| Century of Port Activity Marked by Annual Donning of the Top Hat |
| Submitted: March 23rd, 2012 By: |
Century of Port Activity Marked by Annual Donning of the Top Hat March 23, 2012 Hamilton, ON – The Canada Steamship Lines vessel Rt. Honourable Paul Martin will be officially welcomed into the Port of Hamilton today as the first vessel for the 2012 shipping and navigation season. The vessel will dock at U.S. Steel Canada to discharge a load of coal from Sandusky, Ohio. The top hat is an annual tradition that celebrates the first vessel to arrive in the port and carries special significance as the port marks 2012 as its 100th anniversary. The vessel Captain will be greeted by President and CEO Bruce Wood and Harbour Master Danny Slade at 12:00pm. “We’ve experienced unprecedented growth in infrastructure investment over the past two years and expect new project developments to be announced soon,” said HPA president and CEO Bruce Wood. “What follows now are some solid cargo projections for the year.” The port has fared well in efforts to further diversify the cargo mix and attract new vessel traffic. Agricultural commodities, asphalt and project cargo tonnage all experienced double digit increases in 2011 over their five year averages. This will be the first full year in the port for Parrish and Heimbecker and one that will see the operations of Lafarge Hamilton Slag, McAshphalt Industries, Bermingham Foundation Solutions and Fluke Transport all grow in new port terminals. The displacement of truck loads to marine and within port lands provide added benefit to the city. The first overseas vessel is expected to be the MV Federal Welland which will also dock at U.S. Steel Canada to load coke. This arrival is anticipated for some time over the weekend. The St. Lawrence Seaway System officially marked the start of the season with the opening of the Welland Canal and Montreal-Lake Ontario section with ceremonies at the Lock 3 Museum in St. Catharines yesterday. The Port of Hamilton is the largest Canadian port on the Great Lakes in terms of both size and cargo handled. The Hamilton Port Authority’s strategic vision is to be the Great Lakes port of choice. |
