WATERTOWN, NY (AP)-- St. Lawrence Seaway officials say the total tonnage of goods shipped along the waterway increased by 4 percent last year.
The Canadian Seaway Management Corporation said Monday that the amount carried by cargo ships rose in 2012 to 38.9 million tons, compared to 37.5 million tons in 2011.
Seaway officials say the rise in overall cargo volume was due in part to a late-season surge in grain movements. They said strong Canadian grain movements offset a sharp drop in U.S. grain shipments blamed on last year's drought.
Export shipments of iron ore increased by 14.6 percent to 10,135 tons over 2011.
The Seaway, which links the Great Lakes and the North Atlantic, closed for the season on December 29.
