Shipping season starts

The opening of the shipping season began early Thursday morning when the M/V Saginaw arrived in the city’s port.

Harbour master Guy Jarvis welcomed the Saginaw’s Capt. Colin Lozon and chief engineer Sheldon Finlay during the annual Opening of Navigation Top Hat ceremony, a tradition that dates back to the formation of the Thunder Bay Port Authority.

"The Top Hat ceremony is a welcoming ceremony which recognizes the first vessel that actually transits to Thunder Bay through Whitefish Bay and Sault Ste. Marie," Jarvis said. "It recognizes the spring of the year for the citizens of Thunder Bay."

The Saginaw is a bulk carrier owned by Lower Lakes Shipping; it’s 639 feet long and 72 feet wide.

Lozon and his crew will be loading 13,000 metric tons of canola to bring to Windsor, Ont. and he noted it feels good to be the first ship to arrive in Thunder Bay’s harbour.

"It was an early start," he said. "We’re looking forward to another good season. We call on Thunder Bay quite regularly."

While the season started a week early this year, Lozon said there are some challenges that come with it.

"We dealt with some ice, which caused almost a 24-hour delay in the Sarnia region," he said.

Jarvis said the Sault Locks usually open March 25, but it opened a week earlier due to demand in America for coal and iron ore.

"Every week that is extended onto the season via an early start or late finish helps the cargo statistics and gets traffic up in our ports so we welcome this type of news," he said, adding their hoping for improvements this year.

"Grain and coal were very poor last year because of the downturn in the economy but things appear to be looking up and we look forward to a successful year," said Jarvis.

The Welland Canal opened Thursday, making the entire St. Lawrence Seaway open for business.