March 31, 2011
The Atlantic Huron went unbound through the St. Lambert lock

The Atlantic Huron went upbound through the St. Lambert lock around 08:00am on March 25, making her the first ship of 2010 to sail the Montreal/Lake Ontario section of the St. Lawrence / Great Lakes Seaway.

She is transporting 27,774 metric tons of gypsum loaded in Halifax for Certainteed and is on her way to the port of Cote St. Catherine to unload her cargo.

Not only is she the first ship of the new season to go through the St. Lambert lock but she is also the first ship to transit at a draft of 26’9” in the Montreal/Lake Ontario section. A double win for CSL! CSL has been actively participating in the pilot project for transiting at 26’9”, which allows a ship to carry approximately 300 additional metric tons safely and efficiently, providing both CSL and the Seaway with extra revenues. CSL is working hard to bring this pilot project to its final phase - transit at 26’9” without any restrictions across the entire St. Lawrence / Great Lakes Seaway system - before the end of 2010.

The ship is in impeccable shape after three weeks in dry-dock in Halifax where she was, among other things, freshly repainted.

Photo captions:

Top of the page: The Atlantic Huron waits patiently at the St. Lambert lock, allowing us to admire her fresh paint job (photographer: Jean Brosseau, Griffintown Media).

Left: The Atlantic Huron is the first ship to go through the St. Lambert lock upbound (photographer: Josée L’Hérault).

Right: Group photo on the bridge of the Atlantic Huron, from left to right: Jack Meloche (St. Lawrence Seaway), Nancy Rock (St. Lawrence Seaway), Robert Elliott (St. Lawrence Seaway), Sylvain Desgagné (port pilot), Michel Ferland (CSL), Chief Engineer Clarence Germaine, Captain Wilson Walters, and Guy Yelle (St. Lawrence Seaway) - (photographer: Mark Karlsbad, Atlantic Huron 2nd Mate).