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St. Lawrence Seaway Opens Navigation Season

[ April 11, 2025   //   ]

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp., or GLS, opened its 67th navigation season on March 25.

GLS joined partner the Canadian St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp., or SLSMC, at a ceremony for the opening of the binational waterway, which took place in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.

Speaking at the ceremony, GLS Deputy Administrator Anthony Fisher, U.S. Consul General in Toronto Baxter Hunt, and SLSMC President/CEO Jim Athanasiou welcomed the transit of the first commercial vessel of the navigation season – the articulated tug and barge Everlast and Norman McLeod.

“The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System’s performance continues to highlight its resiliency and importance as a maritime supply chain,” Fisher Ais.  “An exceptional reliability record, coupled with significant investments in infrastructure and technology, are enhancing efficiencies and keeping the Seaway System safe and competitive.  We look forward to building on last season’s accomplishments, which included the movement of more than 37 million tonnes of cargo.”

The St. Lawrence Seaway System is a critical artery to the two nation’s maritime transportation system. The Great Lakes’ pathway has a long and demonstrated record of safe, reliable and efficient passage for commercial transportation, supporting 150,000 U.S. jobs, US$26 billion in U.S. economic activity, and US$19 billion in business revenue annually, GLS said.

The articulated tug and barge Everlast and Norman McLeod, operated by McAsphalt Marine Transportation, was the first ship to transit the lock in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada on March 25, marking the start of the seaway’s 67th navigation season. PHOTO: The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp.

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