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Us Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation News

16 Jul 2020

US Great Lakes Ports See Mixed Impacts from COVID-19

Fraserborg loading wheat bound for Italy at the Riverland Ag Corp. terminal in Duluth, Minnesota, on June 15, 2020. (Photo: Duluth Seaway Port Authority)

U.S. Great Lakes ports reported mixed results in June with aluminum, road salt and grain shipments holding strong despite the coronavirus pandemic, while shipments of commodities related to steel production and manufacturing have continued to slide.Additionally, the St. Lawrence Seaway reported that from April 1 to June 30, nearly 11.7 million metric tons of cargo was shipped via the bi-national trade corridor. While these volumes were down 8% compared to the same time period in 2019, cargo shipments improved in June narrowing the year-over-year decline.Craig H.

11 Jun 2020

COVID-19 Weighs on Great Lakes-Seaway Shipping

File photo: The Federal Schelde dropping off a load of salt at the Port of Johnstown in 2019. (Photo: Port of Johnstown)

While St. Lawrence Seaway cargo volumes decreased during the past two months due to economic shifts related to COVID-19, industry leaders said the binational trade and transportation corridor is ready to play its part in the economic recovery efforts in the coming months. Meanwhile, with an increased focus on commodity diversification through project cargo, international shipments of wind energy components in the Great Lakes region are taking off.Overall St. Lawrence Seaway tonnage from March 15 through May 31 totaled 7.7 million metric tons, down 10% compared to the same time period in 2019.

13 Apr 2020

Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor Kicks Off 2020 International Season

(Photo: Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor)

The first ocean-going vessel of 2020 arrived Monday at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor, thereby commencing this year's international shipping season at the Great Lakes port.Port officials welcomed the M/V Muntgracht, a 466-foot general cargo carrier, after her five-day voyage through the St. Lawrence Seaway to the deepwater port on Lake Michigan. Due to the current global pandemic precautions, the ceremonial Steel Stein, a long-running tradition at the port, was canceled this…

25 Mar 2020

St. Lawrence Seaway/Great Lakes Shipping Season Commences

Š Daniel / Adobe Stock

The St. Lawrence Seaway’s 62nd navigation season kicked off on Tuesday with the transit of the Canadian-flagged cement carrier NACC Argonaut through Lock 8 on the Welland Canal.Then, in the early hours on Wednesday morning, first U.S.-flag commercial vessel transited the locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., signaling the start of the U.S. fleet's 2020 sailing season.The Seaway’s Montreal / Lake Ontario section will open on April 1 this year, eight days after the opening of the Welland Canal.

25 Oct 2019

Great Lakes Seaway Shipping Highlights Economic Impact

Stakeholders met with Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) officials, Deputy Commissioner Susan Mulvihill, Deputy Commissioner Scott Peterson, and Bill Gardner, Director of Freight, Railroads & Waterways Department of Transportation.

The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership hosted Capitol Day in St. Paul, Minnesota yesterday to meet with Governor Tim Walz and other key legislators to share insights on the critical role of the Great Lakes Seaway system in maintaining a vibrant regional, national and global economy.“Commercial navigation on the Great Lakes Seaway system is an economic driver — both broadly in the United States and Canada — but, especially, in Minnesota. More cargo moves in-and-out through Minnesota ports than any other Great Lakes state and supports over 6…

20 Jul 2018

Great Lakes Shipping Supports 237,000 Plus Jobs

The new study by the Department of Transportation Great Lakes - Saint Lawrence Seaway says that shipping  supports more than 237,000 jobs and billions in economic activity.A year-long study of the economic impacts of the entire Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway navigation system is a definitive and detailed report documenting the many contributions made by the Great Lakes Seaway system to federal, state/provincial and local economies.The study reports that in 2017 maritime commerce supported: 237,868 jobs, $35 billion in economic activity, $14.2 billion in personal income and local consumption expenditures and $6.6 billion in federal, state/provincial and local tax revenue.The study also highlights the specific economic benefits of key navigation infrastructure, such as the St.

30 Mar 2018

St. Lawrence Seaway Navigation Season Begins

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation marked the opening of the Seaway’s 60th navigation season today, with the transit of the newly built Algoma Niagara through Lock 3 on the Welland Canal. State-of-the-art ships such as the Algoma Niagara serve as a key part of the supply chain serving to bolster the competitiveness of North American industry. Over 227,000 jobs are supported by cargo moving over the Great Lakes / Seaway System. Terence Bowles, President and CEO of The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC), noted in his opening address that 2018 marked both the 60th navigation season for the waterway and the 20th anniversary of the SLSMC. Created in 1998 as a not-for-profit corporation, the SLSMC succeeded the former St. Lawrence Seaway Authority.

