Great Lakes Shipping Industry: 2026 Trade Routes, Port Investment, and Economic Impact

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system handled approximately 144 million metric tonnes of cargo in the 2024-2025 shipping season, according to data from the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation. As the 2026 season opens in late March, the shipping industry faces a complex economic landscape shaped by shifting trade patterns, infrastructure investments, and the ongoing transition to cleaner maritime fuels.

Trade Volume and Commodity Breakdown

Iron ore remains the dominant commodity moved through the Great Lakes shipping system, accounting for roughly 40 percent of total tonnage. The steel industry’s demand for iron ore shipped from mines in Minnesota and Wisconsin to steel mills in Hamilton, Ontario, and Gary, Indiana, drives the seasonal rhythm of Great Lakes shipping. The Canadian Steel Producers Association reported stable demand through 2025, with Hamilton-based Dofasco processing approximately 4.5 million tonnes of iron ore annually.

Grain shipments represent the second largest commodity category, with wheat, corn, and soybeans moving from agricultural regions in the western Great Lakes to export terminals at the Port of Thunder Bay and the Port of Montreal. Statistics Canada trade data shows that Canadian grain exports through Great Lakes ports totaled 8.2 million tonnes in the 2024-2025 crop year, a 6 percent increase from the previous year driven by strong international demand for Canadian wheat.

Stone, cement, and construction aggregates round out the top three commodity categories. The construction boom across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area has sustained strong demand for aggregate shipments, with the Port of Hamilton handling over 11 million tonnes of cargo in 2025, maintaining its position as Canada’s busiest Great Lakes port.

Port Infrastructure Investment

The Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA) completed a 35 million dollar pier rehabilitation project in late 2025, upgrading dock infrastructure to accommodate larger vessels and improve loading efficiency. The investment is part of HOPA’s long-term strategic plan to modernize port facilities across the western Lake Ontario corridor.

At the Port of Windsor, Transport Canada approved a 28 million dollar project to deepen the approach channel and expand container handling capacity. Windsor’s strategic location adjacent to the Ambassador Bridge and the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which opened in 2025, positions the port to capture growing cross-border logistics activity between Ontario and Michigan.

On the American side, the Port of Duluth-Superior received 17 million dollars in federal INFRA grant funding to rehabilitate aging dock walls and improve rail connections to the port’s bulk cargo terminals. Duluth-Superior remains the largest port by volume on the Great Lakes, handling over 30 million tonnes annually.

Environmental Regulations and Fleet Modernization

The International Maritime Organization’s tightened sulfur emission standards, which took full effect in the Great Lakes Emission Control Area in 2020, continue to drive fleet modernization. Algoma Central Corporation, Canada’s largest Great Lakes shipping company, commissioned the Algoma Innovator in 2023, the first of a new class of dual-fuel vessels capable of running on liquefied natural gas (LNG) or conventional marine fuel.

Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) has invested over 500 million dollars in fleet renewal since 2012, launching the Trillium Class series of self-unloading bulk carriers designed specifically for Great Lakes operations. These vessels achieve approximately 25 percent better fuel efficiency compared to the ships they replaced, according to CSL’s sustainability reporting.

Cross-Border Trade Dynamics

The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) continues to underpin the Great Lakes shipping industry’s cross-border operations. Statistics Canada reports that Ontario’s two-way trade with the Great Lakes states of Michigan, Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania exceeded 340 billion dollars in 2024, with a significant portion of raw materials and intermediate goods moving by water.

The opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge in June 2025 has already begun to reshape logistics patterns in the Windsor-Detroit corridor, though marine shipping retains its cost advantage for bulk commodities. Industry analysts at the Chamber of Marine Commerce estimate that moving cargo by ship on the Great Lakes costs approximately one-third as much per tonne-kilometre as truck transportation.

Looking Ahead to the 2026 Season

The St. Lawrence Seaway is scheduled to open for the 2026 navigation season on March 22. Ice conditions on Lake Superior and Lake Huron will determine whether early-season sailings proceed on schedule. The Canadian Ice Service’s preliminary winter forecast suggests slightly above-average ice coverage for the 2025-2026 winter, which could delay the start of operations in the upper lakes by several days.

Industry stakeholders are watching federal trade policy developments closely. Any changes to tariff structures between Canada and the United States would have immediate implications for cross-border commodity flows through the Great Lakes system. The Chamber of Marine Commerce has called on both governments to maintain the tariff-free treatment of bulk raw materials that has supported Great Lakes commerce for decades.