The City of Port Colborne is located in the Niagara Region of the Province of Ontario. The City is strategically located where the Welland Canal opens into Lake Erie. The Canal is a key part of the St. Lawrence Seaway System. Any vessel that passes from the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Ontario to Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan or Lake Superior passes right through the community.
The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, the City of Port Colborne and a number of private operators provide port services in Port Colborne. The Port provides several strategic advantages. It is within 20 minutes of the border crossing at Buffalo, NY and 30 minutes from the border crossing at Niagara Falls, NY.
Port Colborne has extensive experience in the movement of bulk goods such as aggregates, grain and energy products. A public grain elevator acts as a storage facility and intermediate location to move bulk product from smaller ships to larger ships. Snider Dock Service and Great Lakes Stevedoring, a division of Quebec Stevedoring Limited, offer stevedoring services in Port Colborne, with immediate connections to road and rail.
The capabilities for the movement of over-dimensional and specialized project cargo gives Port Colborne an advantage not found in many port facilities on the Great Lakes. Operators in Port Colborne have experience and expertise in handling:
- Wind Towers
- Nacelles
- Wind Turbine Blades
- Plate and Roll Steel
- Large Engineered Products
Complementing Port Colborne's location advantages is the City owned Port Colborne Harbour Railway which connects to both CN and CP main lines. The Port Colborne Harbour Railway is operated by Trillium Rail, which manages several short-lines in Ontario.
Many shipping companies choose Port Colborne over the winter months for ship repair, retrofitting and maintenance. Port Colborne's thriving marine industry also includes several companies that specialize in ship repairs and upgrades. This complements the City's strong fabricated metals cluster.
In January, 2009, Business Xpansion Journal identified Port Colborne as a strategic border gateway. The publication's January 2009 Logistics and Warehousing issue included a half page overview of the City of Port Colborne's role as a strategic border gateway and highlighted many unique advantages for the port and the community.
