Port of Montreal

The Port of Montreal, is a port located in Montreal, Canada's second largest metropolis, on the St Lawrence river. It is one of the busiest ports on the North American continent, and the largest inland port on Earth.^{[citation needed]} It is also the entry point to other major cities such as Toronto, Detroit and Cleveland. It is the second busiest port in Canada, behind Vancouver. It handles 26 million tonnes of cargo annually.^[1] It remains a trans-shipment point for grain, sugar, petroleum products, machinery, and consumer goods. For this reason, Montreal is also the railway hub of Canada. In 1964, the Canadian Coast Guard began to use icebreakers to keep the navigation channel open, first and foremost as an environmental measure designed to protect riverside communities from spring floods caused by ice jams, but also allowing winter navigation in the port.

The port is preparing to build and operate a new $500-million (U.S.) container facility, and has opened an office in Chicago to promote its advantages in serving the U.S. Midwest.^[2]