DISCOVER HIGHWAY H2O
Vessel Transiting Lock 2 – Photo by David Devine submitted by St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
Seaway employees tying up a ship. – Picture by Ron Samson submitted by
St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway
“…the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System is indeed looking bright as companies make investments that will yield dividends for decades to come.”
T
he Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway, commonly referred to as Hwy H2O, is a 3,700 km
deep draft marine highway connecting the
Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. Granting access to
North America’s agricultural and industrial heartland,
Hwy H2O is the world’s longest inland waterway and
has served as a key means of transportation for thousands of years.
Every year, more than 160 million metric tons of
cargo is moved on the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System. These cargoes include iron ore for steel
production, coal for power generation, limestone and
cement for construction and grain for both domestic
consumption and export. Marine transportation on
Hwy H2O provides a cost effective, safe and environmentally smart means of moving cargo.
A 2010 study by Martin Associates examining the
economic impacts of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence
Seaway System concludes that some 226,833 jobs in
the Canada and the U.S. are supported by cargo moving on the System. Of those jobs, 48,288 direct jobs
and 28,320 indirect jobs are in Canada. The report also
indicates that maritime activity supports 14.5 billion
Canadian dollars in personal income and expenditures
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in Canada and the U.S. The average annual salary for
direct job holders in Canada and the U.S. as a result of
maritime activity is 48,400 Canadian dollars.
Terence Bowles, President and CEO of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, said: “The
Hwy H2O is the world’s longest inland waterway and has served as
a key means of transportation for thousands of years.
economic benefits of Great Lakes-Seaway shipping
are far-reaching. Not only is marine shipping creating
jobs in Canadian communities, but marine-related industries and employees are contributing significantly
to the general prosperity of Canadian society by providing $4.6 billion in personal income. In addition,
North American farmers, steel producers, construction firms, food manufacturers and power generators
depend on the 164 million metric tons of iron ore, coal,
stone, salt, sugar, grain, steel, wind turbines and machinery that are delivered by ships every year to keep
their businesses running.”
The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System continues to evolve and renew. Hands Free Mooring, a
novel means of securing vessels using vacuum pads
during a lock transit, will increase the number of vessels able to transit the System by reducing the need
for “Seaway fittings.” With over $1 billion in new vessels on order by inland fleets, the future of the Great
Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System is indeed looking
bright as companies make investments that will yield
dividends for decades to come.
For more information on the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System, including access to the full study
entitled “The Economic Impacts of the Great Lakes –
St. Lawrence Seaway System” please visit
www.greatlakes-seaway.com.
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DISCOVER HIGHWAY H2O
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FEBRUARY 2012
DISCOVER HIGHWAY H2O
Algoma Central
Corporation
Leading shipping company launches a new era in environmental efficiency
by adding Equinox Class vessels to their fleet.
Algoma Central Corporation’s new highly efficient and environmentally responsible “Equinox Class” vessel.
By Scott Leslie
The Business Link
W
ater has always been the most
environmentally friendly way
for companies to ship cargo. Starting
in 2013, Algoma Central Corporation,
Canada’s largest domestic flag shipping
company and the most frequent user of
the Port of Hamilton is looking to take
their commitment to the environment to
an even higher level.
Algoma Central Corporation plans to
introduce a new series of eight highlyefficient and environmentally responsible vessels to their dry bulk fleet.
Developed by the Algoma Central Corporation, together with a global team
of leading designers, engineers and
manufacturers, the new “Equinox Class”
vessels will include self-unloaders and
gearless bulk carriers and will be 45%
more fuel efficient than existing bulk
carriers per tonne kilometre of cargo
carried. Algoma will own six of the Equinox Class vessels and its partner, the
Canadian Wheat Board will own two.
Algoma’s investment in these ships is
approximately $300-million.
The Equinox vessels have several
state-of-the-art features including marine engine exhaust scrubbers and Advanced Tier II compliant engines. The
ships’ smoother surfaces including their
optimized high displacement hull forms
will help minimize resistance and reduce
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power consumption. The new technological improvements are also created to
lower manning requirements and reduce
long-term maintenance and repairs.
According to Greg Wight, president and
CEO of the Algoma Central Corporation,
the Equinox vessels reflect their company’s
strong dedication to the environment.
“When we designed these vessels, we
looked at how performance and our environmental footprint could be improved,”
he explains. “Sustainability is one of the
key tenants of our corporate strategy. It
is factored into all business decisions including our investment decisions.”
Greg says the Equinox fleet will also
give them the opportunity to improve
safety performance.
“The safety enhancements in the
Equinox Class vessels are significant,”
he explains. “We re-designed the bridge
layout and will install low-light and thermal imagining cameras for improved visibility. A fully enclosed free fall life boat
system will allow for safer evacuation, and
the cargo holds are designed to minimize
hang-ups and facilitate cleanup.”
The Algoma Central Corporation’s domestic fleet includes twenty-eight dry
bulk cargo carriers and seven petroleum
product tankers. In 2011, the company
travelled 620 times through the Welland
Canal and/or the Montreal – Lake Ontario sections of the St. Lawrence Seaway, and carried approximately 15.8-million tonnes of cargo.
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