Fednav to add 6 more ships to Great Lakes fleet

   Fednav Ltd., the largest bulk carrier in Canada, will add six new vessels to its fleet.
   Ordered from Sumitomo Corp. and Oshima Shipyard in Japan, the vessels will add “substantial capacity” to Fednav’s Great Lakes-capable fleet of ships, the carrier said.
   The 34,000-ton bulk carriers are adapted to the dimensions of the St. Lawrence Seaway, making them suitable for international trades, and are equipped for navigating in ice.
   These vessels will be built with “box” holds, allowing them to handle a variety of general cargo like steel and project cargo. Fednav said their “design will also streamline operations, minimizing time and effort to reduce cargo residues and will result in more efficient port calls.”
   “This investment highlights Fednav’s commitment to the Great Lakes, and to our customers and partners in the industrial heart of North America,” said Paul Pathy, Fednav’s president and co-chief executive officer, in a statement.
   The vessels will share the environmental characteristics of the previous six Lakers ordered at the Oshima shipyard in that they will consume 28 percent less fuel and produce 28 percent less emissions than vessels built by the shipyard for Fednav 10 years ago. The fuel-efficient engines will also reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by about 33 percent.
   The vessels will be delivered to Fednav between May and November 2015, as part of a series of 27 new ships (of which 14 are Lakers) added to its fleet since Jan. 1, 2012. Fednav currently operates more than 80 vessels, half of them owned, and it has the largest fleet of ice-class vessels in the world.