Port of Toronto Achieves Eight-Year High for Cargo Imports

Two Million Tonnes of Salt, Construction Material and Bulk Imports Delivered through the Port Last Year

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TORONTO, March 25, 2015 /CNW/ - More than two million tonnes of cargo from around the world were delivered directly into the heart of the city last year through the Port of Toronto, marking an eight-year high for marine imports into the city and confirming the Port's position as a key contributor to Toronto's transportation infrastructure and economic strength.

More than 160 ships visited the Port of Toronto in 2014, resulting in the highest level of imports since 2007 and representing a 30 per cent increase over 2013 tonnages. The cargos carried into the Port last year included stone and aggregate imports which increased by 50 per cent, and salt imports which increased nearly 150 per cent, over the year prior.

"From the salt used on our roads to keep drivers safe to the concrete used in Toronto's booming construction industry, the goods delivered through Toronto's Port have a significant impact on the people, projects, and industries of Toronto," said Geoffrey Wilson, Chief Executive Officer,  PortsToronto. "The Port provides Canadian and international businesses with a convenient, cost-effective and environmentally-responsible way to bring goods into Canada's largest city. This eight-year high underlines the importance of maintaining and marketing the operation of the Port."

In addition to its economic impact, increased imports through the Port has a positive impact on the environment and traffic congestion given that the more than two million tonnes of cargo delivered by ship took approximately 50,000, 40-tonne trucks off Toronto's already congested roads and highways. One tonne of freight can travel 240 kilometres on a single litre of fuel by ship, whereas it can only travel 30 kilometres on the same amount of fuel by truck.

In addition to the increase in cargo delivered through the Port, six cruise ships carrying a total of more than 2,900 passengers visited PortsToronto's Cruise Ship Terminal in 2014, nearly five times the number of passengers who visited Toronto via the Port the year prior. The 2015 cruise season is expected to be one of the Port's busiest to date, with 15 ships bringing more than 3,500 visitors to Toronto from May through to October.

Since 1793, the Port of Toronto has served as Toronto's gateway to the St. Lawrence Seaway and to marine ports around the world. Before the introduction of the shipping container, and its use as the major means of moving non-bulk cargo, such items as automobiles, rubber and farm machinery were common cargo through the Port of Toronto. Now serving primarily as a bulk cargo facility, the Port's unique location minutes from downtown Toronto provides a network of intermodal links to road, rail and air transportation, allowing goods from such countries as Germany, Australia, South Korea, China and the USA to flow in and out of the city. In addition to managing the movement of ships through the Harbour, PortsToronto is the owner and operator of Marine Terminals 51 and 52, where the Cruise Ship Terminal is located, within the Port of Toronto.

PortsToronto (www.portstoronto.com)
For more than 100 years PortsToronto (formerly Toronto Port Authority) has worked with its partners at the federal, provincial and municipal levels to enhance the economic growth of the City of Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. A financially self-sustaining government business enterprise, PortsToronto owns and operates Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, which welcomes more than two million passengers each year; the Outer Harbour Marina, one of Canada's largest freshwater marinas; and Terminals 51 and 52, which provide transportation, distribution, storage and container services to businesses at the Port of Toronto. PortsToronto is committed to fostering strong, healthy and sustainable communities and has invested more than $5.6 million since 2009 in charitable initiatives and environmental programs that benefit communities along Toronto's waterfront and beyond. PortsToronto operates in accordance with the Canada Marine Act and is guided by a nine-member board with representation from all three levels of government.

SOURCE PortsToronto

Media Contact: Erin Mikaluk, Senior Manager, Communications & Media Relations, PortsToronto, Tel: [phone]; Cell: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]