The Port of Thunder Bay supports the efforts of organizations who are working to benefit the St. Lawrence Seaway and marine transport industry.

OMTF is a collaboration of Ontario’s marine transportation community including ports, carriers, The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation and other key service providers. Their goal is to more effectively integrate marine transportation into Ontario’s transportation infrastructure. The OMTF team is eager to promote marine transportation as the safest, most efficient and environmentally friendly mode of transportation.

Benefits of marine transportation include:

• Reduced traffic and border congestion on the province's highways and border crossings
• Reduced air emissions and fuel consumption; and
• Increased economic propserity for the province due to improved trade and the movement of goods, vehicles and people.

The Port of Thunder Bay is a participant in the voluntary Green Marine program and is Green Marine certified. The Green Marine program is led by a team of marine industry associations in Canada and the United States. Despite the fact that marine transportation is already one of the most environmentally friendly ways to transport goods, the Green Marine team is furthering the advantages of shipping over other methods of transporting cargo by getting those involved to adopt a program of continuous improvement. The Green Marine team realizes that shipping activities do affect the environment and want to minimize it.

They are focusing on targeting six environmental issues:

• Aquatic Invasive Species
• Pollutant Air Emissions
• Greenhouse Gases
• Cargo Residues
• Oily Water
• Conflicts of Use in Ports and Terminals

Highway H2O is a 3,700 kilometer marine highway. It includes the St. Lawrence River, St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes. This marketing effort is meant to promote marine traffic on the Seaway and is a joint initiative led by the Canadian and American Seaway forces.

Highway H2O serves important areas of both Canada and the United States. Transporting cargo on the marine highway offers benefits that road transportation cannot as cargo can be transported without congestion resulting in timely deliveries.

Approximately 41 Ports are located along this stretch. Many of these ports as well as several marine associated entities are partnering with Highway H2O to promote activity on Highway H2O.