MASSENA, NEW YORK, US — Grain movements through the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System increased 12.5% in 2024 to 11.8 million tonnes.

Total cargo movements on the seaway, a 3,700 km “marine highway” that extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, were down 1.6%. The number of vessel transits increased by 17 to 3,952.

Agricultural products made up 32% of the total cargo which reached 37 million tonnes in 2024.  

The United States and Canadian grain shipped through the Seaway includes wheat, corn, soybeans, barley, oats and flaxseed. It is primarily exported.

The 2024 navigation season, which opened on March 22, 2024, and closed Jan. 10, 2025, spanned 295 days and was the longest planned season in history.

In December, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. (SLSMC) announced an investment of over $350 million in infrastructure upgrades over the next three years

“We are making significant investments in our infrastructure to ensure the Seaway’s continued reliability and efficiency well into the future,” said Jim Athanasiou, president and chief executive officer of the SLSMC. “We are committed to supporting growth in North American industries, and can easily accommodate additional traffic within our existing capacity.”