Québec Marine Transportation Policy - Transport - Gouvernement ...

12
1.4 Freight transportation on the Saint-Laurent
Despite an increase in Québec exports and a favourable economic context, traffic in the ports of the
Saint-Laurent has fallen significantly in the past 20 years. From 130 MT in 1980 to 100 MT in 1990,
the volume of goods transiting through the ports of the Saint-Laurent has remained steady at around
105 MT since then. Traffic passing through the locks upriver of Montréal has followed a similar trend.
From the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 until the end of the seventies, the volume
of cargo transhipped had more than doubled, going from less than 30 MT to more than 70 MT
per year. Volume fell back to 40.9 MT in 1993, but has now stabilized at 50 MT per year.
In 1998, the value of Québec goods transported by sea was estimated at $6.2 billion, or 11% of
the total. As for imports, approximately a quarter of the $43.6 billion worth of imported goods,
or a little over 10 billion dollars, were transported by ship. Although the proportion of goods
transported by ship varies from year to year, the value of imports remains superior to that of
exports. During the period from 1980 to 1997, the value of products imported by ship increased
significantly, but did not make up for the decrease in exports.
International marine traffic
Maritime freight in Québec is linked for the most part to trade
with the rest of the world, which accounts for 75% of its activities.
Of the 78 MT of products that made up its international
traffic in 1998, two thirds were exported to Europe and the
United States. Iron ore and grain were the most exported
goods. The other third, around 28 MT, was made up of products
imported mainly from Europe, the United States and Latin
America. Crude oil, bauxite and alumina, chemical products and
non-ferrous ore were the most imported products. During the
last two decades, exports from ports of the Saint-Laurent have
dropped by 21%, or 13 MT.