Peter Hirthe, Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, USA, details the binational maritime gateway and the technology utilised to keep cargo moving safely and reliably.
T
he St. Lawrence Seaway directly serves an eight-state, two-province region that accounts for one-quarter of the US gross domestic product (GDP), one-half of North America’s manufacturing and services industries, and is home to nearly one-quarter of the continent’s population. On its own, the Great Lakes region of North America would represent the world’s third largest economy with a foundation built on mining, manufacturing, steelmaking, and agriculture. The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System is the
binational maritime gateway between this economically powerful region and the world, offering a safe, reliable, and sustainable supply chain for waterborne commerce. Since the Seaway opened in 1959, more than 3 billion t of cargo valued at over US$450 billion has transited the binational waterway. The St. Lawrence Seaway is comprised of 15 locks that lift and lower vessels the height difference equivalent to a 60-storey building, between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Erie.
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