Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation

Secretary Buttigieg and Deputy Secretary Trottenberg Celebrate Groundbreaking of New Seaway Visitor Center in Massena, N.Y.

September 29, 2022

MASSENA, N.Y. – Today, top U.S. Department of Transportation officials were on hand as the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS) broke ground on a new visitor center at the U.S. Eisenhower Lock in Massena, N.Y. The center will welcome visitors to the Seaway and provide a world class tourist attraction for the…

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Great Lakes Seaway Shipping Navigates the Global Supply Chain With Significant Increase in Steel, Iron, & Iron Ore Tonnage

October 19, 2021

Washington, D.C. (October 19, 2021) – The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership today reported that American and Canadian ports in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System handled 5,361,000 mt of iron ore (+26.63 percent increase year-over-year) and 1,589,000 mt of iron and steel, an impressive 99.16 percent increase YOY. This noteworthy growth is reinforced by the…

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Demand for Iron Ore & Steel Drives Activity Across the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System

September 15, 2021

Washington, D.C. (September 15, 2021) – The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership today reported that American and Canadian ports in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System handled 20,723,000 metric tons of cargo shipped through the St. Lawrence Seaway (Seaway) from the opening of the Seaway on March 22, 2021, through August 31, 2021 (i.e., Year-to-date or…

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Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System’s 2021 Navigation Season Starts Strong

May 18, 2021

Iron ore surges over 2020 tonnage; Seaway-wide tonnage up nearly four percent, tracking 5-year average The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership today reported that American and Canadian ports in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System handled over four million tons of cargo from the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway on March 22, 2021 through April…

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2020 Photo Contest Winners

April 28, 2021

The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership today announced the winners of their third annual photo contest. This announcement also marks the beginning of the organization’s fourth annual photo contest only a few weeks after the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway on March 24, 2021. Each year, to celebrate the start of the Great Lakes navigation…

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U.S. Great Lakes Cruise Coalition Partners with Hwy H20 Marketing Program

February 24, 2021

The United States-based members of the U.S. Great Lakes Cruise Coalition (GLCC), which consists of various U.S.- based ports, vessel agencies, and tourism entities, have now joined the Hwy H2O marketing brand of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System (GLSLS).  This move aligns regional cruising advocates with an existing brand that markets the Seaway…

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Photos: Float Out Of First U.S. Built Great Lakes Bulker Since 1983

January 1, 2021

  The first U.S. flagged Great Lakes bulk carrier to be built on the Great Lakes in nearly four decades marked a key point in its construction with its recent float out from the graving dock. Being built for The Interlake Steamship Company at the Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding yard in Wisconsin, the vessel which is…

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U.S. Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway Ports Busy in November

December 16, 2020

American ports in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System report a busy November as businesses stockpile for the end of the year. In November, shipments of U.S. agriculture and wind turbine components remain steady as they have been throughout the 2020 navigation season, while steel movement picks up pace before the year’s end. Craig H. Middlebrook,…

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Seaway Employees Receive U.S. Dept. Of Transportation Secretary’s Award

November 20, 2020

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Elaine L. Chao, honored employees from the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) at the 53rd Annual Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary’s Awards Ceremony.  At the virtual event held yesterday, the Secretary recognized individuals and teams across DOT who performed their duties in an exemplary manner to meet…

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7 Of The Most Impressive Icebreaker Ships And How They Work

October 31, 2020

What is so special about icebreaker ships? And what is the biggest one in the world? Let’s find out. Shipping is a very important part of the global economy. But some of the most direct shipping routes are covered in ice for part of the year. Ice, as history has taught us, is one of the…

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U.S. Grain Filling American Ports in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System

October 15, 2020

Amidst these challenging times, overall tonnage across the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System is down 8 percent compared to this time last year. From the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway on April 1, 2020 through September 30, 2020, American and Canadian ports handled a total of 23.3 million metric tons (mt). In September, ports…

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Phase Two Contract Awarded for New Soo Lock Project

September 24, 2020

The second phase construction contract for the New Lock at the Soo has been awarded to Kokosing Alberici LLC of Westerville, Ohio, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials announced Thursday. The much-anticipated mega-project will require three phases of construction. Kokosing Alberici’s $111 million contract to complete the second phase will stabilize the existing approach walls,…

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The Algoma Equinox

September 22, 2020

  SAULT STE. MARIE — In the early afternoon of Monday, Sept. 21, spectators could watch the Algoma Equinox travel through the St. Mary’s River as it was on its way to Thunder Bay, Canada. The Algoma Equinox is a bulk carrier built in 2013 in Tongzhou, China, and is sailing under the flag of…

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New Soo Lock Work Shifts To Round-The-Clock Construction

September 17, 2020

  SAULT STE, MARIE, MI – Round-the-clock work has begun at the Soo Locks. The Army Corps of Engineers, District Detroit, said Wednesday that phase one of an extensive, multiyear project to update existing locks and to create a new lock at the Upper Peninsula facility shifted into high gear on Sept. 8. To start,…

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The St. Lawrence Seaway System: U.S. Farmers’ Key Advantage for Competing Globally

September 16, 2020

American ports in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System traded with a total of 32 countries in August. Shipments of commodities including wind energy components and gypsum remained strong, while exports of agricultural products picked up pace. Year-to-date total tonnage—from the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway on April 1, 2020 through August 31, 2020—increased…

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