GLIN==> Welland Canal opening March 20

["List Manager" <adminpst@great-lakes.net>]

WELLAND CANAL OPENING TO ESTABLISH NEW RECORD

http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/news/pr20070220.html

(Cornwall, February 20, 2007) - The St. Lawrence Seaway Management 
Corporation (SLSMC) will open the Welland Canal on March 20th, establishing 
a record for the earliest opening date.  The decision to open on the 20th 
stems partially from Seaway clients requesting an earlier start, and was 
made after carefully reviewing maintenance schedules and environmental 
considerations.

"Our system enjoyed excellent traffic results in 2006.  We are building on 
this momentum and extending a number of incentives to encourage more 
shippers to utilize the Seaway" stated Richard Corfe, President and CEO of 
the SLSMC.  "Within our system's existing locks and channels, we have the 
capacity to increase our cargo volume by over 60 percent.  This opportunity 
is very significant, in light of clogged land-based arteries and an 
increasing desire among organizations to improve their energy consumption 
and greenhouse gas emission performance."

Mr. Corfe's U.S. counterpart, Collister ("Terry") Johnson, Jr., 
Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, 
concurred.  "The Seaway continues to play a vital role as a gateway 
connecting North America's manufacturing and agricultural heartland markets 
to global commerce," he said.  "The new navigation season historically 
focuses on staple bulk cargoes, but we're excited about the sustained 
improvements in project cargo trade, especially strong growth in 
petroleum-mining activities in Alberta and wind turbines."

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the fourth Welland Canal, which 
predates the St. Lawrence Seaway.  The Welland Canal was an engineering 
marvel at its inception and today the Seaway, as a whole, is yet again on 
the vanguard of technology.  Improvements underway include the testing of a 
hands-free vessel mooring system, a vessel self-spotting system to enable 
crew members on the bridge to precisely judge their approach into a lock, 
and a sophisticated 3D charting system which provides an accurate model of 
the channel bottom, with the potential to enhance navigation and available 
vessel draft.

The Montreal / Lake Ontario section of the Seaway is slated to open on March 
21st.  Opening and closing dates are set after careful deliberation, taking 
into account a host of factors and the interests of a diverse group of 
stakeholders.


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