The opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in the 1950s opened trade possibilities for Great Lakes ports. Although bulk carriers transported agricultural goods, container trade remained minimal due to infrastructure and logistic limits.
In 2014, the Port of Cleveland initiated regular container service with Europe, inspiring other U.S. ports (Monroe, Duluth) to explore similar services. Recent trade tariffs,
however, threaten this model — though they may open doors for Canadian ports to enter the transatlantic container trade.
Canadian ports along the Great Lakes, like Sarnia, Windsor, Colborne, and Johnstown, are strategically near customs bridges and major population centers.
With growing container volumes arriving by rail, these ports can leverage ships equipped with onboard cranes to load containers directly onto trucks.
The trucks can then head to nearby customs inspection stations.
For economic viability, container ships sailing the Great Lakes should serve both American and Canadian ports. For instance,
a ship heading to Duluth could offload containers at Port Colborne (near the Welland Canal) and Canadian ports like Windsor or Sarnia.
Some of these ports need infrastructure improvements to support container handling and customs access.
The sustainability of this shipping model depends on combining cargo for both U.S. and Canadian destinations to offset reduced U.S.-Europe trade due to tariffs.
Canada remains open to European trade, making its Great Lakes ports more attractive. Smaller ships (700+ TEU) can offer cost-effective transatlantic service,
especially compared to congested terminals like Toronto or large East Coast ports.
While U.S. tariffs may weaken direct container trade between Europe and U.S. Great Lakes ports, integrating Canadian ports like Sarnia, Windsor, and Colborne can make operations viable.
Port authorities should act proactively — following the lead of Cleveland — to develop needed infrastructure and capitalize on this opportunity.
聖羅倫斯海道在1950年代開通後，讓五大湖周圍的港口有機會參與國際貿易。當時以散裝船運送農產品為主，而貨櫃運輸因為設施不足，一直不具規模。
2014年，克里夫蘭港與歐洲航商合作開啟定期貨櫃航線，激發了蒙羅港與杜魯斯港加入的意願。
不過，美國近期對歐貿易的關稅政策可能抑制這類發展，但也為加拿大五大湖上游的港口創造了切入機會。
位於五大湖周邊的加拿大港口（如薩尼亞、溫莎、科爾本與約翰斯頓）臨近國際橋梁與海關設施，加上鄰近超過500萬人口的都會區，使其成為貨櫃轉運的潛力地點。
港口可引進配備船上吊機的貨櫃船，將貨櫃直接轉移到卡車上，再送往附近的加拿大海關檢查站，進一步加速物流運作。
為確保航運經濟效益，應將美國與加拿大港口結合起來，讓貨櫃船同時服務兩邊。例如，開往杜魯斯港的船可先在靠近威蘭運河的科爾本港卸貨，或在溫莎與薩尼亞卸下部分貨櫃。
雖然部分港口尚未具備完整貨櫃處理設施與與海關道路接駁，但經過改善將能參與該運輸模式。
在美國貿易關稅影響歐洲進口的情況下，若要維持航線的經濟性，貨櫃船須同時運送貨物到美加兩地。加拿大對歐洲貿易相對開放，為其港口創造發展契機。
雖然五大湖航線所用船隻體積小（700+ TEU），但運費仍具競爭力，並能緩解如多倫多地區鐵路轉運站的壅塞問題。
雖然美國關稅可能打擊與歐洲的直接貨櫃貿易，但若結合加拿大如薩尼亞、溫莎、科爾本等港口，則航線仍可維持營運效益。
克里夫蘭港的領頭作用值得肯定，加拿大港口管理單位應積極跟進，建設必要的基礎設施，把握這項潛在的跨大西洋運輸機會。
Information source: Maritime Executive
