7.1.1.3.4.3. The Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway

The Great Lakes of North America Superior, Huron Erie and Ontario are connected by Soo Canal and Welland Canal to form an inland waterway.

The Great Lakes include five major lakes situated in North America: Superior, Huron, Erie, Ontario, and Michigan. These lakes are significant not only for their size but also for their role in commerce and transportation in the region. They are connected by canals—specifically, the Soo Canal and the Welland Canal—which allow vessels to travel between the lakes and access larger ocean-going ships.

Imagine the Great Lakes as a giant interconnected bathtub. If we were to connect the bottom of this bathtub to the ocean with two pipelines (the Soo Canal and Welland Canal), it would enable any toy boats on those lakes to reach the ocean and travel worldwide, illustrating the importance of these canals for moving goods.

The estuary of St. Lawrence River, along with the Great Lakes, forms a unique commercial waterway in the northern part of North America.

The St. Lawrence River is a critical component of the waterway system that connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. This river estuary allows large ships to navigate deep into the continent, making it an essential route for the transportation of goods and materials. The river essentially opens up a path for international trade and commerce by linking inland areas of North America with global markets.

Think of the St. Lawrence River as a highway that allows trucks (ships) to transport products directly from factories in the Midwest (inland) to the coast, where they can be shipped overseas. It makes moving large volumes of goods efficient and cost-effective.

The ports on this route like Duluth and Buffalo are equipped with all facilities of ocean ports.

Ports like Duluth and Buffalo play a vital role in the economy and trade in the region. They are equipped with the necessary infrastructure such as loading docks, storage facilities, and customs checkpoints to handle large vessels that come from ocean routes. These ports serve as crucial entry and exit points for goods, making them integral to the functioning of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system.

Consider these ports as big warehouses at the end of a water slide. Just like water slides allow kids to slide down quickly and safely, these ports allow ships to quickly load and unload their cargo. If the warehouses weren’t well-equipped, it would slow down the entire sliding process, or in this case, shipping and receiving goods.

As such large ocean-going vessels are able to navigate up the river deep inside the continent to Montreal. But here goods have to be trans-shipped to smaller vessels due to the presence of rapids.

When large ships reach the area near Montreal, they encounter natural obstacles like rapids, which makes navigation difficult. As a result, goods must be transferred from the larger vessels to smaller ships that are designed to navigate shallow or turbulent areas of the river. This process of transferring goods is known as 'trans-shipping' and is a critical operation in maintaining the flow of trade.

Imagine a giant freight train that can’t fit through a small tunnel. The train must stop before the tunnel, and all its cargo is moved onto smaller vehicles that can pass through the tunnel. This scenario is similar to what happens with large ships when they reach the rapids near Montreal.

Canals have been constructed up to 3.5 m deep to avoid these.

To facilitate navigation despite the natural rapids, engineers built canals with sufficient depth (3.5 meters) to allow larger ships to pass. These canals are essential for avoiding shallow areas and ensuring that trade can continue smoothly without interruption. They effectively manage the water levels and create a reliable route for commercial shipping.

Think of the canal as a specially paved road that allowed vehicles to pass without bumping into potholes or shallow areas. Without this road, larger trucks wouldn't be able to deliver goods to various destinations safely and efficiently.

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