Incentive program launched for St Lawrence Seaway carriers

ST CATHARINES: The Saint Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) has launched a new service incentive program for carriers covering the Great Lakes Region, as well as service providers looking to expand their scheduled services.

The new service incentive program, which begins for the 2011 navigation season, aims to help carriers develop or expand liner or semi-liner services between the Great Lakes and global markets. The program offers a 20-percent rebate on applicable cargo tolls for carriers implementing a new service. The incentive, combined with the new business incentive, will provide savings of 40 percent on tolls and help develop new export traffic and cargo, the SLSMC said.

“Over the last few years we have witnessed the success of our New Business Incentive,” said Bruce Hodgson, SLSMC’s director of market development. “This reinforces the need to continue to promote the Great Lakes St Lawrence Seaway System (GLSLSS) by continuing to offer incentives that will highlight the benefits of the system and provide motivation to utilize the Continental Gateway Corridor. It’s difficult for traffic volumes to build unless there is an established service; the service incentive program is an additional resource to assist with the growth of cargoes and services within the GLSLSS.”

The new business incentive, launched in 2008, will continue to apply to qualifying import and export cargoes. That program offers a 20-percent discount on cargo tolls over three years for commodity, origin and destination combinations approved as new business.

As well, the volume incentive program will remain; that program offers a 10-percent reduction on cargo tolls applicable to incremental volumes meeting certain criteria. The SLSMC also announced last month there will not be a toll increase in 2011.