Thunder Bay port gets a strong start to the 2025 shipping season

On the morning of May 6, 2025, four cargo ships were anchored outside the breakwater at the Port of Thunder Bay, while six more vessels were loading cargo at the docks, a busy scene of ten ships in total, marking a strong start to the shipping season. Port Authority CEO Chris Heikkinen said that current cargo volumes are higher than the multi-year average for this time of year, and after last year's highest throughput since the 1990s, growth is expected again this year.

The traditional 'silk hat ceremony' at the Port of Thunder Bay was held early on March 25, with the first bulk carrier to arrive, the Captain Henry Jackman, receiving the ceremonial hat symbolizing the opening of the port. Due to ice on the lake, ships still need icebreaker assistance to enter the harbor, but the fact that navigation resumed just two months after the port closed in mid-January shows the shipping season is extending year by year.

On Tuesday morning, four ships were queuing at the designated anchorage outside the breakwater waiting to dock, while six others were loading at grain and general cargo terminals. Heikkinen noted that May is usually the busiest month of the year, with terminals in Thunder Bay on tight schedules, so ships arriving early simply wait outside the harbor, typically entering within one to two days.

The Port Authority expects grain exports to remain high this year, with potash and steel imports also performing well. In 2024, cargo volume at the Port of Thunder Bay grew 12% year-over-year, and this year's target is to match or slightly exceed last year. To cope with rising maintenance costs, the port has increased berthage and dockage rates for the 2025 season effective March 15.

Heikkinen pointed out that while the queue at the anchorage may give an impression of 'congestion' to outsiders, for the port and the city it is a 'physical indicator' of employment and income, highlighting Thunder Bay's important role as a hub for moving western Canadian grain eastward and for mineral and steel transshipment. As global supply chains diversify, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway is attracting more international cargo, creating new logistics and manufacturing opportunities, and offering prospects for value-added services and infrastructure investment in Thunder Bay.

The Port Authority will release detailed cargo data for the first month (through the end of April) later this week, along with revised forecasts for the full year. If the climate remains mild and water levels on the St. Lawrence River stay stable, Thunder Bay could again approach the highest levels in nearly three decades this year, further consolidating its strategic hub status in Canada's grain and general cargo export landscape.