By Skip Gillham, Special to Postmedia Network 

Fednav Ltd. of Montreal added five new oceangoing lakers to its fleet in 2015. All were built in Japan and are considered environmentally advanced, 34,000-ton capacity carriers.

They will use less fuel and fewer emissions than similar vessels constructed only a few years ago.

Among the new freighters is Federal Beaufort. The 199.98-metre-long by 23.96-metre-wide vessel is registered in the Marshall Islands and is diesel-powered. It was completed by the Oshima Shipbuilding Co. at Saikai, Japan in June 2015.

Federal Beauforthas “box” holds, which makes it an excellent carrier for steel and project cargoes.

In August, Federal Beaufortloaded at Newport and Immingham, England for the Great Lakes and came through the seaway to discharge at Burns Harbor, Ind.

The ship then loaded grain Thunder Bay for Vera Cruz, Mexico. This latter cargo was topped off at Montreal before heading south.

In October, the vessel was stopped at Lake Charles, La. and then headed to Norway, Belgium, Turkey, Denmark and back to Turkey. In late January, the ship was moored along the St. Lawrence at Trois Rivières, Que.

The impressive red-hulled Fednav ships are well built and usually serve the company for 15 years or longer trading all over the world.

Source: St. Catharines Standard