The Strait of Canso - FactsStrait of Canso The Strait of Canso was built in the mid 1950's and is located between mainland Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island . The Canso Causeway is a permanent link between Cape Breton and mainland Nova Scotia. It forms the northern boundary of the Strait Superport and ensures that the south side of the Strait remains ice-free year round. The Strait of Canso is the deepest natural ice-free harbour in North America. The Strait measures 20 km (12 miles) in length, 1.5 km (1 mile) in width, with an average depth of 60 metres (200 feet). The limiting depth is approximately 28 metres (92 feet). The main harbour of the Strait is capable of accommodating ultra-large carriers of the 500,000 tonne class. Ships satisfying the following criteria can be serviced at the Port: Causeway Lock (maximum):
250m (820ft) long
24.4m (80ft) wide
9.8m (32ft) depth Ships
(maximum):
224m (735ft) long
23.3m (76.5ft) wide
8.5m (28ft) depth The Strait Superport is central to offshore resources (117 nautical miles from Sable Island ), North American and International shipping routes. Traffic through the Strait of Canso includes cargos of manufactured goods, petroleum products, pulp, newsprint, supercalendered paper, gypsum, seafood and break bulk. In 2004, the total cargo handled by all the Superport facilities was 24.8 million metric tonnes making it the second largest cargo port in Canada. 1) Statia Terminals, petroleum products terminalling & bunkering facility 2) Nova Scotia Power Point Tupper, power generation plant & terminal 3) New Page,newsprint & supercalendar paper mill 4) Martin Marietta, aggregate quarry & deep water terminal 
Existing Martin Marietta aggregate quarry.
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