The shipping platform

Location: The port of Hamilton, formerly known as Burlington Bay, is a natural harbour at the SW end of Lake Ontario. General overview: The port is linked to two major Great Lakes shipping routes, the Welland Canal entrance, approx 26nm from the Burlington Canal and the St. Lawrence River, approx 151nm from Hamilton Harbour. Over 11,000m of berthing space is available in the port which handles cargo ranging from raw materials such as coal and iron ore (for use in the production of steel), salt and sand, grains and soybeans, liquid fertiliser and jet fuel. The main import and export cargo is steel in the form of billet and coils. Traffic figures: Approx 700 vessels and more than 12,000,000t of cargo handled annually.