Environmentally Friendly
Great Lakes / Seaway shipping is an environmentally friendly transportation system. Transportation being the leading energy use sector in North America, both its efficiency and its environmental impacts have become the focus of increasing scrutiny and regulation.
Studies of the Great Lakes / Seaway system have shown that marine transport uses less fuel, emits fewer emissions and is safer than either rail or truck for equivalent cargoes and distances. Their large cargo capacity relative to engine size and their operating characteristics make Great Lakes and Seaway vessels models of fuel efficiency. A laker, for instance, uses about one gallon of fuel per ton of iron ore transported, requiring on average only 4.2 liters of fuel per metric ton on a round trip.
As well as saving costs, this fuel efficiency translates into fewer emissions. Less air pollution comes from Great Lakes / Seaway shipping than from other sources in the region, with the added advantage of very low noise levels and few safety risks. Unique among the world's navigation systems, the ships and ports of the Great Lakes/Seaway System have an excellent safety record, while keeping transportation costs competitive for the industrial and agricultural heart of North America.