Hands-free mooring fully operational at all St. Lawrence Seaway locks

The Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) announced June 11, 2019, that hands-free mooring (HFM) technology has been fully deployed throughout the Saint Lawrence Seaway, including at its U.S. locks. The new technology revolutionizes the method for locking vessels through the Seaway and is the most important technological advance since the Seaway’s opening in 1959.

The SLSDC invested $23 million to install HFM technology at the Snell Lock and the Eisenhower Lock. Its Canadian counterpart, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC), first installed HFM in 2015. The Seaway’s HFM project is the first use of this technology for an inland waterway.

HFM will dramatically improve the vessel transit experience through the Seaway by enhancing safety and achieving greater efficiencies in freight movement. By decreasing vessel transit times through the locks, it lowers emissions and thereby contributes to better air quality.