WASHINGTON, D.C. – The St. Lawrence Seaway closed for the 2011 shipping season on Dec. 30 when the westbound vessel Algona Spirit reached Lake Ontario at 7:54 a.m. after leaving  the locks on the St. Lawrence River.

It was open for 284 days in 2011, beating the record set in 2006 by one day.

Tonnage was up 2.5 percent to 37.5 million tons with iron ore and coal become major export commodities. Grain shipments were down 6.4 percent while bulk liquids, salt and scrap metal shipments were up.