Port Weller dry-dock gets $30M contract

Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) has awarded a $30 million contract for vessel repairs to be done at the Port Weller Dry Docks in Canada?s Niagara region. The project involves the forebody replacement and steel renewal of the bulk carrier Jean Parisien and the work will be carried out by Canadian Shipbuilding and Engineering. The Great Lakes bulker was built in Canada in 1977 and the new forebody is intended to extend the life of the vessels by 25 years.

“The Jean Parisien is the fourth vessel of our Canadian fleet to receive an entirely new Canadian-built hull in addition to state-of-the-art and environmentally friendly automated self-unloading equipment,” CSL president Gerry Carter said in a press release. “This $30-million investment will strengthen our core Canadian competencies and will offer our customers performance and innovation, safety and reliability.”

After a self-financed fleet renewal program of more than $225 million, Montreal-based CSL says it is positioned as the market leader in the transportation of dry-bulk cargoes with 15 Canadian flagged vessels navigating on the Great Lakes and in the St. Lawrence Seaway.