Fednav
MEDIA
Press Release
July 22, 2009
MV Umiak I, a Canadian Flag Ice-Breaking Bulk Carrier visits the Port of Montreal
Montreal, QC—Tourists and local residents will have noticed an unfamiliar new ship tied up at the Alexandria Pier No. 4 in the Old Port—the MV Umiak I. This very modern Canadian-flagged ship is quite special as it is the most powerful ice-breaking bulk carrier in the world!
Custom-built to facilitate Vale-Inco’s Voisey’s Bay Nickel project, its 30,000 horsepower two-stroke diesel engine powers through the fjord-like waters of Edward’s Cove all year round. Carrying some 350,000 tonnes of nickel concentrates per year from this northern mine, the ship was designed to transit the heavy ice found off the Labrador coast. At times the Umiak I must break through ice as thick as 20 metres encountered in the Labrador shear zone—a 10-mile-wide ice barrier that forms across the seaward islands leading to Edward’s Cove and the mines loading port. Upon sailing from the coast of Labrador, this valuable cargo is then transported to the Port of Quebec, discharged, and onwards by rail to Sudbury, ON, for refining.
The Montreal Port Authority was very responsive in finding a berth with available shore power suitable for diving inspections during this routine maintenance period.
The vessel is owned and operated by Fednav Limited, a privately owned company headquartered in Montreal, the largest ocean-going, dry-bulk shipowning and chartering group in Canada. Last year, Fednav was the first maritime company in Canada to post its environmental policy on its internet site.
The Umiak I, designed by Fednav, was built in 2006 at the Universal Maizuru Shipyard in Japan, imported into Canada, and upon its arrival was immediately registered in St. John’s, NL. Its loyal and hardworking crew and ship managers, Canship Ugland Limited, are all Canadian and mainly from Newfoundland. This flexible vessel can carry up to 152 20-foot containers and is equipped with three cranes—two with 30-ton capacity and one with 50-ton capacity. It is also designed to carry up to seven million litres of diesel fuel in bulk, as it will on its return trip, along with all the materials required to operate the Voisey’s Bay mine.
The vessel is scheduled to sail from the Port of Montreal July 24.
Contact: Thomas H. Paterson
Telephone: 514.878.6527
Fax: 514.878.878.6689
For more information on the Fednav group, visit www.fednav.com
