St. Lawrence Seaway sets latest closing date ever

The St. Lawrence Seaway announced Friday the shipping channel’s St. Lawrence River section will close on January 5, 2024. That’s the latest scheduled closing since the Seaway opened in 1959, according to the Seaway Ship Watchers Network.

The Seaway closed on January 2nd in 1984. An unscheduled delayed closing happened on January 12th in 2018 when a ship got stuck in Massena’s Eisenhower lock.

The Seaway allows freighters to transport mostly bulk goods between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. The shipping lanes close every winter to allow maintenance of the locks in Massena.