The St Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. (Niagara Region)

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The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation manages and operates the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System, facilitating commercial shipping and recreational navigation.

Several Great Lakes ports are closer to European markets than East Coast or Gulf ports are, saving shippers time and money: Baltimore, Maryland to Liverpool, England: 3,936 miles (6,334 km) Via the Seaway, from Detroit, Michigan: 3,673 miles (5,911 km) New York to Rotterdam: 3,824 miles (6,154 km) From Norfolk: 4,032 miles (6,489 km) From New Orleans: 5,567 miles (8,959 km) Via the Seaway, from Montreal: 3,612 miles (5,813 km) Transportation studies show that: The Seaway is especially cost-competitive for shipping steel, heavy lift and project cargoes to and from Europe Great Lakes ports have lower port costs than competing ocean ports for the handling, wharfage, dockage and stevedoring of grain, iron ore, steel coils and machinery Steel shippers save from $3 (U.S.) to nearly $50 (U.S.) a ton by routing through Great Lakes ports rather than through east coast or Gulf ports Stevedoring costs for steel products tend to average about $2.20 (U.S.) a metric ton lower at Great Lakes ports A Shipping Gateway to one of the World's Richest Regions The St. Lawrence Seaway system serves a region that: Is home to more than 90 million people (nearly one-quarter of North America's population) Creates more than a third of the continent's gross national product Produces two-thirds of Canada's industrial output Grows almost half the soybean and corn in the U.S. Accounts for some 40% of U.S. manufacturing An Environmentally Friendly Transportation Route Using the Seaway saves energy in comparison to rail, highway and air transportation. A ship can move a ton of freight up to 500 miles on one gallon of fuel. A single laker can carry as much cargo as three 100-unit trains, guaranteeing highly competitive unit costs. An environmental impact study conducted by the St. Lawrence Economic Development Council in 2000, found that the marine industry remains the most environmentally-friendly transportation mode, even over short distances. According to the study, maritime transportation is particularly advantageous when taking factors like energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, which are responsible for climatic disruptions, and other air pollutants into account. For certain pollutants, seaborne transport posts performances up to 10 times better than those of the other modes. The maritime transportation route is also superior to other modes related to safety issues, including much lower accidents and fatality rates.

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