St Lawrence Seaway Locks: A Vital Waterway for Cargo and Recreation

The St Lawrence Seaway Locks are a vital waterway for cargo and recreation, connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. They are located at the southern end of Lake Ontario.

The locks are a remarkable feat of engineering, with a total of eight locks along the 15-mile stretch of the seaway. Each lock is over 1,200 feet long and 110 feet wide.

This waterway is a crucial transportation route for cargo ships carrying goods such as grains, coal, and iron ore.

The Seaway system is connected by 5 short canals, each with its own unique characteristics.

The South Shore Canal is a 14 nautical mile stretch that connects the Port of Montreal to Lake St. Louis, with two locks - St. Lambert and Ste. Catherine.

The Beauharnois Canal is a bit shorter, at 11.3 nautical miles, and links Lake St. Louis to Lake St. Francis, with two locks.

The Wiley-Dondero Canal provides access to Lake St. Lawrence, spanning 8 nautical miles and featuring two U.S. locks - Snell and Eisenhower.

The Iroquois Canal is a small but important part of the system, with a single lock and a water level control facility that spans just 0.3 nautical miles.

The Welland Canal is the longest of the five, at 23.5 nautical miles, and links Lake Ontario to Lake Erie, with a total of eight locks - including three twinned and contiguous locks at the north end.

Here's a quick rundown of the canals and their key features:

The Seaway Locks are truly a marvel of engineering. They are the world's most spectacular lift system, capable of raising ships measuring up to 225.5 metres in length.

Each lock is 233.5 metres long, 24.4 metres wide, and 9.1 metres deep. That's a lot of space to fill with water! Approximately 91 million litres of water, to be exact, which takes just 7 to 10 minutes to accomplish.

Getting through a lock takes about 45 minutes, which is a relatively short time considering the sheer scale of the operation.

The Seaway Locks are a remarkable feat of engineering, capable of lifting ships up to 225.5 metres in length and 23.8 metres in width.

Each lock is quite spacious, measuring 233.5 metres long, 24.4 metres wide, and 9.1 metres deep. The locks can fill with approximately 91 million litres of water in just 7 to 10 minutes.

Getting through a lock takes about 45 minutes, which is a relatively short time considering the massive size of the ships that pass through. The locks make up the world's most spectacular lift system, raising ships to more than 180 metres above sea level.

The Seaway is a trade gateway that relies on efficient cargo moves to stay competitive. Moving cargo efficiently and safely is vital to its competitive position.

The Seaway has been at the forefront of progress in the marine industry, implementing innovative systems such as the Automatic Identification System in 2003. This system enables the precise monitoring of ship locations by satellite.

The Seaway has also implemented the Draft Information System, which provides a 3-D model of the channel and allows ships to safely carry up to 400 additional tonnes of cargo per voyage. This is a significant advantage for carriers.

Hands Free Mooring (HFM) represents the greatest advancement in Seaway operations since its inception in 1959. Each lock is equipped with three HFM units, which secure ships during lockage using vacuum pads instead of traditional wire or rope lines.

The HFM system reduces manual labor for Seaway employees and vessel crews, and improves safety by eliminating the need for tie-up lines for most vessels. Ships also experience less wear and tear as they enter and exit locks.

The Canadian locks have been converted to remote control operation, managed from two Operations Control Centres in St. Lambert (Québec) and St. Catharines (Ontario). This allows for more efficient and safe navigation.

The Seaway's navigation window has been optimized by incrementally adding days to the season, which now typically extends from the third week of March to late December. This gives carriers an additional week of navigation each season compared to the late 1990s.

The St. Lawrence Seaway is ready for the future, thanks to its massive economic impact and recent modernization efforts. The region generates a staggering $6 trillion in GDP, accounting for 30% of Canadian and US economic activity.

With a population of 108 million, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region is a major driver of the North American economy. It's a massive geographic footprint that supports over 52 million jobs and 30% of the Canadian and US workforce.

The Great Lakes/Seaway System is a 3,700 km "marine highway" that extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, moving over 200 million tonnes of cargo annually. That's a lot of cargo, and it takes a lot of people to make it happen – from mariners to lock operators, vessel agents, and freight forwarders.

Here are some key statistics about the cargo moving on the Great Lakes/Seaway waterway:

The Seaway's modernization efforts have introduced hands-free vessel mooring and remote operations, representing the most significant advancements to Seaway infrastructure since its inception in the 1950s. This will help ensure the Seaway remains a vital transportation mode for decades to come.

The St. Lawrence Seaway is a brilliant feat of engineering that allows ships and goods to travel from the Atlantic Ocean up the St. Lawrence River to Lake Superior.

Seven locks point the way between Montreal and Lake Ontario, detouring past rapids and several dams. The locks are a crucial part of the waterway, enabling ships to navigate the river's changing water levels.

The 27-mile Welland Canal lifts ships over the Niagara Escarpment to Lake Erie, sidestepping Niagara Falls. This section of the canal is particularly impressive, given its length and the obstacles it overcomes.

The Canadian-and American-operated waterway is known locally as “Highway H2O” for the traffic and trade it allows.

The St. Lawrence Seaway has a rich history dating back to before the U.S. or Canada achieved nationhood. It was a major trade artery.

The Seaway was made possible by the construction of the 306-kilometer stretch of the St. Lawrence Seaway between Montreal and Lake Ontario in the mid to late 1950s. This was a major engineering feat.

22,000 workers were required to build the Seaway, which is a staggering number. It's hard to imagine the scale of the project.

The construction of the Seaway involved moving 210 million cubic yards of earth and rock, and pouring over 6 million cubic yards of concrete. These numbers give you an idea of the scope of the project.

The Seaway is considered one of the engineering marvels of the 20th century. It's a testament to human ingenuity.

Here's a breakdown of the two sections of the Seaway:

The combination of these two sections forms the St. Lawrence Seaway, which permits ships to transit between sea level in Montreal to Lake Erie.

The St. Lawrence Seaway is a vital waterway that connects the lower St. Lawrence River to the Great Lakes, enabling ships to transit between Montreal and Lake Erie, a difference in elevation of 168 metres.

The Seaway's 15 locks, 13 Canadian and 2 American, serve as the linchpin within the broader waterway, allowing ships to pass through and reach their destinations.

Each lock is 233.5 metres long, 24.4 metres wide, and 9.1 metres deep over the sill, and fills with approximately 91 million litres of water in just 7 to 10 minutes.

Getting through a lock takes about 45 minutes, and ships measuring up to 225.5 metres in length and 23.8 metres wide are routinely raised to more than 180 metres above sea level.

The Seaway includes some of North America's largest ports, part of an excellent intermodal transportation network, and has maintained a near-perfect record of trouble-free navigation through ongoing improvements and meticulous maintenance for more than 50 years.

The waterway includes some 245,750 square kilometres of navigable waters, and is used by ships that travel from the Atlantic Ocean to Duluth, Minnesota on Lake Superior, a distance of 2,038 nautical miles, or 8.5 sailing days.