Port of Toronto Has Another Record-Breaking Year Moving 2.2 Million Metric Tonnes of Cargo

The year 2018 proved to be another strong one for the Port of Toronto as 2,179,795 metric tonnes of cargo transited through the Port on 178 ships, surpassing the record-breaking year experienced in 2017, and marking the third in the last five years that the Port of Toronto has moved in excess of 2 million metric tonnes of cargo.
Marine imports including sugar, road salt, cement, aggregate and steel were brought directly into the heart of Toronto throughout the course of the year, confirming the Port’s position as a vital part of Toronto’s economic infrastructure. In 2018, the Port of Toronto also saw the highest level of steel product moved through the port in twenty years, totalling 69,281 metric tonnes of rebar, merchant steel, steel plate and coils.

The 2018 cruise ship season welcomed 17 cruise ships carrying approximately 6,000 passengers to the Port of Toronto, highlighting the ever-growing Great Lakes cruise ship business and the role it plays in contributing to Toronto’s booming tourism industry. This number is expected to more than double this year with 35 cruise ships scheduled to visit Toronto as a port of call in the summer and fall of 2019.

The Port of Toronto was also pleased to welcome Cinespace – the largest private owner, operator and developer of studios for film, television and digital media production in North America – to the Port of Toronto in 2018. Cinespace has leased Marine Terminal 51 and part of the Cruise Ship Terminal on a long-term lease to offer production offices and studio space to content creators. In February 2019, it was announced that media giant Netflix will use this space as part of its Toronto production hub that will bring thousands in jobs and revenue to the city.

Read more about the Port of Toronto’s 2018 tonnage here.