Seaway Trade Mission to promote Great Lakes St. Lawrence seaway system

The U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) and the Canadian St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) are leading a delegation of 15 U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes executives on a Seaway Trade Mission to Poland and Norway this week. Delegates will have the opportunity to make contacts with maritime industry leaders and decision-makers, and will be able to promote the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway as a safe, viable and reliable route for exporting and importing goods.

“This trade mission allows Great Lakes and Seaway leaders to combine our knowledge and resources and jointly make the strongest case possible to win new business for the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System. We are pleased to coordinate such an important mission,” said SLSDC Administrator Albert S. Jacquez.

The delegation will first conduct meetings in Szczecin, home to Poland’s most active seaport. Their arrival will coincide with the Annual Baltic Herring Meeting, where representatives of maritime companies from around the world gather to network and promote maritime business interests. Mission delegates will be able to meet with 1,500 maritime representatives from across Europe for the event.

From Szczecin the delegates travel to Gdansk, Poland, where they are scheduled to meet with selected members of the Polish Ship Owner’s Association and the Polish International Association of Freight Forwarders and meet with representatives of the Port and Shipyard of Gdynia. A tour of port and shipyard facilities will follow meetings.

The final stop for the delegation will be Oslo, Norway, where delegates will promote the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway to maritime companies from over 50 countries at the 18th Annual International Shipping and Maritime Exhibition and Conference sponsored by The Seatrade Organization and The Norwegian Shipowners Association. This latest binational Seaway overseas trade mission is the 24th such mission that the SLSDC has sponsored or cosponsored, over the past 15 years, to boost trade through the 2,300 mile Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System. The SLSDC and SLSMC first led delegations to Norway in 1987, and again in 1999. The two Seaway entities first led delegations to Poland in 1991. This is their first return trip to Poland.