The Port of Johnstown finished last year with its highest revenues in the last two decades. MARIO FAUBERT / JPG, BT
The Port of Johnstown finished last year with its highest revenues in the last two decades.
In its annual report, the port, which has been owned by the Township of Edwardsburgh/Cardinal since 2001, said it made $3.5 million in 2019 because of record volumes of cargo moved through Johnstown.
Last year’s profit represents an increase of 18.2 per cent over 2018 and the fifth straight increase since 2014, the port’s managers said in the annual report.
The profits are the result of increased cargo volumes.
Since 2001, cargo has jumped 47 per cent and “the trend continues to move in a positive direction,” the report said.
Two weather-related factors affected shipping last year.
Grain shipments were down because of a poor harvest caused by weather.
“The weather pattern started in the winter with swings from warm temperatures that brought rain to periods of cold temperature,” the report said. ”This weather is hard on the winter wheat and resulted in over 50 per cent of the winter wheat being winter killed.”
The bad weather also affected volumes of corn and soybeans through the port.
But while the weather took its toll on harvest shipments, the port benefited from another weather-induced cargo – road salt.
The port had a record year in salt shipments with 30 ships unloading their salty cargoes in Johnstown, an increase of 19 per cent over 2018.
The weather also had another unintended consequence for the port. The facility welcomed 10 cruise boats that docked in Johnstown because of high water at Kingston and Prescott.
Although soybean volumes dipped slightly below the 2018 record volumes, it continued to be the biggest commodity handled by the port – 52 per cent of the volume compared with 38 per cent for corn and 9.5 per cent for wheat.
“The results are extremely gratifying as we continue to see an upward trend in cargo handled here at the port,” Mayor Pat Sayeau of Edwardsburgh/Cardinal said in a statement.
“We are definitely on the map as we continue to take calls from major players in the shipping industry who want to find out more about our services.”
One of the highlights of the year was the federal government’s announcement of $4.8 million from the National Trade Corridor Fund toward expanding the port’s grain-handling infrastructure.
“We have exciting years ahead as we continue to invest under the National Trade Corridor Funding, which will result in more efficient ship-loading, as well as increased grain storage for our local producers,” Sayeau said.
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