13 July 2012: Safer Sailing on St. Lawrence Seaway
Freighter on Saint Lawrence Seaway
A new technology will make for safer sailing for cargo ships traveling the St. Lawrence Seaway, which connects inland ports on the Great Lakes in the United States and Canada to the Atlantic Ocean.
The U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, an entity under the U.S. Department of Transportation, announced the availability of the Draft Information System, an onboard technology that allows ships to carry heavier cargo without risk of running aground. The Draft Information System provides real-time information on actual and projected distance between the lowest point of a vessel -- its keel -- and the seaway bottom.
U.S. and Canadian authorities cooperated in developing standards for the new system.
"The new system is a milestone for the Seaway and an example of how the Canadian and U.S. Seaway Corporations can innovate with stakeholders to improve the safety and efficiency of the Seaway transit experience," said Craig Middlebrook, acting administrator for the corporation.
The entire Saint Lawrence Seaway supports 227,000 jobs and generates annual revenue of $34 billion.