St. Lawrence Seaway

Lower-than-normal water levels in the Montreal area of the St. Lawrence Seaway are forcing oceangoing container ships to lighten their loads, exacerbating an already tight capacity situation, the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association said in a notice to members this wee
The low water levels, a result of a light winter snowfall and a dry spring in the Quebec region, prompted the U.S. and Canadian management agencies to lower the maximum draft for oceangoing ships on the waterway by 3 inches, to 26 feet, 3 inches, effective May 7.
Hapag-Lloyd notified the CIFFA this week that it was “revising its vessel capacities accordingly, and regrets that this may lead to some inconvenience” for customers. It said it was “investigating alternative routings.”