A Great Lakes St Lawrence Seaway System Green Shipping Corridor

The bi-national Great Lakes St Lawrence Seaway system handles approximately 38 million tonnes of cargo annually, serving as the maritime supply chain between the Atlantic Ocean and ports in eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces of North America. Its 15 locks allow vessels to navigate the 600’ rise in elevation and provide international connectivity to the five Great Lakes. A combination of ‘salty’ ocean vessels up to Handy size and ‘laker’ self-unloaders carrying a variety of bulk cargos such as aggregates, sand, salt, cement, iron ore, coal, and grain traverse the system along with project, breakbulk, and containerized cargoes.

This unique freshwater system has now become a focus of efforts aimed at carbon reduction in the maritime sector. In

November 2022, the U.S. and Canadian governments jointly announced at the COP 27 United Nations Climate Change Conference they would facilitate the development of a Green Shipping Corridor Network (GSCN) on the Great Lakes Seaway System.

The first step towards achieving that goal took place on 4 April 2023 in Chicago, Illinois when the U.S. Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS) and the Canadian St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) co-hosted the first-ever Collaborative Forum on establishing a Green Shipping Corridor Network (GSCN) on the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System. The Forum brought together approximately 100 Great Lakes maritime stakeholders to begin a dialogue on implementation of a green shipping corridor.

The Forum had several goals including opening and improving lines of communication between the Great Lakes maritime industry and key State regulatory personnel with oversight of environmental policy on greenhouse gas emission; exploring issues affecting implementation of a Green Shipping Corridor; consideration of voluntary strategies, based on best available science and technology, to achieve a green maritime supply chain regardless of any implementation timeline; and creation of a common body of knowledge for voluntary collaboration efforts.

Among the attendees were U.S. and Canadian officials from the U.S.

Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Transport Canada, and the provincial Government of Québec. U.S. system stakeholders were also well represented, including the American Great Lakes Ports Association, the Lake Carriers Association, along with the Canadian Chamber of Marine Commerce and the international environmental certification organization Green Marine.

Two breakout sessions — Alternative Fuels and Electrification, and Operational Efficiencies and Digitization — were held to brainstorm green shipping ideas, develop strategies to identify infrastructure needs and funding requirements, and establish working partnerships to follow up on goals and solutions to pursue.

After these sessions, Forum participants recommended the formation of two GSCN working groups to discuss future developments, explore decarbonization strategies, and develop opportunities for greater collaboration. The first working group will examine multiple fuel solution decarbonization avenues for Seaway system users and recommend both transition and longer-term alternatives including biofuel use for Great Lakes Seaway ships, with input from both port authorities, engine/equipment manufacturers and ship operators.

A second working group will examine transportation supply chain fluidity, system performance management and data tracking/sharing methods, including vessel fleet management, cargo flow optimization, and greenhouse gas emissions tracking. These working groups will convene in the next two to four months.

The Seaway corporations have also begun planning for a second GSCN Collaborative Forum to be convened in the next six to nine months. The second forum will build upon the successes and achievements of the first forum and provide participants the opportunity to collaborate with a wider range of industry stakeholders and policymakers. The timeline will allow the two working groups to commence activities, establish sub-deliverables, and present their recommendations on their respective topics at the second forum.

This industry led collaborative effort will shape the implementation of a Green Shipping Corridor Network through the Great Lakes St Lawrence Seaway system’s freshwater maritime supply chain, identifying best practices as innovation and technology continue to evolve.