Earliest opening set for St. Lawrence Seaway

Earliest opening set for St. Lawrence Seaway The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway navigation season will start at its earliest date when the Welland Canal opens March 20 at a.m.
   The Montreal-Lake Ontario section will open at the same time a day later while the U.S. Sault Ste. Marie locks and canals will open March 25.
   The Seaway closed its 48th navigation season on Dec. 30, after a record 283 days, with total cargo traffic up 9 percent to 47.1 million tons, its best result since 1998.
   'Our system enjoyed excellent traffic results in 2006,' said Richard Corfe, president and chief executive officer of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. 'We are building on this momentum and extending a number of incentives to encourage more shippers to utilize the seaway.
   'Within our system's existing locks and channels, we have the capacity to increase our cargo volume by over 60 percent. This opportunity is very significant, in light of clogged land-based arteries and an increasing desire among organizations to improve their energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission performance,' Corfe said.
   The maximum vessel draft for the Welland Canal in the 2007 season will be 26.5 feet. The draft for the Montreal-Lake Ontario section will be 26.25 feet until the South Shore Canal is ice-free or April 15, whichever occurs first, at which time, if water levels are favorable, the draft will be increased to 26.5 feet.