Ice Study on St. Lawrence Seaway
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) together with Transport Canada, the Canadian St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC), the U.S. St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, and the Canadian Mohawk Council of Akwesasne have finalized a three-year Joint Observational Study (JOS) that assessed the potential impacts caused by icebreaking activities on the St. Lawrence Seaway. The study’s conclusion, endorsed by all participants, is that no adverse impacts to the shoreline could be observed as a consequence of ice breaking activity. Using a baseline characterizing the impact of natural ice break-up and clear-out…
Ballast Water Inspections Improve, GL/Seaway
A new U.S. government report released March 13 showed a notable increase in the number of ballast tank inspections of oceangoing commercial ships entering the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System from outside U.S. or Canadian waters. Ship operators also improved their compliance with ballast water requirements in 2008 compared with 2007, the report says. The 2008 Summary of Great Lakes Seaway Ballast Water Working Group released by the U.S. Coast Guard examined the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Seaway System ballast water ship inspection program. The report finds that 99 percent of all oceangoing ships bound for the Great Lakes Seaway System ports from outside U.S. or Canadian waters in 2008 received a ballast tank exam, compared with 74 percent in 2007.
Seaway Corp Infrastructure Renewal Funding
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) will initiate its planned 10-year program this year to modernize the infrastructure of the U.S. portion of the St. Lawrence Seaway, following President Obama’s signing on March 11 of the omnibus appropriations bill to fund the federal government for the remainder of fiscal year 2009. The bill includes a total of $31.8m for the Seaway, which serves the Great Lakes region of North America. The enacted funding includes more than $17m allocated to 17 projects under the Seaway’s Asset Renewal Program (ARP). A significant amount of the ARP funding in FY 2009 will benefit the regional economy surrounding the two U.S. locks in Massena, N.Y. “After 50 years of continuous use, the U.S.
