Canada Steamship Lines Inc

Canada Steamship Lines, Inc
Canada Steamship Lines, Inc is Canada's largest marine company and the dominant shipping operator on the Great Lakes. Incorporated in 1913, the company is the result of an amalgamation of several shipping companies, including the Richelieu and Ontario Navigation Company, whose origin dates back to 1843. By 1915 Canada Steamship Lines had not only expanded its Great Lakes fleet but had also added 16 ocean-going vessels for the Atlantic freight traffic. However, by 1925 the company withdrew from the ocean trades to concentrate its efforts on the Great Lakes, with a fleet now numbering 115 vessels, including 23 ships.

In 1959 the St Lawrence Seaway was opened, linking the 5 Great Lakes and the St Lawrence River with the Atlantic Ocean. This allowed for much larger ships to replace the existing fleet of smaller vessels. By the mid-1960s the days of passenger steamboat travel came to an end and Canada Steamship Lines now carries only general freight and bulk cargoes, primarily grain, coal, ore, salt, gypsum and potash.

In 1981 Paul MARTIN, Jr, president of the company, formed a partnership with Federal Commerce and Navigation Ltd to acquire the CSL Group Inc, Canada Steamship Lines' parent company, each party owning 50%. Since then CSL has not only substantially modernized its Great Lakes fleet but has also entered into the coastal and ocean trades, and currently operates in Europe, the Caribbean and the US East Coast. It is expected that the company will soon announce a further expansion into South America and Asia. This international demand has arisen because of the marketing by CSL of its state of the art specialized materials handling of marine-transported bulk cargoes. The company is the worldwide leader in the design and operation of self-unloading bulk vessels. Canada Steamship Lines' total fleet consists of 34 lakers and ocean lakers.

Links to Other Sites
A Century of Sail and Steam on the Niagara River
Explore 400 years of sailing history in the Niagara River and Lake Ontario region. Peruse original illustrations and rare photographs and the full text of this 1913 publication. From the “Maritime History of the Great Lakes” website.