Halifax, Hamilton promote short sea shipping

Halifax, Hamilton promote short sea shipping    The ports of Hamilton and Halifax have signed an agreement aimed at advancing development of short sea shipping service opportunities.
   'We recognize that the strategic location of both ports provides a cost effective and efficient gateway for maritime commerce flowing into and out of the Great Lakes region and the St. Lawrence Seaway,' said Bruce Wood, president and chief executive officer of the Port of Hamilton, located at the western end of Lake Ontario.
   “By promoting short-sea shipping opportunities with Halifax, customers in the heart of North America could access the many connections that the Port of Halifax can provide to markets worldwide,' Wood said.
   In July, Hamilton announced McKeil Marine would offer a container-on-barge service connecting with Montreal.
   Hamilton and Halifax said they will further evaluate the business case for short sea shipping, identify potential customers and service operators, and plan for marketing of joint opportunities.
   Meanwhile, Great Lakes Feeder Lines has been doing well operating short sea service out of Halifax for more than a year, said Aldert van Nieuwkoop, president. The company carries out a variety of short distance voyages out of Halifax and other Canadian and U.S. ports.
   Originally, the company had planned to use its ship, the Dutch Runner, to offer a regular service between Halifax, Montreal and Toronto, but since last October it has been offering regular weekly service between Halifax and the French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon in the St. Lawrence River.
   Before that service began and between voyages the ship has called at a variety of Canadian and U.S. ports including Montreal, Toronto, St. Catherines in Ontario and into the Arctic. It recently carried a full shipload of rebar for Novosteel from Oswego, N.Y., to Newfoundland.
   “With one ship it is difficult, you have to turn down cargo,” van Nieuwkoop said. “On one hand it is a luxury, on the other hand it is frustrating because you don’t want to disappoint clients. The formula seems to be working — bringing in a modern, short sea shipping vessel that has roll-on/roll-off and lift-on/lift-off capacity. We are now looking at acquiring a second vessel. It’s a relatively good market to be acquiring a ship, but we don’t want to do anything speculatively.”