Louis Martel News

Canadian shipping company CSL announced it is partnering with Adelaide Brighton Cement Ltd. (Adbri) to build and operate the world’s first fully electric battery capable self-unloading vessel.Under a 20-year strategic partnership agreement, the custom-designed ship will replace Adbri’s Accolade II and will support the company’s limestone operations in South Australia with a focus on enhanced efficiency and environmental responsibility. The ship will carry up to 2.7 million tonnes of limestone per year…

The CSL Group and Algoma Central Corporation Order a New Generation of Kamsarmax-Based Ocean Belt Self-Unloading ShipsThe CSL Group and Algoma Central Corporation, who together form the CSL International Pool, on Friday announced a newbuild order with Jiangsu Yangzi-Mitsui Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., to construct four new methanol-ready Kamsarmax-based ocean belt self-unloading vessels. These new ships will replace the pool’s oldest vessels and become the model for its next generation of ocean self-unloaders.Two of the four jointly designed…

The world's largest owner and operator of self-unloading ships The CSL Group has acquired a minority stake in Canadian engineering firm EMS-Tech Inc., a designer and supplier of bulk material handling systems.The investment will build on the synergies developed between CSL and EMS-Tech over 25 years and will leverage the companies' respective strengths in delivering advanced cargo handling solutions. EMS-Tech will continue to be independently managed by its current team.For over three decades…

In late November 2021, CSL successfully completed the world’s longest-running trials of B100 biodiesel on marine engines, accumulating nearly 30,000 running hours. Conducted on half of CSL’s Canadian fleet, the tests resulted in a 23% total fleet life cycle reduction of CO2 as compared to marine gas oil (MGO).During the trials, conducted in partnership with Canada Clean Fuels and with the collaboration of Sterling Fuels, 14,000 tonnes of MGO, a fossil fuel, was substituted for 100% bio-content second-generation biofuel…

Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) set a new record at the Viterra terminal in the Port of Thunder Bay yesterday, when it loaded 31,362 metric tonnes of grain on CSL Welland, breaking the previous record of 31,143 metric tonnes. The cargo of wheat will be discharged in Montreal, destined for international markets.“I commend Captain Rowe and his crew, the Viterra team, the Port of Thunder Bay, as well as our CSL teams on the ground who contributed to this achievement,” said Louis Martel, CSL President and CEO.

Montreal-based shipping company Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) said it will test second generation biodiesel on half of its fleet over the course of the 2021 navigation season—a first for the Great Lakes shipping industry.These tests, which follow the trials of B100 biodiesel fuel on the main engines of two CSL ships last year, come as CSL explores the use of green fuels and technologies to reduce its vessel emissions and overall environmental footprint.Elsewhere, several shipping companies seeking to curb their emissions have been trialing cleaner-burning biofuels…

The CSL Group and Oldendorff Carriers have joined Trident Alliance, the industry coalition that is calling for the robust and transparent enforcement of environmental regulations, such as IMO 2020.The network of shipping companies and other stakeholders said that as members of The Trident Alliance, the CSL Group and Oldendorff Carriers have committed to compliance with the new IMO 2020 regulations.“Safety and environmental stewardship are fundamental corporate objectives and core values at CSL,” explained Louis Martel, President and CEO of CSL Group, a Canadian-based provider of marine dry bulk cargo handling and delivery services. “So…

SMT Shipping  and The CSL Group announced they have entered into an agreement for CSL to acquire 50% of Eureka Shipping, SMT's pneumatic cement vessel business. The new joint venture will allow Eureka and CSL to combine expertise, resources and innovative technologies to expand services to customers in the seaborne cement powder and fly ash transportation markets around the world. CSL's Australian cement shipping business is not included in the joint venture. "The joint venture represents an important step in CSL's strategy to increase its presence in the global construction material sector," said Louis Martel, President and CEO of The CSL Group. "SMT Shipping is honored to partner with CSL in Eureka," said Mark Voorham, CEO of SMT Shipping.

Canada Steamship Lines welcomed M.V. Ferbec, a 49,502 DWT conventional geared bulk carrier equipped with four cranes and grabs, which is now fully operational in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. The vessel, which previously operated in CSL’s Australian fleet as CSL Melbourne, is the largest vessel of its type in the Canadian domestic shipping market. Upon arrival in Québec City on May 13, 2017, the vessel underwent modifications to adapt to its new operating environment. Ferbec is now operating under Canadian flag in the Havre St-Pierre to Sorel corridor for long time-customer Rio Tinto. “It is by design and with great pride that we revived the name Ferbec for this vessel,” said Louis Martel, President and CEO of The CSL Group.

CSL Group head Rod Jones will retire effective March 31, 2017, after a career with the Canadian dry bulk shipper that spans over 30 years, including nine years as president and chief executive officer. Louis Martel, currently CSL International president and CSL Group executive vice-president, will assume the role of chief executive officer effective April 1, 2017. During his three decades at CSL, Jones helped to transform what was a Great Lakes focused shipping business into the world’s largest owner and operator of self-unloading ships…

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.

Despite a downturn in overall cargo movements through the St. Lawrence Seaway in July (down 12.5% over 2012), new cargos and new vessels signaled continued confidence in the future of the navigation system. Several U.S. ports welcomed a variety of heavy lift cargos destined for projects throughout the region. “Twice during July, McKeil Marine Ltd. has called at the Port of Monroe to deliver heavy-lift industrial components,” said Monroe port director Paul LaMarre. “These project pieces were manufactured by Cherubini Metal Workers Ltd in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and will be installed in the last of four Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) Units at DTE Energy’s Monroe Power Plant.

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) announced the opening of the Seaway’s 55th navigation season with the transit of Canada Steamship Lines’ newly built Baie St. Paul through the St. Lambert Lock. Marking the first of a series of new vessels being constructed specifically for use in the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Baie St. Paul ushers in a new era in domestic shipping. “Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) ranks prominently among a number of Canadian shipowners who are committing hundreds of millions of dollars to build new vessels…

The Baie St. Paul, Canada Steamship Lines’ first of four new Trillium Class self-unloading Lakers – and  the most technologically advanced ship to enter the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway bulk shipping market – set sail today on her maiden voyage from Chengxi shipyard in Jiangyin, China to Montreal, Quebec. “Every first voyage of a new ship is an exciting event, but with the Baie St. Paul, the occasion is truly historic as CSL prepares to welcome the most modern vessel in the Great Lakes,” remarked Louis Martel, President of Canada Steamship Lines.