With the work being done by its marine associations, the Marine Industry Forum and the Québec Shortsea Shipping Roundtable, Quebec is fast becoming a Canadian leader in the integration of the marine mode in transportation chains.
It is what was naturally being done in Quebec before the development of land transportation systems: something that was then called “cabotage.”
Observations
Quebec has a sizeable advantage in this area: the St. Lawrence and the St. Lawrence / Great Lakes System—a veritable marine highway equipped with a well-developed system of ports, allowing for the effective integration of marine transportation in transportation chains, well into even the most remote areas along the river.
The integration of a marine segment in the national and continental transportation chains provides shippers and society with transportation solutions that are both competitive and advantageous in terms of the social costs of transportation, in particular by reducing the impact of transportation activities on road safety, maintenance and repairs on the road network, as well as greenhouse gas emissions—something that is of ever-greater concern to citizens, governments and businesses focusing on sustainable development.
In spite of this, the contribution of marine transportation to the national and continental transportation chains is still undervalued.
Vision
To optimize the contribution made by each mode to the national and continental transportation chains.
Actions
As part of its Assistance Program for Marine Transportation (2001-2005) and Assistance Program for Modal Integration (2006-2010), the ministère des Transports provides financial support to shortsea shipping projects.
In this way, the Ministère has financially supported a number of shortsea shipping initiatives:
Transportation of woodchips by barge between Forestville and Trois-Rivières for Kruger, allowing for the elimination of 18,000 transits/year by heavy trucks on Route 138, Highway 40 and in the Trois-Rivières agglomeration;
Transportation of aluminium by barge and ship between Sept-Îles and Trois-Rivières for Alouette, preventing the addition of 15,000 transits/year by heavy trucks on Route 138 and Highway 40;
Feasibility study on the transportation of woodchips by barge for Kruger;
Study on a marine link between the port of Gros-Cacouna and the north shore of the St. Lawrence.
The ministère des Transports has a direct interest in these projects because of their positive impact on road network conservation cost management and road safety, as well as on sustainable development and modal integration.
Furthermore, the ministère des Transports takes an active part, along with industry and Transport Canada representatives, in the work being done by the Québec Shortsea Shipping Roundtable, created by the St. Lawrence Shipoperators following the recommendations of the Marine Industry Forum.
Documentation
Documents come in PDF format and are viewable with Acrobat Reader.
