St. Lawrence Seaway Opens 55th Navigation Season

The St. Lawrence Seaway’s 55th navigation season opened March 22 with the transit through the St. Lambert Lock of Canada Steamship Lines’ brand new Baie St. Paul, the first of a series of new vessels being constructed specifically for Seaway use.

"The Baie St. Paul is the first of CSL’s Trillium Class of vessels, which sets new standards in operational and energy efficiency, reliability and environmental protection,” said CSL President Louis Martel. "The Baie St. Paul is 15 percent more fuel efficient than CSL's previous class of ships – vessels that were already among the most efficient in the Lakes – and will save approximately 750 metric tons of fuel per year, amounting to a yearly carbon emission reduction of 2,400 tons.”

The Saint Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) forecasts Seaway cargo throughput this year will exceed 40 million metric tons.  

SLSMC owns and manages the Canadian portions of the waterway – five locks between Montreal and Lake Ontario, as well as the Welland Canal, which connects Lakes Erie and Ontario. The two U.S. locks, Snell and Eisenhower, are the responsibility of the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC).

"The resurgence of manufacturing in North America is fueling demand for both traditional and new Seaway cargoes, having positive implications for Great Lakes shipping,” said acting SLSDC Administrator Craig Middlebrook. "Just as the private sector is investing in new vessels and new engines, public sector investments in lock rehabilitation, port infrastructure and new navigation technologies are laying the foundation for sustained future growth.”

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