Weather delays St. Lawrence-Seaway closing

Ice clearing efforts ongoing – St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation workers continued their ice clearing efforts to keep locks and waterways open past the scheduled close of the navigation season. The St. Lawrence Seaway was scheduled to close January 5, but ice build up in the canals near Montréal have delayed the closure. The region has seen colder-than-average temperatures which has hampered navigation. At least 10 vessels remain in the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River section of the international waterway. Pictured above, a SLSMC employee is seen suspended along a canal wall using a high-pressure water stream to remove ice from the wall. (Supplied/SLSMC photo)

CORNWALL – Cold weather and ice build up in the Montréal-area canals have delayed the closing of the St. Lawrence-Seaway shipping season.

The shipping waterway was scheduled to end its 2025 navigation season on January 5, 2026. Cold temperatures have made ice build up in the South Shore and Beauharnois Canals difficult to navigate. Ice breaking operations remain ongoing while crews also work to keep the locks in the system operable.

“The St. Lawrence Seaway is operating under extreme winter conditions as the navigation season approaches its close. These conditions are having a significant impact on operations in the Montreal–Lake Ontario corridor and in other parts of the system,” said St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation spokesperson Nicole Giroux. “Traffic is being managed based on real-time conditions, using well-established end-of-season operating practices designed for severe winter conditions. Seaway teams are working continuously to manage ice buildup and support the movement of vessels currently in the system, in close coordination with system partners. Priorities remain the safety of people and the protection of critical infrastructure.”

As of January 6 at noon, there was one vessel in Lake St. Francis on its way to the Beauharnois Canal, one vessel moored at the Iroquois Locks, and seven downbound vessels sailing or moored between Lake Ontario and Johnstown.

In 2018, weather-related issues from an extreme cold snap in the region caused delays in closing the Seaway. A ship with ice build up became stuck in the Snell Lock. The Seaway had been scheduled to close on December 31, 2017 and did not close until January 11, 2018 once the freed ship, and three others had sailed through the waterway.

The longest scheduled navigation season for the St. Lawrence Seaway was the 2024 season, which closed on January 10, 2025.