By the end of 2011, net income had risen to $7.1 million, thanks in part to stringent control over expenses. The Port of Montreal handles containers, liquid bulk, dry bulk and grain, and accommodates cruise lines. In 2011, activity in the container sector increased 3.6% over 2010, reaching 12.5 million tonnes of cargo, or 1.36 million TEUs (20-foot
equivalent unit) containers.Turning to liquid bulk, last year the Port handled 10.1 million tonnes, up 34% over 2010. Higher receipts of refined products carried by vessels explain this upswing. Other liquid bulk products rose 9.1% compared to last year, mainly because of an increased demand for ethanol.
For its part, the volume of dry bulk handled rose 7.1%, largely due to more loads of
gypsum, fertilizer, coal and iron ore. This increase does not include grain traffic, which
underwent a transition year with the July 1 transfer of the Grain Terminal’s operations to
the agri-business Viterra. Also, the 2011 season wrapped up with 40 international and river cruises for a total of 38,031 passengers. The Montreal Cruise Committee launched in June 2011 now has nine partners from the Montreal tourist industry actively promoting Montreal as a stopover with travel professionals. The initial results are promising: this year 55,000
passengers are expected, a 46% increase in the number of passengers. The MPA
thanks all the partners on the Montreal Cruise Committee for the great work achieved.