THUNDER BAY – Capt. Karl Fernandes has done it again.
Fernandes, who pilots the Barbados-registered MV Federal Schelde, for a second straight year was at the helm of the first ocean-going vessel to arrive at the Port of Thunder Bay.
Along with his chief engineer Chandramohanan Nair Sreedharan, Fernandez on Friday accepted the ceremonial top hat from MP Patty Hajdu (Lib., Thunder Bay-Superior North), a traditional honour bestowed on the captains of the first laker and first salty of the season in the city.
It’s quite the honour, said Fernandez, a day after his ship sailed into port, adding the warm weather made for a worry-free sailing.
“We find it a little more mild than it usually is at this time of year,” Fernandez said. “I heard the winter was not so severe and the conditions were much better coming up.”
It’s feels great to get the shipping season on the Great Lakes underway, he said, the MV Federal Schelde behind him being loaded with a 21,000-tonne shipment of canola, bound for Rouen, France, at the G3 Elevator.
“I wish the Port of Thunder Bay a good start and a good season,” he said.
Harbourmaster Guy Jarvis said unlike the first laker, which arrived in record time after berthing west of the Sault locks, the first salty arrival was more or less average for the port.
“This is the traditional dates of opening up the salty traffic. It’s usually at the end of the first week or the second week of April and since the ice cover on all five of the Great Lakes was pretty light this year, we’re opening just on time.”
Despite a great March, Jarvis said it’s still too early to forecast how the rest of the year might go.
“We’re always optimistic at this time of year. I guess a couple of weeks ago I was talking about icebreakers. Then you had a laker and now that we’ve got the first salty, I know we’re all in full swing now,” Jarvis said.
“We’ll see quite a few ships in the month of April and we’ll hope to build on that success throughout the year.”
MV Federal Schelde began its journey to Thunder Bay picking up 20,500 tonnes of steel bars in Romania, delivering it to Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
