Post-Panamax ships cleared for St Lawrence

MM&D staff

MONTREAL, Quebec—Super-sized ships designed to take advantage of an expanded Panama Canal will be able to make Montreal a port of call.

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) has officially authorized the passage of vessels up to 44m wide to navigate the Quebec-Montreal section of the St Lawrence. This means the 6,000 TEU post-Panamax ships are now permitted in the channel. The previous limit had been 32m wide.

The decision was made based on the results of a study commissioned by the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) and conducted by Transport Canada, the Laurentian Pilotage Authority, the Corporation of Central St Lawrence Pilots and the CCG.

MPA president and CEO Sylvie Vachon explained what the decision will mean for the port.

Shipping lines, no matter what type of cargo they carry, will be able to substantially increase capacity on their services to Montreal, which will inevitably lead to benefits for the port’s broad customer base.”