Operates Canada's portion of the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Seaway, a 3,700 km binational freight corridor with 15 locks connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation operates Canada's portion of the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Seaway, a binational freight corridor linking the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The corridor runs 3,700 kilometres and comprises 15 locks; a vessel travelling from Montreal to Lake Erie crosses the Canada–United States border 27 times. The Canadian operation is managed jointly with its United States counterpart so that commercial traffic can move safely, reliably, efficiently and on schedule.
The waterway carries more than 35 million metric tonnes of cargo a year, spanning bulk commodities, break bulk, container shipping and project cargo. Its economic footprint is substantial: the seaway supports more than 237,000 jobs and approximately $35 billion in annual economic activity across Canada and the United States, with particular significance to trade and communities along the route.
Technical work at the corporation spans asset management, infrastructure renewal, vessel inspection, pilotage coordination, environmental programs and digital navigation services, alongside the day-to-day marine navigation and marine transportation operations required to run a 15-lock corridor. The organisation's stated emphasis is on the safe, reliable and efficient movement of commercial traffic through shared binational infrastructure in North America.
