The St. Lawrence Seaway is a series of locks, canals and channels
extending from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Superior, a distance of more
than 3,700 km, or 8.5 sailing days.
The seaway opened in 1959 and over two billion tonnes of cargo have passed
through it since. It provides access to 15 major
international ports and about 50 smaller regional ports.
The waterway is open from late March to late December and is co-managed
by both Canada's
St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation and the US-based
Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.
Since 1959, the St. Lawrence Seaway has been a vital transportation link
for moving goods between North America and international markets. It
serves ports in Ontario, Quebec, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana,
Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York and Pennsylvania. More than 2,000
commercial vessels pass through the Seaway System's locks.
Almost 50 per cent of seaway traffic travels to and from ports, in
Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The Seaway is suited to any type of cargo. Grain, iron ore, coal, iron
and steel account for about 80% of annual cargoes; The remaining 20%
includes coke, petroleum products, chemicals, salt, scrap iron and
steel, lumber and mine products.
Grain is the largest cargo, accounting for 40% of the total cargo.
Mostly, the transport route is used for exporting this grain out of
Canada and the U.S.
International origins
The idea for "a seaway" dates back to 1892, when a Minnesota congressman
sponsored an investigation into a water route from the head of Lake
Superior to the Atlantic.
In 1895, the U.S. and Canadian governments appointed the Deep Waterways
Commission to report on all possible routes. The Commission concluded
that both the St. Lawrence River and the Mohawk-Hudson routes were
feasible.
In 1909 the Boundary Waters Treaty between the U.S. and Canada was drawn
up stating that all boundary waters "shall forever continue to be free
and open for the purposes of commerce."
In 1921, the commission issued a report recommending that Canada and the
U.S. enter into a treaty for improving the St. Lawrence River between
Montreal and Lake Ontario and that the Seaway include the Welland Canal.
Discussions -- and arguments -- about such a treaty
consumed most of the next decade.
In 1932, Prime Minister, R. B. Bennett, and President Herbert Hoover
came to grips with the Seaway issue and the Hoover-Bennett Treaty was
signed.
The treaty agreed to build a seaway to a depth of 27 feet, and make each
country responsible for work in its national section. However, when the
treaty came up for a ratification vote in the Senate in 1934, it was
defeated.
Opposition to the treaty was strong, particularly from competing
railroads, private utilities, the coal mining industry and East and Gulf
Coast ports.
In the early 1950s new iron ore fields were discovered in Labrador and
the St. Lawrence waterway was soon seen as the logical way to carry the
ore from Labrador to steel mills throughout Canada and the U.S.
Canada created the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority to build and operate a
Seaway from Montreal to Lake Erie.
On May 13, 1954, the US Seaway Act was signed and a joint U.S.-Canadian
Seaway became a reality.
The Seaway was officially dedicated on June 26-27, 1959, in Montreal and
Massena, New York. Dignitaries at the opening ceremonies included Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Vice
President Richard M. Nixon.
The one-billionth metric ton of cargo passed through the Seaway in early
June 1983. The following year, the Seaway celebrated its silver
anniversary. June 27 was proclaimed "Seaway Day" and on June 26 the U.S.
Postal Service and the Canada Post Corporation jointly issued
commemorative postage stamps marking the anniversary.
(* Historical Information courtesy of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management
Corporation and the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.)
Vital Seaway Stats
Seaway web links
St. Lawrence Seaway map
Take the Seaway quiz
Ships measuring up to 225.5 metres in length and 23.8 metres in the beam
are routinely raised to more than 180 metres above sea level through the lock system.
They didn't just name it 'The Seaway' because it's a way to get to the sea --
conditions on the enormous St. Lawrence River can, at times, resemble the open sea.