• July 13, 2009: First regular Great Lakes container service launches

    By MM&D Staff, June 26, 2009

    On July 3, the first-ever regular container feeder service on the Great Lakes commenced operations between Montreal, Quebec and Hamilton, Ontario.

    The weekly fixed-day service will provide marine transport for as many as 260 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

    The service is being co-ordinated by Sea 3 Inc — which stands for Short Sea Savings — a new subsidiary of the Hamilton Port Authority (HPA).

    Late last year, the HPA conducted a container feeder trial, sending 68 containers of recycled metals to the Port of Montreal. The trial was a success, and, after spending what HPA president and CEO Bruce Wood calls “a significant amount of time” incorporating the project as part of the port’s strategic plan and working with several marine partners, it was able to develop the weekly service.

    The service is a partnership of several marine stakeholders. McKeil Marine Limited provides tug and barge service with its Niagara Spirit vessel. Federal Marine Terminals manages the port terminal in Hamilton, while Montreal Gateway Terminals does the same at the Port of Montreal. Montship Inc acts as the sales agent, managing all bookings for the service.

    While the Port of Hamilton is relatively new to the container game, it is working to make the service as shipper-friendly as possible. For example, it is currently working on an inland depot for empty containers so port users can pick up their containers themselves in Hamilton. The intent, according to HPA vice-president Ian Hamilton, is to minimize drayage costs.

    Those involved are touting the service as an environmentally friendly and cost-effective option that, according to Hamilton, is particularly well-suited for shippers of heavy containerized cargo.

    “[The service] can carry up to the container’s plated capacity, approximately 28 metric tonnes,” he said.

    “Initially this will mean that heavy cargos such as steel and ceramic tiles moving in 20-ft containers and paying overweight surcharges will benefit hugely.”

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