convenient, cost-effective and environmentally-responsible way of bringing goods into Canada's largest city."
The port plays other roles in the local economy. It generally is a welcome point for Great Lakes cruise ships to Toronto—an industry that brought approximately 12,000 visitors to Toronto in 2019. It also provides a production hub for film and movie players such as Cinespace and Netflix.
Port officials estimate that in addition to the economic impact created by shipping, the port also has a positive effect on the environment. Delivering the more than 2.2 million tonnes of goods through the port equates to taking approximately 54,000, 40-tonne trucks off Toronto's roads and highways.
The Port of Toronto has operated since 1793, and is Toronto's gateway to the St. Lawrence Seaway and to marine ports around the world.