Montreal quarterly box volume up 3.5pc to 309,799 TEU

THE Port of Montreal's first quarter container volume increased 3.5 per cent to 309,799 TEU against last year's 299,417 TEU, according to the Montreal Port Authority.

Inbound, first quarter volume rose 4.5 per cent to 148,413 TEU and outbound it increased 2.5 per cent to 161,386 TEU. Last year, container traffic fell 15.3 per cent to 1,247,690 TEU as consumer spending of central Canada and the US Midwest declined in the global economic downturn.

Traffic with the Mediterranean and the Caribbean experienced the strongest growth, with increases of 36.6 per cent and 19.8 per cent respectively. Traffic with northern Europe was the same with an uptick of 0.1 per cent year on year.

Overall quarterly cargo volume through Montreal was up 7.6 per cent compared to the same quarter a year earlier, a statement from port authorities said.

Main growth drivers were container traffic and iron ore. Dry bulk volume rose 37 per cent in the first quarter. Overall throughput at the grain terminal (ships, trains and trucks) totalled 566,674 tonnes, up 10.8 per cent over the first quarter of 2009.

(Source: www.schednet.com)