The Superior way. (Thunder Bay Port Corp. Profile).

The Port of Thunder Bay has seen some tough times in recent years, but there are clear signs the worst is over, says Dennis Johnson, port authority CEO and harbour master.

"Our warehousing complex is full and there are emerging grain markets in North Africa and the Middle East that hold promise," Johnson says.

The port is a full-service facility long recognized for its significant role in Canadian commerce and international trade. Its all-time record shipping year was in 1983 when the port handled almost 23.6 million tonnes of cargo, including almost 17.7 million tonnes of grain.

Another development that has port officials feeling confident about the future of the port and the St. Lawrence Seaway is the actions of two shipping companies. Both FedNav and Wagenborg have built new ships in recent years that can navigate the seaway.

Over the last decade, Johnson explains, shipments have averaged just less than 11 million tonnes annually. Current annual shipments place Thunder Bay eighth on the total tonnage list of all Canadian port authorities. Thunder Bay is also one of Canada's largest ports with more than 55 kilometres of shoreline.

The mainstay of Thunder Bay's commerce is the transshipment of bulk cargos from rail to both domestic and foreign flag vessels. Grain grown on the Canadian prairies is the port's major commodity and constitutes approximately 70 per cent of its annual tonnage.

The St. Lawrence Seaway allows vessels up to 225.5 metres-long to rise to a height of 183.2 metres above sea level and travel almost 3,680 kilometres inland from the Atlantic Ocean to Thunder Bay.

"Anywhere from 25 to 40 per cent of the 500 vessels which call at the port each year are foreign flagged," Johnson says.

While most of the port's cargo-handling activities are Undertaken by private-sector companies, which own their facilities, the federal government has created the Thunder Bay Port Authority to administer the port in accordance with the provisions of the Canada Marine Act.

The port authority has custody and control of federal lands and waterlots located within the port limits. It also operates Keefer Terminal, the port's general cargo facility, together with an adjacent industrial subdivision known as Harbour Park.

Facilities

Bulk Commodity Handling - Thunder Bay's specialty is and always has been bulk commodity handling. Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, Agricore-United, James Richardson International, Cargill, Parrish and Heimbecker and Mission Terminals Inc. all handle a full range of export and domestic- use grains.

Other terminals operated by Canada Malt and Western Grain By-Products are more specialized and complement the activities of the main export terminals.

In 2001, the port counted 10 operating grain elevators and a malt house, which directly employ more, than 400 operating and management personnel supported by many more people engaged in inspection, sampling and weighing.

Coal and Potash - The second- and third-largest commodity movements through the port are coal and potash, respectively. Western Canadian coal is transshipped from unit trains to vessels at Thunder Bay Terminals Ltd. The facility can handle up to five million tonnes of coal annually, which is used around the Great Lakes Basin for power generation and steel production.

Potash, a fertilizer component produced in Saskatchewan, is handled at both Thunder Bay Terminals and Valley Camp Ltd., which ship to both domestic ports and to international ports Both Valley Camp and Thunder Bay Terminals handle limited volumes of agricultural products grain, and grain byproducts. Valley Camp also handles salt, Steel and occasionally miscellaneous bulk commodities.

Other Facilities - Other port facilities handle aggregates, petroleum, liquid chemical products and forest products, mainly lumber and kraft pulp.

The port offers a full range of vessel services and PASCOL Engineering operates a vessel maintenance and repair facility with a dry dock capable of hull repairs to maximum-depth seaway vessels.

The Canadian Coast Guard is responsible for both maintenance and search and rescue at its base next to Keefer Terminal.

Keefer Terminal

The port authority's Keefer Terminal is the largest warehousing complex in central Canada. The facilities are routinely used for transshipment of marine cargo such as bagged agricultural products, forest products and machinery; Bulk materials requiring dry storage have also been handled at the terminal.

Keefer's 500,000 square feet of storage space is used extensively by the northwestern Ontario forest products sector. Newsprint, pulp,, recyclable and other products are handled on a year-round basis.

The terminals rail and road network supports the transfer of commodities from rail to truck and from truck to rail. Stevedores and material handlers undertake product-handling operations. They employ a skilled workforce to provide safe and secure all-weather storage and handling at all times, Johnson says.

Harbour Subdivision - The port's Harbour Park Subdivision is located adjacent to Keefer Terminal and has been developed to provide a centre for firms engaged in transportation, delivery and warehousing.

The industrial park is currently home to an intermodal container yard as well as companies involved in trucking, courier and delivery services, food, steel and materials distribution. Firms involved with trail track installation and repair and installing and servicing, elevator lift devices are also located in the subdivision.

2001 Cargo Statistics

                           5 Year     10 Year
Commodity        2001      Average    Average

Grain          6,484,351  7,624,053  8,170,884
Coal           1,642,820  1,260,179  1,702,093
Potash          511,546    621,963    571,121
Dry Bulk        199,435    140,179    135,406
Liquid Bulk     235,152    165,259    166,936
General Cargo   144,352    145,078    146,159
TOTAL          9,217,656  9,956,711  10,892,599