Economy

Great Lakes-Seaway shipping is one of the key drivers of the U.S. and Canadian economies. The industry directly and indirectly employs 227,000 people in the two countries, and produces business revenues of $33.5 billion. Additionally, shipping contributes $4.6 billion in federal, state/province and local taxes every year. It also supports the economic health of North America’s industrial heartland and a consumer market of more than 100 million people.

• To keep their businesses running, U.S. and Canadian electric utilities, steel mills, construction companies, mining companies, manufacturers, and farmers all depend on the 164 million metric tons of cargo delivered by Great Lakes vessels every year.
• These cargoes become the automobiles North Americans drive, the office buildings they work in, the energy that heats their homes, the salt that keeps roads safe, and the food they put on the dinner table.
• Marine transportation on the Great Lakes-Seaway System provides $3.6 billion (USD) in annual transportation cost savings compared to the next best all-land transportation alternative. This enhances the global competitiveness of North American products and industries and keeps the cost of consumer goods down.
• Shipowners have recently invested close to $1 billion (CAD) to buy state-of-the-art new ships that will have significant environmental and safety benefits for the Great Lakes. Read about some of the new ocean-going ships and domestic carriers.
• During the next 10 years, the U.S. and Canadian governments will commit close to $1 billion to enhance infrastructure and modernize equipment in the navigation system. This investment will improve transportation performance and reliability, and create thousands of jobs.