Montreal posts preliminary 2022 results

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by Emily Atkins

After two years marked by declines in cargo volumes due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Port of Montreal posted a 5.4 percent gain in volumes over last year with a total of 35.9 million tonnes of cargo transiting through its facilities in 2022.

These are preliminary (unaudited) results for 2022.

“The Port of Montreal, your port, is doing fine, as evidenced by the encouraging preliminary results for 2022,” said Martin Imbleau, president and CEO.

“In the great disruption caused by the pandemic, we all became aware of the existence and importance of supply chains and the need to restructure them. The Port of Montreal and its partners can help make this possible, specifically with the development of our major container terminal project in Contrecoeur.”

The container sector saw a slight increase of 1.2 percent with 14.4 million tons handled.

With the recovery in movements, the liquid bulk sector enjoyed a net increase of 10.5 percent over 2021 with 13 million tonnes handled.

The dry bulk sector posted a 3.2 percent to 8.1 million tonnes. The grain sector has seen a strong recovery with an increase of 18.7 percent after a difficult 2021 due to drought. The 2022 crop is shaping up to be one of the best in recent years.

Finally, miscellaneous and non-containerized commodities totaled 0.4 million tons, up nearly 90 percent from 2021.

The year 2022 was also marked by the return of cruises to Montreal, after two consecutive seasons cancelled due to health restrictions. Its terminals saw more than 37,000 passengers.

Montreal is the second largest port in Canada and handles all types of goods: containerized and non-containerized cargo, liquid bulk and dry bulk. The only container port in Quebec, it is a destination port served by the largest shipping lines in the world. It is also an intermodal hub with its own rail network directly dockside connected to Canada’s two national rail networks.

Port activity supports 19,000 jobs and generates $2.6 billion in economic benefits annually.