First diesel-electric Laker starts maiden voyage

The 26,000dwt self-unloading vessel, operated by Canada Steamship Lines, was purpose-designed to service Windsor Salt in the Magdalen Islands region. It will load deicing salt at Windsor Salt’s Mines Seleine mine and deliver it to stockpiles throughout Eastern Canada to help keep roadways safe during the winter season.

The 225-metre vessel is the first single point loader to operate in Canada. The loading system features a single hopper into which the salt is loaded, combined with a cargo handling system that eliminates the need for the vessel to shift during loading.

Nukumi has diesel-electric Tier 3 engines and a unique hull design that will contribute to cutting CO2 emissions and improve energy efficiency. It also has quieter machinery that will reduce vessel noise to protect the area’s North Atlantic right whales and other marine mammals.

Compared to the previous vessel servicing the same salt routes, the new ship is expected to emit approximately 25% less greenhouse gas emissions and 80% fewer harmful air pollutants.

Windsor Salt and CSL began construction of the vessel in August 2020 after several years of collaborative planning, which included an environmental impact analysis, ship and shore personnel safety reviews, an efficiency evaluation of cargo operations, and navigational optimisation.

The keel laying ceremony for the newbuild was held at Chengxi Shipyard in Jiangyin, China, on 29 January, 2021.

Sailing from Jiangyin, China to Halifax, Canada, Nukumi’s voyage is expected to take six weeks.