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Issue 1469
May 6, 2012
(Prior Story) Business ArTicle 9869 (Next Story)
Sponsored by Bay Area Chamber of Commerce
Monster ship built in China carries 25 percent more cargo, provides environmental benefits. MONSTER SHIPS: Third Equinox Class Bulk Carrier Now Working Great Lakes
April 23, 2015
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A new monster class of Great Lakes ship is good news for environmentalists and for shipping interests.
Not only does the 740-foot Equinox class ship carry about 25 percent more cargo that normal, its exhaust scrubbing systems remove 97 percent of sulfur oxide emissions and provide 45 percent better energy efficiency.
Equinox class vessels are the next generation of Great Lakes bulk carriers with the ability to carry more cargo, sail faster and consume less fuel than their predecessors.
The monster laker was built specially for transporting grain from Thunder Bay to the St. Lawrence River. On its return trips, it will transport iron ore from the east back to Great Lakes ports.
The previous generation of lakers is now 50 years old and due to be replaced, lakes shipping experts said.
However, Great Lakes and other American shipbuilders, as well as Canadians and European companies must have egg on their faces after being trumped by a Chinese firm that builds the huge leviathans. The builder is Nantong Mingde Heavy Industries Stock Co., Nantong, City, China.
An Equinox class vessel, first to traverse the St. Lawrence Seaway this season, ran aground in the seaway near Beauharnois, Que.
The ship was the Equinox class CWB Marquis, headed for ArcelorMittal Dofasco's plant in Hamilton, Ont., with a load of iron ore pellets when it hit a large ice floe about 35 kilometers south of Montreal, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
Unlike many smaller, thinner-hulled vessels, it was not seriously affected by the collision with ice and was quickly back on the move.
This vessel is the third in the new Equinox Class of bulk carriers built for the Algoma fleet.
Two tugboats spent about 30 minutes to free the vessel. The incident was considered minor and the ship left under its own power.
The vessel was the first ship of the season to travel up the St. Lawrence Seaway. It was also carrying ArcelorMittal Dofasco's first shipment of the year.
According to the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp., the vessel is owned by CWB, the former Canadian Wheat Board.
CWB Marquis sailed from China on Oct. 31, 2014. The 740-foot-long by 78-foot-wide bulk carrier arrived at Montreal on Jan. 8, 2015, and was made ready for the start of the 2015 season.
The keel for this new vessel was laid on Dec. 25 2013, and the ship was launched on July 8, 2014. The staff of the Chinese shipyard spent the next three plus months getting the ship ready for the trip across the Pacific and eventual Great Lakes service.
CWB Marquis is managed by the Algoma Central Corporation on behalf of CWB. The ship was will carry a variety of grain cargoes on their behalf to the St. Lawrence storage elevators for eventual transshipment overseas.
While inbound on the St. Lawrence, CWB Marquis stopped at Port Cartier, Quebec, to take on a cargo of iron ore. This cargo was delivered to Hamilton before the ship settled in on regular Seaway routine.
The CWB Marquis is the third Equinox class vessel constructed at Nantong Mingde Heavy Industries shipyard in Jiangsu province, China. The first two - the Algoma Equinox and the Algoma Harvester - were delivered to Algoma Central Corporation.
"Algoma is very excited about the partnership with CWB and is looking forward to managing the vessels and providing continued quality service to our customers," said Algoma CEO Greg Wight.
"Our investment in state-of-the-art lakers complements CWB's growing list of assets, and the ships will play a strategic role in an integrated grain handling supply chain," said White. "All of our assets are key to ensuring our Farmer Equity Plan is an attractive reason for farmers to choose CWB as their marketing partner."
CWB launched the Farmer Equity Plan in 2013, which provides farmers who deliver grain against CWB contracts the opportunity to receive an equity interest in the company after privatization. It is the only opportunity for farmers to gain an ownership stake in a Canadian-focused grain company.
Learn more about CWB's plans for the future at www.cwb.ca/future.
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