At 8.4 million tonnes, the 2020 volumes in the dry bulk sector dropped 9% compared to 2019 volumes.
The pandemic and the dockworkers’ strike largely account for this impact in various sectors.
Slowdowns in the construction and automotive sectors as a result of lockdown measures were major causes of this decline. Metals and minerals in particular fell 15%.
However, several sectors remained stable. The grain sector, driven by bumper crops of wheat in Western Canada and soybeans in Quebec and Ontario, as well as an increase in global consumption of agricultural products, remained stable, dipping only 1% from 2019.
Similarly, fertilizer and sugar volumes were on a par with 2019 volumes, as the agricultural industry was not impacted by the pandemic.