Canadian Shipping and Marine Transport
This site is an independent reference on commercial shipping in Canada. It collects facts from public records and explains them in plain language: how much cargo moves by water, which laws apply to ships, how the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River work as one shipping route, and where official data can be found. Every article lists its sources, and nearly all of them are government pages or Wikipedia.
The site is informational only. It does not sell services, give advice or represent any company or organization.
Why shipping matters in Canada
Canada has coasts on three oceans, a long inland waterway system and a large share of its trade moving through ports. Grain, iron ore, potash, coal, petroleum products, containers and vehicles all travel by ship. The country also has ferries, tugs, fishing vessels, research ships and a growing cruise season.
Water transport is slower than road or rail but carries heavy bulk goods at low cost per tonne. That explains why the busiest routes sit where mines, farms and mills meet navigable water, above all on the lakes and the river that connects them to the Atlantic.
What readers usually look for
Questions about Canadian shipping tend to fall into a few groups. Some readers want totals: how many tonnes of cargo leave and enter Canadian ports, how large the registered fleet is, or how traffic through the Seaway changed between seasons. Others want to understand a rule, such as why a foreign ship cannot carry cargo between two Canadian ports without a licence, or what a vessel must do with its ballast water before entering the lakes. A third group is interested in the water itself: when the locks open and close, how ice is cleared, and how large a ship can be and still pass through the system.
The guides below are written to answer these questions one topic at a time. Each can be read on its own, and they link to each other where topics overlap.
Guides
Numbers and economy
- Canadian shipping statistics summarizes cargo tonnage, fleet size and Seaway traffic, with a historical look at 2007 and 2008 beside recent figures.
- Economic impact of the marine sector covers the value of the marine economy, jobs and port throughput reported by federal departments.
- Cruise industry statistics gives passenger numbers by port and month, and explains why national and port counts differ.
Waterways and seasons
- Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway shipping describes the 3,700 km route, the locks, vessel size limits and the navigation season.
- Icebreaking and winter navigation explains how ice is managed, which agencies run icebreakers and what changes when the locks close.
- Short sea shipping in Canada looks at moving freight by water over regional distances and how it compares with road and rail.
Rules and fleets
- Ballast water regulations in Canada outlines how ships must manage ballast to limit the spread of invasive species.
- Fleet renewal and cabotage describes the Coasting Trade Act, how foreign ships obtain a licence, and how fleets are renewed.
Where to find official data
- Canadian marine industry resources is a directory of federal bodies, laws and international organizations that publish marine information.
How the content is prepared
Each article starts from public documents: statutes on the Justice Laws website, publications of Transport Canada, Statistics Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, official Seaway pages and encyclopedic entries. Figures are copied with their year and unit. When two sources disagree, the article says so instead of choosing one silently. If a number could not be confirmed on a page, it is left out.
Articles carry an update date. Shipping data changes every season, so readers who need a current value for a decision should check the original source linked in the article.
Scope and limits
The site covers commercial and passenger shipping in Canadian waters and the connected US waters of the Great Lakes. It does not cover recreational boating, fishing quotas or naval operations in detail. It is not a legal, safety or navigation resource, and nothing here replaces official notices, charts or regulations.
More details are on the About page, and the terms of use, privacy and copyright notices are listed in the footer of every page.
Frequently asked questions
What does this site cover?
It covers commercial shipping in Canada: cargo and fleet statistics, the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, ice and winter operations, ballast water and cabotage rules, cruise traffic and official sources of data.
Where do the numbers come from?
From government publications such as Statistics Canada tables, Transport Canada reports and the Justice Laws website, plus official Seaway pages and Wikipedia. Each article ends with a numbered source list.
Is the site connected to a shipping company or association?
No. It is an independent reference with no commercial or institutional affiliation.
How current is the information?
Every article shows when it was last updated. Statistical series are published with delay, so the newest year available in the source is used and always stated.
Can the site be used for navigation or legal decisions?
No. It is a general reference. Navigation notices, charts, regulations and legal texts published by the responsible authorities take precedence.