Thunder Bay – BUSINESS – The Tug Sharon M1 and the Barge Huron Spirit arrived in the Port of Thunder Bay late Friday evening, signalling the official start of the 2021 navigation season. The vessel combination came abeam of the Mission Pier entrance at 23:32 hours March 26, 2021.
The tug-barge also opened the 2020 navigation season in Thunder Bay, one year ago to the day. The season turned out to be the Port’s best in decades.
Owned and operated by Burlington, Ontario-based McKeil Marine, the tug-barge is discharging Calcium Chloride brine solution at Pollard Highway Products (Trillium Distribution) on the Kaministiquia River. The product is used in the Thunder Bay region as a road stabilizer and dust suppressant.
Top Hat Honours go to Captain Ray Davis and Chief Engineer Larry Piercey, however there will be no ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two bulker vessels arrived early Saturday morning for grain cargoes, and six more are anticipated over the next 24 hours as grain loading operations in the port hit the ground running.
Two wintering vessels departed Thunder Bay earlier this week with bulk grain: MV Blair McKeil, also of the McKeil fleet, and MV Algoma Strongfield of the Algoma Central Corporation fleet.
