Dear Member,

The Federation attended the Seaway Opening Season meeting this afternoon and below is a brief summary of key points shared during the meeting.

Water levels in Lake Ontario are currently below average. Environment Canada anticipates that levels on Lake St. Lawrence will be similar to or higher than last year, while levels on Lake St. Louis and Montreal may remain below average. Ice coverage throughout most of the system remains above normal due to colder winter conditions.  Please click here for the ice flight photos taken on March 2nd.

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) advised that icebreaking operations should begin on March 16th with the M/V Martha L. Black working between Cape Vincent and the Seaway. The Samuel Risley is expected to be back in service by the end of March, operating in the Port Colburn and Lake Erie area, while the Judy Lamarche would cover Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair.  In the northern sections, the Vincent Massey will operate Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay.

The CCG also presented its plan for aids to navigations, including the decommissioning of buoys and the deployment of ten four-season ELA buoys with additional funding approved for Beauharnois Canal installations. The CCG will also give priority to the removal of winter spars to restore light buoys back into operation as early as possible.

Industry stakeholders, including the Federation, raised concerns regarding asset coverage given the challenging winter conditions, uncertainty around ice forecasting, the availability of the Samuel Risley, and potential coverage gaps. The CCG indicated that a1200 IB (potentially the Des Groseilliers) would be available if required. For aids navigation, the CCGS Caribou Isle and potentially the Limnos would provide backfill support in the Detroit and St. Clair rivers. The possibility of additional chartering options through Group Ocean was also noted. The Federation will continue to monitor developments closely.

Documents shared during the meeting:

  1. Water Level Outlook
  2. Spring Breakup Forecast
  3. Central & Great Lakes Buoy Operations

Reminder: The Seaway is asking agents to submit anticipated opening-season traffic to support planning.

Upcoming meetings:

  • Seaway Customer Relation meeting, March 12, 0830 to 1500 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Montreal (in person). The agenda includes takeaways from the closing of the 2025 season, along with updates on operational and regulatory matters and upcoming projects. The Federation will attend and we encourage members to participate.  Please click here for the draft agenda.
  • Operations meeting – week of March 16th.  Traffic management strategies and vessel lineup procedures will be discussed. The Seaway will send invitations shortly.

Please address any questions or comments to the undersigned.

Sincerely,

Farah Ahmad
Coordinator, Operations