21 Mar 2017

St. Lawrence Seaway Navigation Season Open

The U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) and the Canadian St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation have jointly marked the opening of the Seaway’s 59th navigation season. The official opening ceremony of the binational waterway took place on March 20 at the St. Lambert Lock in Montreal with Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau attending as honored guest and SLSMC President and CEO Terence Bowles and SLSDC Deputy Administrator Craig H. Middlebrook addressing the gathering. “The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System is a tremendous asset that provides a safe and efficient means of moving cargo worldwide,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao.

17 Jan 2017

Seaway Records Longest Navigation Season

After opening the 2016 season on March 21, the St. Lawrence Seaway closed on December 31, enjoying a navigation season of 286 days. This performance ties the record first established in 2008 and matched in 2013 for the longest navigation season. The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation recorded a total of 35 million tonnes of cargo transiting the Seaway’s locks in 2016. Grain movements posted a strong performance for a third consecutive season, contributing 11 million tonnes of the total and continuing to track well above the five-year average. The Port of Thunder Bay, the principal point of entry for grain into the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System, reported a late-season surge in grain activity, as loadings in December trumped all previous December activity since 1995.

15 Dec 2016

Traditional, Project Cargoes Transit St. Lawrence Seaway in November

Š icholakov / Adobe Stock

“November was a good month for the export of agricultural products and shipments of aluminum ingots on the Great Lakes Seaway System,” said Betty Sutton, Administrator of the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. “Under the binational trade development program known as ‘Highway H2O’, the U.S. Sutton added, “The U.S. Great Lakes ports of Toledo, Ohio; Duluth, Minn.; Burns Harbor, Ind.; and Milwaukee, Wis. handled corn, soybeans and wheat exports bound for Europe, South America, and Central America.

09 Jun 2016

US Ports Gear up for 2016 Shipping Season

File image (FedNav)

The St. Lawrence Seaway opened two weeks earlier this shipping season and U.S. ports took advantage of the warm weather to move cargo for their customers. Betty Sutton, Administrator of the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation said, “During the first nine weeks of the 2016 navigation season, ships arrived from 30 countries and delivered high value cargo that supported a wide range of manufacturing. Our longshoremen worked diligently to offload cargo ships delivering transformers bound for electric power companies…

23 Mar 2016

Seaway Opens 58th Navigation Season Ice Free

Photo courtesy of SLSMC

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) marked the opening of the Seaway’s 58th navigation season, with the transit of Canada Steamship Lines’ Thunder Bay through Lock 3 on the Welland Canal. The ship, carrying a load of road salt, will be replenishing stocks depleted by ice storms which repeatedly struck Eastern Canada over the winter. “We certainly welcome the warmer weather. A return to an opening in the third week of March provides our clients with the opportunity to move cargo in a timely manner…

22 Mar 2016

Seaway Opens 58th Navigation Season

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) marked the opening of the Seaway’s 58th navigation season today, with the transit of Canada Steamship Lines’ Thunder Bay through Lock 3 on the Welland Canal. The ship, carrying a load of road salt, will be replenishing stocks depleted by ice storms which repeatedly struck Eastern Canada over the winter. “We certainly welcome the warmer weather. A return to an opening in the third week of March provides our clients with the opportunity to move cargo in a timely manner, and make the most of the navigation season” said Terence Bowles, President and CEO of the SLSMC. Allister Paterson, President of Canada Steamship Lines, served as the keynote speaker at the opening.

09 Feb 2016

All Ships’ Ballast Water Checked in Great Lakes Seaway

The Great Lakes Ballast Water Working Group (BWWG) released its 2015 Summary of Great Lakes Seaway Ballast Water Management activities Thursday. During 2015, 100 percent of vessels bound for the Great Lakes Seaway from outside the Exclusive Economic Zone received a ballast water management exam. In total, the BWWG assessed all 8,361 ballast tanks on the 455 vessels that transited during the 2015 navigation season. The Great Lakes Seaway Ballast Water Working Group is a binational collection of representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, Transport Canada - Marine Safety & Security and the Canadian St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation.

12 Jan 2016

St. Lawrence Seaway Wraps Up Navigation Season

Photo courtesy of St. Lawrence Seaway

With water temperatures well above the 10-year average, the St. Lawrence Seaway closed its 2015 navigation season ice free on December 31. Thirty-six million metric tons of cargo transited the waterway during the season, with grain, at volumes well above the five-year average, leading the way. The Seaway once again proved to be a key asset for farmers as they shipped their crops to markets at home and overseas. Grain volumes on the Seaway amounted to 10.8 million metric tons, one of the strongest years in recent memory.

