THUNDER BAY — A Thunder Bay grain terminal has established a record for the largest amount of grain loaded onto a single vessel in the history of the port.
The new mark was reached Sunday at the G3 Canada elevator on the Mission River, breaking a record set just this summer at another terminal.
Elevator workers put 31,143 metric tons of grain into the holds of the Algoma Central Corporation's newest bulk carrier, Capt. Henry Jackman.
In July, the same vessel was loaded with 31,100 metric tons of grain at the nearby Superior elevator.
Carlo Lombardo, general manager of G3 Thunder Bay, says the company has made significant investments in the terminal in the past year, including a recently-completed dredging operation.
He said that without those investments it wouldn't have been possible to set the record.
"The agriculture industry is an essential service. Since the onset of this pandemic, our guys have never stopped. They realize that it's absolutely critical for the grain flow to continue from Western Canada through the port of Thunder Bay to domestic and international markets," Lombardo said.
"At the end of the day, they're just happy to be part of that network. And this milestone is just the icing on the cake for us."
Lombardo said it's particularly rewarding to set a record after working an "unbelievably difficult" 18 months through the pandemic.
He also acknowledged that there's a friendly competition among Thunder Bay's terminal operators for achievements such as this.
"There's a little bit of a rivalry going on. It's a lot of fun."
