St. Lawrence Seaway News

Alternative Marine Technologies has issued a RFP to three major U.S. Shipbuilding companies for a 2+2 series build of a 230 TEU Microcontainer Feeder. The project is based upon the Conoship CIP230TEU design currently operating in Europe. The design is complete through production drawings, 3D modeled and available with the availability of a virtual “walkthrough” of the vessel. Short sea operator Vega Reederei has joined the project team handling commercial operations. The vessels in Europe operate successfully with a 9-man crew, similar to U.S. ATB manning.

Port Milwaukee welcomed the Marshall Islands-flagged Federal Nagara as the first vessel of the 2026 international season on Friday, April 3.The Federal Nagara arrived at the Logistec terminal to unload specialty steel products following its transit through the St. Lawrence Seaway from Spain and Belgium, where it was loaded. The St. Lawrence Seaway locks opened for the season on March 22, connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. The St. Lawrence Seaway is a binational system…

Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor celebrated the start of the 2026 international shipping season Saturday with the arrival of the Ocean7 Ranger. The ocean vessel completed a 52-day voyage carrying equipment for facility improvements at U.S. Steel Gary Works, the largest integrated steel mill in North America.The 2026 opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway to ocean vessels marked one of the shortest winter closures in history, totaling just 69 days from Jan. 12 until March 22.To commemorate the occasion…

For Capt. Paul C. LaMarre III, the maritime industry isn’t a career choice as much as it is a family inheritance — and, in his words, “all I’ve known my entire life.” In a recent interview with Maritime Reporter TV, Captain LaMarre gives unique insights on the operating efficiently, effectively and safely on the Great Lakes system – the United States’ ‘Fourth Sea’ – and with passion, intellect and purpose advocates for a strong U.S. maritime industry.A third-generation Great Lakes mariner…

The American Great Lakes Ports Association (AGLPA), including members Ports of Indiana, the Illinois International Port District (IIPD), and Port Milwaukee, in partnership with the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS), announced today that they will begin a comprehensive market analysis aimed at expanding cargo movement between the Great Lakes and Inland Waterways system.Together, the Great Lakes and Inland Waterways move close to 700 million tons of cargo each year…

Cavotec has successfully delivered and commissioned three MoorMaster automated mooring systems at the Iroquois Lock in Ontario, Canada. The systems were officially handed over to the Saint Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) on June 30, 2025.With this latest installation, Cavotec’s MoorMaster systems support vessel transit at nearly all locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway, with only Lock 8 in the Welland Canal remaining to be equipped in 2026. The new systems at the Iroquois Lock will contribute to operational benefits…

dship Carriers from Hamburg has selected Liebherr’s LS 250 heavy-duty cranes to equip at least four of the ships in its fleet.The LS 250 cranes are designed to comply with the requirements of the St. Lawrence Regulations. These regulations apply to ships navigating the St. Lawrence Seaway and connecting the Great Lakes in Canada with the Atlantic Ocean.Manufactured at Liebherr’s Rostock site at the German Baltic coast, the eight cranes will be delivered to a Chinese shipyard in 2026.

Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor celebrated the start of the 2025 international shipping season Friday with the arrival of the M.V. Pile, a bulk carrier owned and operated by Polish marine line Polsteam. The ship arrived safely at Indiana’s Lake Michigan port 19 days after departing from Port of Ijmuiden, Netherlands, and navigating the North Atlantic and Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system.Burns Harbor Port Director Ryan McCoy presented Ports of Indiana’s “Steel Stein” to Captain Janusz Szatanik on board the Pile.

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) announces a 3.5% increase of Tolls and Wharfage & Storage Charges for the upcoming navigation season.The Schedules of Tolls and Wharfage & Storage Charges are available on our web site: Seaway Handbook – Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System (greatlakes-seaway.com)

The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System as amended a Planned Outage at Lock 7.Mariners are advised of a revision to the preplanned closure at Lock 7 for the replacement of Gates 1 and 2. Due to environmental conditions, the closure will begin one day later. The details are as follows:Dates: January 6, 7, 8 and 9, 2025Time: 08:00 to 18:00 each day (10-hour window)During these periods, the lock will be unavailable for transit.Any deviation from the above schedule will be communicated via major delay communication.

Thordon Bearings has delivered COMPAC water-lubricated propeller shaft and SXL rudder bearings to replace oil- and grease- lubricated bearings onboard McKeil Marine’s bulk carrier Northern Venture as part of a major refurbishment project.Established in 1956, Canada-based McKeil Marine provides marine transportation along the St. Lawrence Seaway, the East Coast, and Canadian Arctic with its diversified fleet of tugs, barges, workboats and vessels, including bunkers, cement carriers, and tankers.The shipowner acquired the 155m (508.5ft), 19,651dwt Northern Venture in 2022.