18 Sep 2015

Cleveland Reports Persistent Cargo Growth

Photo: Lower Lakes Towing

Buoyed by increasing returns from its creation of the Cleveland-Europe Express (CEE) liner service, the Port of Cleveland continued to see record numbers in August, particularly in containerized cargo, the port announced. While numbers for containers were up 300 percent through June, traffic has continued to accelerate at an even greater pace since, according to the port. Compared to figures through August 2014, this year's increase now stands at 475 percent. The overall growth produced by the CEE is "quite exceptional and a breakthrough in St.

10 Sep 2015

Port of Cleveland Awarded for Cargo Growth

Photo: Port of Cleveland

The Port of Cleveland informs it has been awarded by the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) for its international cargo growth. The Robert J. Lewis 2014 Pacesetter award, presented to the port by the SLSDC this morning at its monthly board meeting, recognizes growth in international cargo, generated by the port’s Cleveland Europe Express (CEE) liner service and its traditional line of non-containerized steel cargo. Operated by Dutch ship owner Spliethoff Group, the CEE provides the Great Lakes only scheduled maritime access to European markets.

02 Apr 2015

Great Lakes Seaway Opens 57th Navigation Season

(L to R) Lafarge Purchasing Manager for Eastern Canada Ken Lerner, U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation Administrator Betty Sutton, Saint Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation CEO Terence Bowles, Chief Engineer David Michalowicz, Captain Seann O'Donoughue, and CWB CEO Ian White in front of the CWB Marquis, April 2.

The U.S. and Canadian Seaway Corporations marked the opening of the Seaway's 57th navigation season today, with the transit of the newly-built CWB Marquis through the St. Lambert Lock. The vessel is the first of two Equinox-class lakers ordered by Winnipeg-based grain marketer CWB that are being purpose-built for trade in the Great Lakes Seaway System. In 2014, over 12 million tons of grain moved through the Seaway, the highest volume recorded since the beginning of the 21st century. Ian White, President and CEO of CWB, served as the keynote speaker at the opening.

25 Mar 2015

Pacesetter Award Winners Announced for 2014 Navigation Season

Betty Sutton (Photo: SLSDC)

The U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) has announced that eight U.S. ports in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System are receiving the prestigious Robert J. Lewis Pacesetter Award. The awards were given for registering increases in international cargo tonnage shipped through their ports during the 2014 navigation season compared to the previous year. The eight winners of the Pacesetter Award for 2014 are: the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority…

26 Jan 2015

Revisions Proposed for Seaway Practices and Procedures

Under agreement with the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation is proposing to amend the joint Practices and Procedures (known as regulations within the SLSDC).   The text of the amended Practices and Procedures is included below:  Notice of Proposed Revisions to Seaway Practices and Procedures to be Effective March 31, 2015 (PDF document).   Any comments with respect to these proposed amendments should be directed to Jean Aubry-Morin, Vice President, External Relations, no later than March 16, 2015.

12 Jan 2015

Seaway Hits Post Recession Cargo Highs

The Seaway concluded the 2014 navigation season with 40 million tonnes of cargo, which represents a full recovery from the 2009 global financial crisis and its ensuing aftermath. The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) announced today that the Seaway closed for the season on January 1, 2015, with the eastbound vessel Sten Bergen transiting the St. Lambert Lock in Montreal at 00:22 a.m. The last vessel to exit the Welland Canal was the Algoma Navigator at 8:00 a.m. on December 31. Given an opening date of March 28th (about a week later than usual, reflecting frigid conditions in early spring) the 2014 Seaway navigation season amounted to 280 days in length.

28 Mar 2014

St. Lawrence Seaway Opens 2014 Season

The Algoma Equinox at Lock 3 of the Welland Canal at the Opening Ceremony of the St. Lawrence Seaway's 56th navigation season. (Photo: Kevin Richard Hotte)

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) marked the opening of the Seaway’s 56th navigation season today, with the transit of Algoma Central Corporation’s newly built ship, the Algoma Equinox, through Lock 3 of the Welland Canal. The vessel is the first of eight Equinox-class ships that are being purpose-built for trade in the St. Lawrence Seaway. “Algoma Central Corporation’s fleet renewal is a leading example of the unprecedented level of investment that is happening throughout our navigation system,” said Terence Bowles, President and CEO of the SLSMC.

13 Jan 2015

Seaway Set New Record

The Seaway concluded the 2014 navigation season with 40 million tonnes of cargo, which represents a full recovery from the 2009 global financial crisis and its ensuing aftermath. The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) announced today that the Seaway closed for the season on January 1, 2015, with the eastbound vessel Sten Bergen transiting the St. Lambert Lock in Montreal at 00:22 a.m. The last vessel to exit the Welland Canal was the Algoma Navigator at 8:00 a.m. on December 31. Given an opening date of March 28th (about a week later than usual, reflecting frigid conditions in early spring) the 2014 Seaway navigation season amounted to 280 days in length.