A user's guide to the Great Lakes St Lawrence Seaway System

You’ll have to fork out some fees…
While the freight rates are generally affordable, shipping on the GLSLS carries its own set of fees. You can expect charges like ice-breaking fees, marine service fees and tolls to pass through strategic points like the Welland Canal.

There may also be stevedoring fees, which can run between $8 and $13 a tonne.

“In terms of the vessel costs, [short-sea shipping] is a lot cheaper,” explains Aldert Van Nieuwkoop, president of Great Lakes Feeder Lines, which provides marine transportation across the GLSLS and Atlantic Canada. “Where the challenge comes is in loading and unloading those containers.”

His company’s flagship short-sea vessel, the Dutch Runner, has built-in cranes, which are meant to ease the cost of the loading/unloading process.

…But incentives are available
Some jurisdictions along the GLSLS are courting shippers with incentives. The Quebec government, for example, offers tax credits to shippers who switch from truck or rail to marine, and recently expanded the program for cargo moving into Ontario.

Hodgson would like to see the federal and US governments offer similar programs. “We think that’d go a long way towards helping short-sea shipping. The actual benefit would go to the shipper, who is controlling the merchandise.”

For its part, the SLSMC lowered its tolls last year. Hodgson reports that the effort has attracted new customers—particularly those interested in cutting costs and their carbon footprint at the same time.

Ports are eager to grow…
Virtually every port on the GLSLS is hungry for business, and many are working to creatively address shippers’ needs.

Larger ports—like Halifax, Hamilton and Montreal—are pursuing container feeder services, in which a large mainline ship from Europe or Asia calls at a major port, its cargo is transloaded to a smaller vessel or barge and the shipments move as close as possible to destination by water.

One of the leaders in this has been the Port of Hamilton. Late last year, it launched a pilot for a feeder service to and from Montreal. It’s in the early stages, but interest is growing, and if all goes as planned a weekly service could be operational as early as July.

…But many could use a spruce-up
Not every port on the GLSLS is equipped with the state-of-the-art capabilities of major ports. Many could use upgrades—particularly smaller ports accustomed to modest amounts of cargo.