Great Lakes Toll Booth Gets 2025 Price Update
Published Date: 1/6/2025
Rule
Summary
Starting January 6, 2025, the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway is updating its toll fees to match new charges set by Canada’s side for the 2025 shipping season. This change affects all ships and cargo passing through the Seaway, making sure both countries charge the same tolls at the same time. If you’re moving goods through this waterway, expect the updated fees to kick in right away!
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 1 costs, 2 mixed.
Seaway tolls harmonized with Canada
Starting January 6, 2025, the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway will apply the fees and charges levied by the Canadian St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation for the 2025 navigation season to vessels and cargo transiting the Seaway. This change makes the U.S. tariff reflect the Canadian-side tariff for all commodities and vessels transiting facilities operated by the U.S. and Canadian authorities.
New-business and volume rebate programs
The tariff includes incentive rebates: a 20% New Business Initiative Program rebate on applicable cargo charges for approved periods, a 10% Volume Rebate Incentive (retroactive) on incremental volume up to pre-approved maximums, and a 20% New Service Incentive refund on applicable cargo tolls for approved new services. These rebates apply to cargo that meets the programs' approval criteria.
Minimum per-lock charge and Welland Canal cap set
The tariff sets a minimum charge per vessel per lock transited of 33.93 (currency per table) and for the Welland Canal a maximum charge per vessel of 4,889.00. It also shows a Welland Canal lockage charge per Gross Registered Ton of 0.3495 in the table.
Pleasure craft per-lock fee specified
The tariff sets a charge per pleasure craft per lock transited of $25.00 (and notes that the charge at the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation's locks—Eisenhower and Snell—is $30 USD or $30 CAD per lock).
U.S. commercial toll portion waived; currencies noted
The rule notes that the U.S. portion of tolls for commercial vessels is waived by law (33 U.S.C. 988a(a)); it also states that charges collected at the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation's locks will be collected in U.S. dollars while the other charges are in Canadian dollars for the Canadian share of tolls.
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