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) has announced an investment of over $350 million in infrastructure upgrades over the next three years.This investment will ensure the Seaway’s continued reliability and efficiency, while creating jobs and strengthening local communities. Spanning from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2027, the investments include more than $170 million in the Montreal to Lake Ontario (MLO) region and $180 million in the Welland Canal region. These upgrades will enhance critical infrastructure, ensuring strong supply chain links and reliable transportation for goods. Highlights of the planned work include…

Today, the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS) completed the formal transfer of the Robinson Bay tugboat to the Great Lakes Maritime Academy during a ceremony at Snell Lock.This celebrated vessel, originally built in 1958, will now serve as a training platform for the Academy’s maritime students, fostering the education of future mariners. At the ceremony, GLS Administrator Adam Tindall-Schlicht, Great Lakes Maritime Academy Superintendent Jerry Achenbach, and U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Jon Hickey made remarks.

Representatives from Ports of Indiana and Port of Antwerp-Bruges have signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance key economic and environmental port initiatives.The agreement formalizes a plan to work together to advance economic development, container shipping, decarbonization, port security and technology integration.The agreement was a result of past collaborations between the ports, a recent trade mission by Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb to Belgium in June, and an MoU between the State of Indiana and the Government of Flanders signed Dec.

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation’s (SLSMC) Board of Directors on Monday announced the appointment of Demetrios "Jim" Athanasiou as the Corporation’s next President and Chief Executive Officer, effective July 12, 2024.Athanasiou replaces Terence F. Bowles, who is retiring as the longest serving Seaway President, having taken over this role in November 2010. Prior to joining the SLSMC, he was President and CEO of the Iron Ore Company of Canada and worked for many years with QIT Fer et Titane du Quebec.Athanasiou joined the SLSMC in 2008 as Corporate Mechanical Engineering Manager.

The state of Great Lakes port infrastructure is one of the biggest issues facing the U.S. and Canadian maritime industries. According to the America Great Lakes Ports Association, “Due to years of inadequate funding, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been unable to maintain Great Lakes navigation infrastructure. Over the next five years Great Lakes navigation channels will require $540 million of dredging to maintain authorized channel dimensions. Breakwaters and other federal…

The first "saltie" of the 2024 Great Lakes shipping season entered the Port of Duluth-Superior on Monday,Oceangoing vessels that visit the Great Lakes are called "salties".This year, the first to call the Port of Duluth-Superior is the Portuguese-flagged Barbro G, a 623-foot bulk carrier operated by Sweden’s Brochart KB, which completed the season’s first full transit of the St. Lawrence Seaway en route to the Great Lakes’ westernmost port.By tradition, this first full transit from the Atlantic Ocean marks the annual opening of the Duluth-Superior Harbor…

The St. Lawrence Seaway opened its 66th season of operation today with an official ceremony in Niagara Region.Terence Bowles, President and CEO of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) was joined by U.S. Great Lakes St. Lawrence Development Corporation Administrator Adam Tindall-Schlicht in welcoming the many who came out for the event, including M.P. Vance Badawey, Parliamentary Secretary to the Canadian Minister of Transport.“We are thrilled to have a renewed Management Operations and Maintenance Agreement with the Government of Canada.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has published a Proposed Rule in the Federal Register outlining U.S. Great Lakes pilotage rates for the 2024 shipping season.The new rates seek to generate revenue for each of the three U.S. Great Lakes pilot associations by implementing hourly charges for pilotage services according to geographic area. Pilotage rates are paid by vessel operators serving Great Lakes ports.The Coast Guard proposes to increase the overall cost of U.S. Great Lakes pilotage in 2024 compared to 2023 by $1.9 million or 5%.

As a part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) published a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for $500 million in Federal Fiscal Year 2024 funding through MARAD’s Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).Investments made under the PIDP focus on modernizing the Nation’s coastal and inland waterway ports as well as strengthening its supply chains and economic security for generations to come.

The union representing St. Lawrence Seaway workers in eastern Canada said it reached a tentative labor agreement on Sunday, ending a week-long strike that shut down a key North American trade route linked to the Atlantic Ocean.The Unifor union, representing some 360 workers, said it agreed to a deal with the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp (Seaway) that would cover engineering, maintenance, and other worker groups in Ontario and Quebec provinces.Other details of the agreement, which would need to be ratified by the workers, were not shared.

A strike in Canada's St. Lawrence Seaway entered its second day on Monday after workers walked off over a wage dispute, shutting down an important maritime trade route linking the Great Lakes to Montreal port and impacting about 115 vessels.Some 361 workers represented by the Unifor union went on strike on Sunday after failing to negotiate a new labor contract with the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp (SLSMC), which along with a U.S. body operates the waterway linking the Great…

Canada's Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Jean-Yves Duclos, on behalf of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Diane Lebouthillier, announced a contract award following a competitive process, valued at approximately $44 million (including taxes) to Ocean Industries Inc. for the vessel life extension of the CCGS Griffon.Scheduled to take place from June 2025 to October 2026, the vessel life extension work entails refurbishing and repairing the main propulsion motors…