ST. CATHARINES, Ont. —
Under clear blue skies and only a light breeze off the lake, the Welland Canal opened Tuesday with brighter prospects for the 2011 navigation season.
The Peter R. Cresswell, a 730-foot self-unloading vessel built at Collingwood, Ont., in 1982, was the first upbound ship to enter the locks linking Lakes Erie and Ontario.
At present, the ship is loaded with cement clinker from the St. Mary’s Cement Plant in Bowanville and it is destined for Detroit.
As part of a 64-year-old ceremony, Captain Peter Schultz of the Creswell was presented the traditional Top Hat before nearly 100 persons in the Welland Canal Museum and Visitors Center.
“We are currently projecting a 7 percent overall increase in cargo tonnage within the Seaway system,” said Stephen Kwok, regional director of the Niagara Region for the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp.
In 2010, more than 29.2 million tons of cargo moved through the seven lift locks, compared with 26.4 million tons in 2009.
Kwok said: “For years, marine transportation has played a crucial and yet often overlooked growth in our economy.”
Noting that an estimated 150 million people live within an eight hour drive of a major Great Lakes port, he added that people will begin to appreciate the current role of marine transportation and its potential for the future.
Greg Wight, president and chief executive officer of the Algoma Central Corp., which owns the Cressswell, said his company has committed $400 million for new state-of-the-art Equinox Class vessels.
Gary Burroughs, regional chairman of the Niagara Region government, said, “The Welland Canal has been an integral part of Niagara’s storied history, our culture and our economic prosperity. The canal is part of an integrated navigation system that provides service to miners, farmers, factory workers and commercial interests.”
St. Catharines Mayor Brian McMullen said the visitors center offering an elevated view of the canal and its operations attracted some 75,000 people from all over the world last year.
Local News
Related Photos
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THE FIRST SHIP: Captain Peter Schultz of the Peter R. Cresswell (in background), tips the Top Hat he was presented Tuesday, symbolic of the start of the 2011 navigation season. The Cresswell was destined for Detroit. Photo contributed by CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
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The Peter R. Cresswell chugs along the Welland Canal. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
March 23, 2011
Welland Canal launches 2011 season
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