Canso Canal Closes for 2012 Shipping Season

AULD'S COVE, NOVA SCOTIA--(Marketwire - Dec. 17, 2012) - The Canso Canal will close for the 2012 shipping season on December 24 at 0730 hours Atlantic Time.

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

In 2012, there were 945 ship passages through the canal carrying over 373,000 tonnes of cargo. The bulk of the cargo was quarried materials and fish products. Combined total of commercial shipping and all other types was just over 1,400 transits.

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.

For broadcast : AULD'S COVE, NOVA SCOTIA - The Canso Canal will close for the 2012 shipping season on December 24 at 0730 hours Atlantic Time. The canal closes annually in December due to ice buildup in the Northumberland Strait and reopens in April. In 2012, there were 945 ship passages through the canal carrying over 373,000 tonnes of cargo. The bulk of the cargo was quarried materials and fish products.

Twitter Post: The Canso Canal will close for the 2012 shipping season on December 24 at 0730 hours Atlantic Time.

Internet: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Communications Branch
Maritimes Region
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
902-426-3550