The shipping platform

Location: The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System is a deep draft waterway, opened in 1959, extending 3,700 km (2,340nm) from the Atlantic Ocean to the head of the Great Lakes, in the heart of North America. The St. Lawrence Seaway portion of the System extends from Montreal to mid-Lake Erie. Ranked as one of the outstanding engineering feats of the twentieth century, the St. Lawrence Seaway includes 13 Canadian and 2 U.S. locks. General overview: The Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway was built as a binational partnership between the United States and Canada, and continues to operate as such. Administration of the system is shared by two organisations, the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. in the U.S., a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation, and The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation in Canada, a not-for-profit corporation (ownership of the Canadian portion of the Seaway remains with the Canadian federal government. Three types of cargo vessel primarily use the Seaway: Great Lakes bulk carriers, known as lakers, ocean-going vessels known as salties and tug-propelled barges. Commercial importance: The area around the Great Lakes may be described as the heartland of the North American continent. On the shores are large population centres and a highly developed industrial complex utilising the latest advancements of modern technology. Its prosperity is, in a large measure, due to its ready access to raw materials via cheap water transportation. Thus, the extensive iron ore resources of the Mesabi range in Minnesota are economically exploited hundreds of nautical miles away at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and at Hamilton, Ontario. In a similar manner, coal is moved from Pennsylvania to all ports around the Great Lakes and is used to fuel the smelters of Sault Ste Marie and Hamilton, Ontario. Grain from the Prairies is moved to overseas markets directly from ports at the head of the Great Lakes. Course of the canal: Vessel traffic in the Seaway is controlled from three main centres. One located in St Lambert, Quebec, one in Massena, New York (the operations office of the US Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation), and the other in St Catharines, Ontario. The St Lambert centre operates through two radio stations: Seaway Beauharnois and Seaway Iroquois. The Massena centre operates through three radio stations; Seaway Eisenhower, Seaway Clayton and Seaway Sodus. The St Catharines centre operates through three radio stations: Seaway Welland, Seaway Newcastle and Seaway Long Point. In addition to traffic control communications, the Seaway entities provide an information service in the area from Montreal to Long Point, Lake Erie that is used for scheduling of pilots, general vessel position information to the Marine Trade, public, and search and rescue services on Lake Ontario. Traffic figures: St Lawrence Seaway: Total Cargo Tonnage: 30,700,000. Total number of transits: 3,639. Montreal-Lake Ontario: Total Cargo Tonnage: 20,700,000. Total number of transits: 2,415. Welland Canal: Total Cargo Tonnage: 26,038,000. Total number of transits: 2,806. Max size: Max Dimensions: Max beam is 23.77m (78ft), however vessels with a beam greater than 23.2m may be restricted or delayed during transits of the Seaway during periods of ice cover. Max LOA is 225.5m. Lock dimensions: All locks on the Seaway have the same dimensions which are: Length between breast wall and ship arresters 233.47m to 234.21m Width 24.38m Depth over sills 9.14m Largest vessel handled: Vessels up to LOA 225.5m, beam 23.8m may transit under special conditions. Latest Equinox Class Laker capable of using lock system is 30,000DWT. Seasonal Conditions: Draughts: The max permissible draught for all vessels in the Montreal-Lake Ontario section is 8.00m (26ft 03in), from June 25th 2012, for all vessels with the exception of inland vessels greater than LOA 185m, for which the maximum permissible draught will remain at 8.08m (26'-6'') due to low water supplies. Speed: Mariners are reminded that for ships loaded to a draught greater than 8.00m speeds will be monitored carefully between St. Lambert Lock and St. Nicolas Island. In addition there will be zero tolerance for ships draught in excess of 8.08m. The Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Seaway System issued a notice stating that, effective immediately, vessels equipped with a certified Draught Information System (DIS) are eligible to transit at a draft of 7cm greater than the Seaway's published maximum permissible draught (May 2012).