The following is text of a news release from the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. (SLSMC):
(ST. CATHARINES, Ontario) — The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. marked the opening of the Seaway’s 62nd navigation season on Tuesday with the transit of NACC Argonaut through Lock 8 on the Welland Canal.
“With the COVID-19 outbreak, we are living in exceptional times. We witnessed a tremendous response by our employees and members of the broader marine community in overcoming a range of obstacles to ensure that the Seaway can open,” said Terence Bowles, president and CEO of the SLSMC. “The St. Lawrence Seaway provides an essential transportation service that literally feeds nations around the world, including Canada and the U.S., and supplies the inputs which keep many of our industries operating. We will strive to do our part during this difficult period. We are implementing recommended preventive measures to protect the health of our employees, including working from home where possible. ”
“Every navigation season brings opportunities and challenges and the 2020 season will be no different," said Craig Middlebrook, deputy administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. "While the opportunities and challenges change each year, what remains constant are the safety, reliability, efficiency and environmental performance advantages of waterborne transportation. The Seaway corporations continue working every day to ensure that these advantages are realized as fully as possible in our binational waterway.”
The Seaway’s Montreal/Lake Ontario section will open on April 1 this year, eight days after the opening of the Welland Canal. This hybrid approach will enable the International Joint Commission to move record volumes of water out of Lake Ontario in order to provide relief to lakeshore communities battered by high water levels.
