Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) welcomed CSL Welland, the latest addition to its Trillium Class fleet on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, as it docked at the port of Montreal on January 2 at 13:48. The 36,100 tonnes in deadweight, Seawaymax gearless bulker’s arrival marked the end of a 57-day maiden voyage that took it across the East China Sea and Pacific Ocean, through the Panama Canal and up the east coast of North America. Captain Andriy Bondarenko and Chief Engineer Nicolas Lavoie were in command for the voyage. Rod Jones, CSL Group President and CEO, and Allister Paterson, President of Canada Steamship Lines, were on hand to welcome them and the ship’s crew to Canada. “Captain Bondarenko and his crew safely and skillfully navigated a vessel designed for the Lakes on a demanding transoceanic journey from Yangfan shipyard in China to the port of Montreal,” said Allister Paterson. “This is a remarkable achievement by a very talented group of seafarers, and it is certainly an inspirational start to the New Year for CSL.
Meanwhile, the second of CSL two newbuild Trillium Class Great Lakes bulk carriers, CSL St-Laurent, was delivered on November 26, 2014 and set sail on its maiden voyage on December 13 Yangfan shipyard Zhoushan Island, China, en route to Canada where it is set to operate throughout the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. The vessel is commanded by Captain Kevin Crouse and Chief Engineer Paul Beaudet, and is expected to arrive by the end of January.
CSL St-Laurent marks the successful completion of CSL’s newbuild program, which began with the delivery in December 2012 of the Trillium Class self-unloading Laker, Baie St-Paul. Three other Trillium Class self-unloading Lakers have since been introduced to the Great Lakes fleet (Baie Comeau, Thunder Bay and Whitefish Bay), and two bulk carriers, CSL St. Laurent and its sister ship CSL Welland, will begin operating at the start of the 2015 season.
The Trillium Class newbuild program also saw the delivery of three Panamax self-unloaders for CSL Americas (Rt. Hon. Paul E. Martin, CSL Tecumseh and CSL Tacoma) and two other vessels of the same class and design for Norway-based Torvald Klaveness.
CSL St-Laurent and its sister ship, CSL Welland, will both begin operating at the start of the 2015 season.
“CSL St-Laurent is a huge milestone in CSL history. Its maiden voyage completes one of the greatest newbuild programs in CSL’s 100 year history – one that will bring significant competitive advantage to our customers for years to come. These ships are the result of a lot of hard work and dedication by a great many talented CSL employees,” said Louis Martel, President of Canada Steamship Lines.
CSL Welland and CSL St-Laurent feature IMO Tier II compliant main engines as well as the latest environmental and safety technologies. Like all Trillium Class vessels, they will use less fuel, reduce emissions significantly, and provide overall operational efficiency to the benefit of customers and the environment alike.