Massena, NY, Jan 17, 2013 — The St. Lawrence Seaway, and its commerce between Great Lakes ports and countries around the world, got hammered by the recession.

Craig Middlebrooks, acting administrator for the U.S. side of the binational waterway, says the steep drop was between 2008 and 2009. "It was almost a 25 percent drop. And I think '09 tonnage was among the lowest for decades."

Middlebrooks says the Seaway's been creeping back to pre-recession levels since then. Last year helped. Tonnage rose almost four percent, driven by coal and iron ore exports to China and Europe and U.S. steel imports. Industrial wind components also continue to be strong.  Go to full article

Cornwall, ON, Jan 15, 2013 — St. Lawrence Seaway officials have tallied the 2012 shipping numbers, and say they exceeded expectations for the year.

In a news release, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation says the total tonnage of freight shipped through the waterway increased by four percent. That's 300,000 tons higher than expected last year.  Go to full article

Montreal, QC, Sep 12, 2012 — Huge freighters from all over the world ply the waters of the St. Lawrence River on their way to the Great Lakes. Some are new and high tech. Others are rusty and old. The vessels vary greatly in their safety measures and labor conditions.

The U.S. and Canada each inspect these ships individually, but now a new joint project aims to speed up the process and boost commerce in the region.  Go to full article

Clayton, NY, Mar 22, 2012 — An unofficial start to the spring and summer season Thursday, as the St. Lawrence Seaway officially opened with three separate ceremonies. It's the 54th season for the seaway.

The Thousand Islands saw its first ship of the season before the opening--on Wednesday. The Missisagi winters in Hamilton, Ontario, so it didn't need to go through any locks to get to Prescott.  Go to full article

Cape Vincent, NY, Aug 23, 2011 — For the first time, a top official with the US Environmental Protection Agency has publicly embraced New York's tough new ballast water rules. Those regulations, scheduled to go into effect next year, are designed to stop invasions of non-native animals and plants, like zebra mussels and the spiny water flea.

Industry groups, members of congress and some Federal officials are pushing back hard, arguing that the regulations set standards that can't be met by existing technology. The want New York's rules scrapped. And they're lobbying the EPA to create national ballast water guidelines that are far less strict.

But as Brian Mann reports, the top EPA administrator in New York says new regulations should push the shipping industry to do more to help stop invasives.  Go to full article

Clayton, NY, Jul 27, 2011 — New York state is facing new pressure to scrap tough ballast water regulations that are set to go into effect next year. The rules are designed to stop invasive species from reaching the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes.

But as Brian Mann reports, Republicans in Congress say New York should be stripped of hundreds of millions of dollars in Federal EPA funding if the regulations aren't scrapped.  Go to full article

Massena, NY, Jul 18, 2011 — The St. Lawrence Seaway is one of the biggest shipping channels in the world, stretching from the Atlantic to Lake Ontario. In recent years, the system of locks and channels has struggled to build traffic and attract companies interested in shipping cargos through to the Great Lakes.

This year, the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, which operates the US side of the channel,is requesting $34 million dollars in appropriations from Congress. The money will go to operate the locks in Massena, and it will be used to fund upgrades to the system.

Brian Mann spoke with Collister Johnson, who heads the Development Corporation. He says traffic on the Seaway is rebounding.  Go to full article

Montreal, QC, Jul 18, 2011 — We heard St. Lawrence Seaway Administrator Terry Johnson talk about bringing "containers" into the Seaway. Those are the norm of international commerce - all-purpose boxes that fit on ships, trucks, and trains. They can carry anything from paper clips to teddy bears to computers.

Seaway officials have trumpeted container traffic as a huge growth opportunity for the better part of a decade. Yet the infrastructure's still not in place. Few, if any, Great Lakes ports have the cranes to off-load containers.

Todd Moe reports at least one industry analyst is skeptical.  Go to full article

Clayton, NY, Jun 28, 2011 — The Canadian company that wants to ship radioactive waste through the St. Lawrence Seaway has put the project on hold while it schedules talks with Mohawk and other native groups in Canada.

The project, first proposed by Bruce Power last year, has sparked controversy on both sides of the border. The project has also sparked new questions about other kinds of hazardous cargos that are passing through the locks and channels of the St. Lawrence River. Brian Mann has our story.  Go to full article

Thousand Island Park, NY, Jun 22, 2011 — This week, our Adirondack reporter Brian Mann has been exploring the St. Lawrence Seaway. Construction of the massive system of locks and channels in the 1950s changed the river profoundly. As part of his trip, Brian set off in his kayak around Wellesley Island, to see if he could catch a glimpse of what the St. Lawrence might have looked like before all that. He sent back an audio postcard.  Go to full article