Great Lakes shipping is underway for 2022.
The season opened officially the morning of March 22 with international freighters arriving at the Montreal – Lake Ontario section of the binational St. Lawrence Seaway.
“We’re thrilled to start the 2022 navigation season,” said Craig Middlebrook, deputy administrator of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. “This year we’re confident that the St. Lawrence Seaway will continue to be a major driver of economic development while offering solutions to the environmental and supply chain challenges facing shippers around the world.”
As ice on the St. Lawrence River cleared, ports on the Montreal – Lake Ontario section were the first to open their docks. The Welland Canal, which connects Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, opened March 24.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened the Soo Locks in northern Michigan on March 25. The Soo Locks connect Lake Superior and Lake Huron. The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor is part of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System.
Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway traffic increased 1.66% in 2021 when compared to the previous year.
The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system serves a region that includes eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. It annually supports 237,868 jobs, $35 billion in economic activity, $14.2 billion in personal income and local consumption expenditures and $6.6 billion in federal, state/provincial, and local tax revenue.
