Economy
The St. Lawrence, considered the maritime gateway to North America, is one of the world’s great navigable arteries.
In Québec, the maritime industry is :
- 330 companies;
- 23,800 direct and indirect jobs at sea and on land (2019);
- 2.3 billion contribution to Quebec’s GDP;
- And a billion dollars in annual salaries.
Thanks to its geographic location and infrastructure, Quebec is well positioned in relation to the rest of Canada.
Quebec offers :
- A commercial port network comprising 20 ports located throughout the country.
territory. - A road network directly connected to the Ontario and Quebec highway systems
(Interstate); - Five border crossings, through which most of the trucking to the
United States; - Several rail networks;
- Three international airports, including one dedicated exclusively to freight.
Shipping on the St. Lawrence is therefore vital to trade between Canada and the rest of the world, and plays a crucial role in the economic development of Quebec and Canada.
Environment
In environmental terms, shipping is the greenest mode of transport.
One ship carries as much freight as 301 train cars and 963 trucks.
With one liter of fuel for one metric ton of goods transported, a ship travels 243 km, a train 213 km and a truck 35 km.
The marine industry is aware of and proactive about environmental issues and the preservation of marine mammals.
This is why partnerships between the various research communities and maritime industry players have been developed for some time now, leading to concrete actions and strict rules.
This collaboration is possible because each offers unique expertise, and all are keen to improve the means, tools and measures aimed at protecting our marine mammals and improving the environmental performance of shipping.
Work is currently in progress:
- To enable the introduction of innovations to further reduce the environmental footprint of the maritime sector;
- In order to increase our knowledge of marine mammal habits and thus facilitate decision-making with regard to the necessary coexistence between the various species that live there, commercial shipping and the shipping of
pleasure boating; - To assess the impact of underwater noise;
- To develop new technologies with a direct impact on reducing noise and the risk of collision with whales, such as the MARS listening station developed by Innovation maritime.
Human resources
Job opportunities in the maritime sector are many and varied.
