Canso Canal Reopens for the 2014 Shipping Season, Canada

The Canso Canal in Nova Scotia, Canada, opened today for the 2014 shipping season at 7:30 a.m. Atlantic Time (12:30 p.m. CET).

The canal closes annually in December due to ice buildup in the Northumberland Strait and reopens in April.

In 2013, there were 1,501 ship passages through the canal carrying over 666,386 tonnes of cargo, an increase over last year.

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.

Quick Facts

• The Canso Canal opened in 1955 to allow vessels traffic through the Canso Causeway which links Cape Breton Island and mainland Nova Scotia.
• The canal is 250 metres long, 24.4 metres wide and 9.8 metres deep at low tide. It was designed to be compatible with the St. Lawrence Seaway and is comprised of lock approach structures and one tidal lock.

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gc.ca, April 14, 2014