The 2020 Shipping Season has begun with the Official Opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway

While the first commercial shipment arrived at Fort Rouille (the Fort at Toronto) in 1749, it took another 44 years for the town of York (since renamed Toronto), and its shipping port to be established. Since 1793, the Port of Toronto has served as Toronto’s gateway to the St. Lawrence Seaway and to marine ports around the world.

With the opening of the Welland Canal portion of the St. Lawrence Seaway on March 24, and the Montreal section scheduled to open April 1, the 2020 shipping season has officially begun. The St. Lawrence Seaway, a series of locks and canals that stretches from Montreal to Lakes Ontario and through the Welland Canal to Lake Erie, is a vital link that provides access to the Great Lakes for ocean-going vessels or “salties”. An estimated 40 million tonnes of goods are shipped through the Seaway each year.

As the St. Lawrence Seaway approaches its 62^nd shipping season in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, it is keeping safety top of mind by implementing a series of COVID-19-related measures to ensure continuity of operations for both domestic and ocean vessels, and with the aim of protecting ship crews and port employees.
The Port of Toronto echoes these concerns and is doing its part by implementing safety measures recommended by Transport Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada to protect the health of its employees. 

Learn more about the St. Lawrence Seaway’s COVID-19-related protective measures.  

Learn more about the materials that transit through the Port of Toronto each year.