The Great Lakes-Seaway system serves a dynamic economic region that includes eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. If the region were a country, it would have the 3rd largest economy in the world with a GDP of $5.5 trillion – larger than that of Japan, Germany, Brazil, or the United Kingdom. Home to 107 million people and accounting for almost 40 percent of the total cross-border trade between the U.S. and Canada, the region is truly “North America’s Opportunity Belt.”
Great Lakes-Seaway shipping is a foundation of this vibrant economy. More than 160 million metric tons of commercial cargo are transported on the waterway each year, providing low-cost and efficient transportation for the region’s manufacturing, mining, agriculture and energy sectors.
