OSHAWA PORT AUTHORITY          

 
 
THE SEAWAY AND HIGHWAY H2O
 
 
Extending some 2000 nautical miles into North America’s heartland, the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System gives shippers the most direct water route to and from the continent’s major industrial and agricultural markets. The System consists of the five Great Lakes, the Seaway and the St. Lawrence River from the Atlantic Ocean to the Port of Montreal.
Saint Lawrence Seaway MapThe St. Lawrence Seaway extends from Montreal to Lake Erie and provides direct access to Canadian and American ports serving the vast agricultural and industrial North American heartland.

As part of its service commitment to shippers, the Seaway operates 24 hours a day during the season from late March until late December. Well defined procedures ensure that ocean vessels transiting in December will easily clear the System prior to the end of the season. Maximum permissible draught is 7.92 m or 26 feet [7.95 m (26’1”) from April 15 to November 30].

Commercial traffic generally proceeds on a first come, first served basis.

There are seven locks between Montreal and Lake Ontario, including two in the United States, operated by the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, and five in Canada operated by the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation. The Authority also operates the eight locks of the Welland Canal, linking Lake Ontario to Lake Erie.

Seaway locks are filled or emptied by gravity. On average, lockages take about 45 minutes from the time the bow passes the approach wall until the stern clears the lock area. Safety features are built-in to ensure safe passage through the locks. The signal light systems guiding vessels into lock chambers are specifically designed to eliminate unnecessary delays.

Seaway channels have these controlling dimensions:
Depth:
8.23 m (27 feet)
Width:
When flanked by two embankments
When flanked by one embankment
In open reaches
60.96 m (200 feet)
91.44 m (300 feet)
137.16 m (450 feet)
 
 
The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System of rivers, lakes, canals, locks and ports has been unified under a new identity - Hwy H2O. Hwy H2O begins with Atlantic Ocean access at the Port of Quebec and encompasses the entire system to its most westerly point in the mid-continent, the Port of Duluth.

As a marketing brand it clearly and concisely captures the very essence of the marine highway,
by utilizing its most basic element which is universally understood in an instant... H2O.

Sponsors, Partners and Supporters of the brand Hwy H2O include The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation and commercial entities such as ports (see port partners link map on this site) and marine associated enterprises, associations and interest groups. 
 
For more information, visit the official website located at http://www.hwyh2o.com/.