For Students and Educators
Why the waterway is the better way…
Comprised of the St. Lawrence River, St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes, Hwy H2O is a 3,700-kilometer (2,300 mile) marine highway that runs between Canada and the United States. Hwy H2O flows directly into our commercial, industrial and agricultural heartland, home to some 100 million people, roughly one quarter of the Canada/U.S. combined population.
Since its inception in 1959, various commodities have moved through the St. Lawrence Seaway System including: iron ore; grain; coke; aggregates; furnace slags; semi-finished steel; pig iron and various chemicals.
Cargo moves freely along the waterway reliably arriving at its destination on time. Some 41 ports serve as on/off ramps connecting to a vast network of roadways and rail lines providing complete door-to-door service.
Greater fuel efficiency is realized as ships use only 10% to 20% of the energy required by trucks. A ship can move a tonne of freight up to 800 kms (500 miles) on 4 litres of fuel (1 gallon). A single laker can carry as much cargo as three 100-unit trains or 870 truckloads, guaranteeing highly competitive unit costs.