THE Port of Toronto handled more than two million tonnes of cargo from overseas last year, marking an eight-year high for marine imports into the city and confirming the port's position as a key contributor to Toronto's transport scene.
Long derided as a "canoe port" by the Port of Montreal, Toronto played host to 160 ships in 2014, resulting in the highest level of imports since 2007 and representing a 30 per cent increase over 2013 tonnages.
The cargoes 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 previous year, the American Journal of Transportation reported.
"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 PortsToronto CEO Geoffrey Wilson.
"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."
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, handling goods from such countries as Germany, Australia, South Korea, China and the US.
PORTS
06 April 2015 - 21:17
Port of Toronto's imports hit eight-year high
THE Port of Toronto handled more than two million tonnes of cargo from overseas last year, marking an eight-year high for marine imports into the city and confirming the port's position as a key contributor to Toronto's transport scene.
PORTS
06 April 2015 - 21:17
Port of Toronto's imports hit eight-year high
This news 8926 hits received.
These news may also interest you