The second of Canada Steamship Lines' (CSL) two newbuild Trillium Class Great Lakes bulk carriers, CSL St-Laurent, was delivered on November 26, 2014 and set sail on her maiden voyage on December 13. She departed at 20:00 CST from Yangfan shipyard on Zhoushan Island, China, en route to Canada where she is set to operate throughout the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.
The vessel is commanded by Captain Kevin Crouse and Chief Engineer Paul Beaudet, and is expected to take approximately 50-60 days to complete her voyage.
CSL St-Laurent marks the successful completion of CSL's audacious newbuild program, which began with the delivery in December 2012 of the award-winning Trillium Class self-unloading Laker, Baie St. Paul. Three other Trillium Class self-unloading Lakers have since been introduced to the Great Lakes fleet (Baie Comeau, Thunder Bay and Whitefish Bay), and two bulk carriers, CSL St-Laurent and her sister ship, CSL Welland, will both begin operating at the start of the 2015 season.
The Trillium Class newbuild program also oversaw the delivery of three Panamax self-unloaders for
CSL Americas (Rt. Hon. Paul E. Martin, CSL Tecumseh and CSL Tacoma) and two other vessels of the same class and design for Norway-based Torvald Klaveness.
"CSL St-Laurent is a huge milestone in CSL history. Her maiden voyage completes one of the greatest newbuild programs in CSL's 100 year history – one that will bring significant competitive advantage to our customers for years to come. These ships are the result of a lot of hard work and dedication by a great many talented CSL employees," said Louis Martel, President of Canada Steamship Lines.
CSL St-Laurent features an IMO Tier II compliant main engine as well as the latest environmental and safety technologies. Like all Trillium Class vessels, she will use less fuel, reduce emissions significantly, and provide overall operational efficiency to the benefit of customers and the environment alike.
The maiden voyages of both CSL St-Laurent and CSL Welland have them on a course that will take the ships across the East China Sea and Pacific Ocean, through the Panama Canal and up the east coast of North America to her new home in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.
