Hamilton’s port eyes year-round shipping into the harbour
Hamilton's port authority is in talks with the federal government about staying open for shipping through the winter for the first time in harbour history.
Year-round access - ideally as early as 2024 - could open the door to new marine opportunities like delivering e-commerce packages to Toronto or passengers on fast-moving ferries" to Oshawa, said Ian Hamilton, who heads the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA).
But right now, marine shipping to the busiest Canadian port on the Great Lakes largely shuts down for three months each winter in tandem with the St. Lawrence Seaway, when ice buildup makes that system of ship locks unsafe to use.
You might think an iced-over harbour would also pose a big challenge to winter shipping - but it turns out a frozen lift bridge is worse, said the port authority head. There are solutions to breaking up the ice," said Hamilton, who suggested the coast guard or local firms like McKeil Marine could break a safe path to open water when necessary.
But Hamilton emphasized the first and largest obstacle" to year-round ship access to the port is the Burlington Canal lift bridge, which must be raised to allow commercial vessels into the harbour.
The federally owned bridge closes every December until March - in part because no ships are expected, but also for maintenance on a complicated system of machinery, motors and wire ropes that was originally installed in 1962.
Hamilton said the authority is in talks with the government about the possibility of keeping the bridge functional year-round. The idea of HOPA taking ownership of the bridge - a pitch the federal government made as far back as 2014 - is not preferred, but also not off the table," Hamilton said.
He said the authority is hopeful the government is open to finding a solution, especially with Hamilton-area MP Filomena Tassi in charge as minister of public services and procurement.
Tassi recently announced plans to replace the lift bridge deck, the latest of several improvements designed to make the aging structure more reliable after years of frequent breakdowns.
The MP acknowledged the port's request via email and she is closely" following efforts to extend the shipping season. Hamilton relies heavily on transportation for its prosperity and its economic growth," she said.
Regardless, a functional lift bridge in winter would not magically clear a path down the ice-locked seaway to the ocean or up the frozen locks of the Welland Canal to Lake Erie and the rest of the Great Lakes.
So winter shipping into Hamilton Harbour, to start, would likely mean cross-lake service from Toronto, or commercial cargo movement from the port's recently acquired Oshawa and Niagara partner locations.
Is it worth the effort?
It's starting to look that way, argued Hamilton, who said the authority is in talks with five cargo movers or shipping companies interested in winter marine access to the port. He said he can't identify those would-be customers yet.
He said pandemic supply chain woes - think trucker shortages, border snarls and gas prices - and an increasing focus on climate-friendly, low-carbon transportation have combined to renew interest in potential marine solutions."
(Ironically, a warming climate may gradually extend the ice-free shipping season, too. Ships have been able to transit the Welland Canal into early January for three years in a row.)
The port's cargo volume also grew by nine per cent last year, to about $4 billion worth of goods. Ideally, Hamilton said winter shipping would allow the port to spread out that demand."
Matthew Van Dongen is a transportation and environment reporter at The Spectator. mvandongen@thespec.com