AULD'S COVE, NOVA SCOTIA--(Marketwired - Dec. 21, 2015) - The Canso Canal will close for the 2015 shipping season on December 24 at 7:30 a.m. Atlantic Time.
The canal closes annually in December due to ice buildup in the Northumberland Strait and reopens in April.
Despite a late start to the 2015 season due to ice conditions in the Gulf of St Lawrence, the canal saw an increase in traffic over 2014. In 2015, there were 1,357 ship passages through the canal carrying over 572,076 tonnes of cargo. The bulk of the cargo included salt, quarried materials and wood bark.
Quick Facts
- The canal was opened in 1955 to allow for vessel traffic through the Canso Causeway which links Cape Breton Island and mainland Nova Scotia.
- The canal, the only one operated by the Canadian Coast Guard, is an essential navigation component of the federal-provincial transportation agreement signed in 1953 which approved construction of the causeway and associated structures.
- The canal is comprised of lock approach structures and one tidal lock.
Internet: http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/Waterways/Canso-Canal-Operations
Internet: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
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Contact Information:
Maritimes Region
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
902-407-8439