Seaway expects more cargo in 2010

Seaway expects more cargo in 2010    Officials at the St. Lawrence Seaway said they expect a 10 to 12 percent increase in cargo to 34 million tons for 2010.
   The seaway’s navigation season officially started Thursday.
   Total cargo volume for 2009 amounted to 30.7 million tons, 25 percent less than in 2008 and the lowest volume witnessed since the early 1960s.
   'We do not harbor any illusions as to the challenges that await us,' said Richard Corfe, president and chief executive officer of Canada's St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp.
   Speaking at the opening ceremony, which was held at the St. Catharines Museum in Ontario adjacent to Lock 3 on the Welland Canal, Corfe said “while steel production is rebounding somewhat in 2010, we do not anticipate iron ore and steel product volumes will regain their historic highs at any point in the near future. This realization leads us to conclude that the seaway must redouble its efforts to both retain its current users and diversify its client base.'
   Collister Johnson Jr., administrator for the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corp., also spoke at the opening ceremony about the productive relationship that exists between the Canadian and U.S. seaway entities.
   'All matters governing the seaway as a whole must be coordinated and made jointly through a collaborative process, a fact which is sometimes forgotten by onlookers,' he said. 'I am proud of the long-standing culture of cooperation between the two seaway corporations.'
   To retain current users and make seaway transits more productive, the seaway will test vessel transits at a deeper draft within the existing channels. Using advanced software, satellite navigation, and high resolution charts of the channel bottom, some vessels are permitted to transit at a draft of 26-feet, 9 inches, three additional inches than normal, on a trial basis. The deeper draft means that vessels are able to carry more freight tons.
   To open the seaway to new uses and diversify its cargo base, the seaway will pursue development of 'hands free mooring' at Lock 7 of the Welland Canal. 'Testing will continue this year, and the end result if successful will enable most of the world's seaway-sized vessels to transit our locks without the use of mooring lines, eliminating the need for seaway specific vessel modifications,' Corfe said.