Port of Toronto, Commercial port on Lake Ontario in Toronto, Canada
The Port of Toronto is a commercial facility on the northwest shore of Lake Ontario with multiple terminals designed to handle bulk cargo, containers, and cruise vessels. The site connects shipping lanes, rail lines, and truck routes to move goods efficiently through the region.
The first commercial shipments reached Fort Rouillé in 1751, and a shipping port was established when Toronto was founded in 1793. Steam vessels and the Beauharnois and Williamsburg canals opened through travel from the Atlantic, and railways reached the waterfront in the 1850s. The St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959, admitting ocean freighters with a 27-foot draft.
The International Marine Passenger Terminal, opened in 2005 for a Rochester ferry that ran only briefly, later served as a set for movie and TV productions before becoming a Great Lakes cruise port of call in 2012.
The facility sits near downtown and is accessible by rail and road networks. Visitors can view the harbor area from public vantage points, though access to working terminals is typically restricted to authorized personnel.
The port covers over 21 hectares (52 acres) of land on the eastern shore of Toronto Harbour in the Port Lands. Marine Terminal 51 opened in 1966 at the entrance of the Ship Channel, and Warehouse 52 stands among the port's facilities. In 2015 the port handled 1.7 million tonnes of cargo, mostly sugar for the Redpath refinery plus sand, gravel and salt.
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