Shipping on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway: An Update

For decades, the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway navigation system has provided efficient shipping for the raw materials that support the steel industry and other heavy industries located in the region. However, shipping volumes have been in a long-term decline, and many port wharfs remain vacant. Congress recently authorized substantial spending to support the navigation system, including building a new lock at Sault Ste. Marie, constructing a second U.S. Coast Guard heavy icebreaker, and rehabilitating several port facilities. In addition to these capital improvements, the federal government operates and maintains the system by keeping locks in good repair and dredging shipping channels and harbors. Given recent seaway traffic trends and investments, this report provides an update and activity summary to the Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report R44664, The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway Navigation System: Options for Growth, by John Frittelli (2016 CRS report).

• Record URL:
  • https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R47550
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This report is updated periodically while the text remains available at the URL indicated above. The actual date of publication, pagination, and other features may differ from that indicated in this record.
• Corporate Authors:

  Congressional Research Service

  Washington, DC  United States 
• Authors:
  • Frittelli, John
• Publication Date: 2023-5-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Version 3
• Features: Figures; Maps; References;
• Pagination: 12p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Improvements; Shipping; Water traffic
• Geographic Terms: Great Lakes; Saint Lawrence Seaway
• Subject Areas: Freight Transportation; Marine Transportation; Policy;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01882533
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: R47550
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 23 2023 9:26AM