Record year for Montreal

Activity in the container sector increased 3.6% over 2010, reaching 12.5m tonnes, or 1.36m teu. Liquid bulks were up 34% to 10.1m tonnes, with higher receipts of refined products explaining this upswing. Other liquid bulk products rose 9.1% compared to 2010, mainly because of an increased demand for ethanol.

For its part, the volume of dry bulk handled rose 7.1%, largely due to increased movements of gypsum, fertilizer, coal and iron ore. This increase excludes grain traffic, which underwent a transition year with the transfer of the grain terminal’s operations to the agri-business, Viterra.

Further to the sustainable development policy adopted in 2010, the Port of Montreal welcomed its first GenSet locomotive, which makes it possible to reduce fuel consumption by 54% and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 90%. Three other GenSet locomotives will be delivered this August.