The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway system is a modern expressway, allowing smooth, seamless movement of waterborne cargo on a 2,340-mile deepwater route extending from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the western end of Lake Superior. More than 300 million metric tons of cargo move along the waterway annually, including domestic and U.S.-Canadian trade within the Lakes and international import-export trade via the Seaway. This traffic fuels an economic engine that annually generates more than $4.3 billion in personal income, $3.4 billion in transportation-related revenue and $1.3 billion in federal, state and local taxes.

The system is comprised of Canadian and U.S. ports that connect the waterway with inland transportation. With world trade quadrupling in the last 40 years and the expe>ctation that it will double within the next 20 years, the system provides an efficient means of meeting demand for imports and exports.

Twenty-four major ports in Canada and the United States, plus a number of smaller ports, harbors and private dock facilities provide services in the market. On the U.S. side alone, more than 152,000 jobs are related to cargo movement on the system. Bulk cargoes such as iron ore, coal, grain, cement, stone, potash, limestone, sand and salt are primary commodities which move within the region both domestically and internationally. The system also handles project cargoes, containers, forest products, petroleum products, chemicals, edible oils, nonferrous metals and other materials.

• The Seaway provides access to major North American markets, directly serving the provinces of Ontario and Quebec and the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
• One-quarter of the United States’ population and 50 percent of Canada’s population live within the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway region.
• Shorter shipping distances, more rapid transit times and proximity of major markets and world-class industries make the Seaway a competitive transportation artery.
• More than 50 percent of the Fortune 500 industrial companies are located within the region.
• The system’s marine route uses less fuel and ensures safer travel than rail or truck for equivalent cargoes and distances.
• The system is a leader in the application of new maritime technologies.
• Customer service is enhanced by the bi-national Seaway website, a comprehensive source of information and online business services for commercial navigation in the region.
• The Great Lakes St. Lawrence system is considered, in U.S. federal law, as the nation’s “fourth seacoast.”