The Canadian Coast Guard ice breaker Amundsen passes through the Iroquois Lock at 7:41 p.m. on Sat., March 22, 2025, on its way to Georgian Bay to help prepare for the 2025 shipping season. Tinkess Photo
IROQUOIS – The St. Lawrence Seaway opened its 67th season of operation at 8:00 a.m. on Sat., March 22, and thanks to the spell of warm weather in the past week, most of the ice in the maritime route had broken up. That which remained would be broken up by Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers.
The Seaway is coming off its longest planned season in history, running from March 22, 2024, closing on January 10, 2025. Approximately 37 million tonnes of goods were shipped via the St. Lawrence Seaway during the 2024 navigation season.
In December, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) announced an investment of over $350 million in infrastructure upgrades over the next three years. This investment will enhance critical infrastructure, ensuring strong supply chain links and a reliable transportation mode for the movement of goods.
“We are making significant investments in our infrastructure to ensure the Seaway’s continued reliability and efficiency well into the future,” said Jim Athanasiou, President and CEO of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation. “We are committed to supporting growth in North American industries, and can easily accommodate additional traffic within our existing capacity.”
Trends across major cargo segments indicated that there should be continued demand in key sectors. Grain experienced a year-over-year increase of 12 per cent, while potash grew 14 per cent. Meanwhile, liquid bulk increased 10% year-over-year, and general cargo increased 14 per cent.
All of this, however, was before the imposition of tariffs by the US and reciprocal tariffs by Canada. These measures could have a moderating effect on the volume of goods shipped.
The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system is a “marine highway” that extends 3,700 km from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. Shipping through the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway system supports 241,286 jobs and $46.8 billion in economic activity in Canada and the United States. Binational marketing development efforts, including the “Hwy H2O” initiative, aim to enhance Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System utilization and increase marine cargo shipping.
The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation was established in 1998 as a not-for-profit corporation by the Government of Canada, Seaway users and other key stakeholders. In accordance with provisions of the Canada Marine Act, the Corporation manages and operates the Canadian assets of the St. Lawrence Seaway, which remain the property of the Government of Canada, under a long-term agreement with Transport Canada.
Terry Tinkess is a professional photographer, educator and journalist. He has been making a living with a camera and keyboard since 1999 and has been featured in such publications as The Ottawa Citizen, Cornwall Standard Freeholder, The Globe and Mail, The Miami Herald, Ottawa Construction News, The Ontario Construction Report, Ontario Home Builder Magazine, Reed Construction Data, Canadian Potato Business and most recently, The Record and Eastern Ontario AgriNews. Terry lives in Ingleside, Ontario with his wife Brenda, Mia the anxious Pittie and cats Wally and Chubbers.
