The benefits of short-sea shipping services between southern Ontario and the US Great Lakes region have been demonstrated by a recent research.
Using funding from Transport Canada, Fluid Intelligence—a collaboration between HOPA Ports and the McMaster Centre for Transportation & Logistics—wrote the report.
It draws attention to the many trade flows that could gain from combining sea transportation with trucking services.
The study found that over 12,000 vehicles cross the border each week carrying non-perishable goods that might be transported by ship between Southern Ontario and US Great Lakes port regions.rding to the study, over 12,000 trucks per week make cross-border trips between Southern Ontario and US Great Lakes port areas, carrying non-perishable commodities that could instead be shipped using marine transport.
According to the report, adopting short-sea shipping services on the Great Lakes would ease traffic at borders and on highways, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthen supply chain resilience.
A key environmental benefit of short-sea shipping is that one marine vessel can move the same amount of cargo as 963 transport trucks while emitting only 15% of the CO2 per metric tonne/km.
Population development and density have made problems like highway congestion, border delays, a lack of transportation redundancy, and a shortage of truck drivers worse. Congestion is thought to cost the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area's economy up to $6 billion annually.
According to the Fluid Intelligence report, the Great Lakes Area is responsible for more than 50% of all border trade between the US and Canada. A Great Lakes State receives 70% of the 28.5 million tonnes of freight moved by truck from Ontario to the US each year. On the other hand, at least 24 million tonnes of cargo are transported into Ontario each year by truck from the US, with Great Lakes States accounting for 55% of the origins.
The study concentrates on particular commodity flows and route networks that make great prospects for new marine services. A marine service between southern Ontario and ports on Lake Michigan and Lake Erie is one of these possibilities. With their high concentrations of economic activity and good linkages to the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Region, Chicago and Milwaukee stand out as viable locations.
A total of 12,000 truck journeys per week are made between five American Great Lakes ports and southern Ontario within a 100 km radius. For instance, the transportation system may reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 220 tonnes per week by diverting just 10% of the cargo that is now transported by truck between southern Ontario and the Port of Chicago.
