Seaway Tolls to Increase by 3% in 2013
March 14, 2013
The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) announced today that tolls for the 2013 navigation season will increase by 3%. Following a five year freeze on toll rates, the modest increase in tolls underscores the SLSMC’s determination to maintain the positive momentum generated by its market development initiatives.
Over 39 million tonnes of cargo transited the Seaway in 2012, representing a 4% increase in volume. The increase in tonnage testifies to both the economic recovery taking place within the Seaway’s client base and the emergence of new trade patterns. “Our carriers are making significant progress in building their share of the cargo market. The continuation of the Seaway’s existing business incentive programs and the pending introduction of a new Gateway Incentive will serve to extend the marine mode’s competitive position, and generate new business” said Bruce Hodgson, Director of Market Development for the SLSMC.
Terence Bowles, President and CEO of the SLSMC, said: “We continue to invest in the renewal of the Seaway infrastructure so as to provide the high reliability users have become accustomed to. We are also diligently advancing efforts to reduce system costs and bring more cargo into the Seaway. To this end, we are moving forward with testing of our Hands Free Mooring technology, as part of our transit of the future initiative”.
The Great Lakes Seaway System navigation system supports over 227,000 jobs and $35 billion of economic activity annually in the U.S. and Canada. Since its inception in 1959, more than 2.5 billion tonnes of cargo valued at over $375 billion have moved via the Seaway. The SLSMC remains dedicated to leveraging technology to enhance the Seaway’s performance, promoting the economic and environmental advantages tied to marine transportation, and attracting new cargoes to the Seaway.