Ship operators call for the St. Lawrence Seaway to remain open longer in winter
Since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, Ottawa, Ontario and Quebec have stepped up announcements aimed at boosting local production and interprovincial trade. As some of this trade also moves by ship, the St. Lawrence Ship Operators (SLS) would like to see the St. Lawrence Seaway remain open longer during the winter.
The association represents 29 ship operators transporting goods and passengers on the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes, as well as in the Arctic and the Maritime provinces.
Opened in 1959, the St. Lawrence Seaway is a binational trade route jointly managed by Canada and the United States. From Montreal, it connects the St. Lawrence River to the five Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario) through a system of locks. The association represents 29 ship operators transporting goods and passengers on the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes, as well as in the Arctic and the Maritime provinces.
Opened in 1959, the St. Lawrence Seaway is a binational trade route jointly managed by Canada and the United States. From Montreal, it connects the St. Lawrence River to the five Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario) through a system of locks.
In an interview with Les Affaires, SLS President and CEO Saul Polo highlighted two major benefits that a longer navigation season would bring to the maritime industry:
It would stimulate trade on the St. Lawrence Seaway, which currently operates at 50% of its capacity;
It would make it easier for ship operators to retain customers who cannot use their services year-round along the Quebec–Ontario corridor.
“Often, a shipper will choose other modes of transportation, such as rail or truck, because they cannot use marine transportation year-round or can only use it for ten months,” he said.
In 2025–2026, the St. Lawrence Seaway (the Montreal–Lake Ontario section) was open for 296 days, from March 22, 2025, to January 12, 2026. Ideally, SLS would like to see navigation days gradually added in January, before the closure, and in March, before the opening, allowing vessels to operate over a longer period, for example, between 320 and 330 days.
As a result, the Seaway would close for only about one month each year instead of two, Polo noted. In his view, an approximately 11-month navigation season would be a game changer for companies engaged in interprovincial trade that are looking to reduce their transportation costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Proportionally, ships emit fewer GHGs than trucks and trains.
However, the St. Lawrence Ship Operators recognize that infrastructure investments and greater use of icebreakers would be required to keep this trade route open longer during the winter.
Extending the navigation season is a “long-term” objective
Contacted by Les Affaires, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation was unable to provide an interview on the subject.
However, in an email, Serge Auclair, Vice-President, Commercial and External Relations, noted that extending the navigation season “is a long-term objective” that the Corporation is currently considering and assessing. “This is a complex issue that extends beyond the Seaway itself. It requires a coordinated approach involving all partners across the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence corridor,” he emphasized.
According to Auclair, extending the navigation season would also require collaboration among all stakeholders, including Seaway authorities, governments, icebreaking services, ports, marine carriers, and customers using the trade route.
Auclair also noted that “significant investments” would be required to adapt infrastructure and systems to extended operating conditions during the colder months.
Icebreakers would also need to be considered. They are already required for Seaway operations, and their operating model would necessarily need to be reassessed if the navigation season were extended.
Article by François Normand — Les Affaires
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