Laurentian Pilotage Authority News

A fire has broken out on board a Liberian-registered containership off Canada's East Coast, the Canadian Coast Guard said.At around 11 p.m. on Sunday, the MSC Sao Paulo V issued a call for help after a blaze erupted in the engine room of the 294-meter-long vessel. The ship had left Montréal in the morning and was approaching the Les Escoumins pilot station while en route to Portugal when the incident occurred.By Monday afternoon, the containership crew had informed the Coast Guard that the fire was under control…

The Laurentian Pilotage Authority (LPA), based in Montreal, Canada, provides pilotage services in Canadian waters in and around the province of Quebec where cold weather can often be an issue for marine operators. So when it came time to order a new pilot boat, the LPA sought a vessel that could stand up to the region’s frigid conditions.The pilots turned to Estonia-based Baltic Workboats for the design and construction of the ice-capable Shipeku, a new 17-meter aluminum pilot…

Captain Louis Rhéaume has joined the team at Maritime Simulation and Resource Center (MSRC).At MSRC Captain Rhéaume will supervise the implementation of maritime expertise projects and provide his professional and administrative experience to the pilots in training. Captain Rhéaume is a graduate of the Institute maritime du Québec and holder of a Master Foreign Going Certificate. He was a pilot on the St. Lawrence River in the Quebec-Escoumins sector from 1984 to 2018, President of the Lower St.

The Montreal-based Federal Crown Corporation, Laurentian Pilotage Authority (LPA) has contracted with Kongsberg Digital for the supply of three state-of-the-art K-Sim Navigation full mission ship bridge simulators, which will help LPA meet its public mandate through the development of best practices, risk assessments and in-depth incident reviews in support of maritime pilotage.The K-Sim Navigation platform can simultaneously integrate multiple bridges to create a near real-life maritime operational environment wherein LPA personnel can evaluate maneuvering techniques…

Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) is advising that due to the extreme cold weather which has settled over the eastern North American continent, there have been heavy delays in shipping operations since January 4, 2014. The delays have been caused primarily by ice build-up between Lanoraie and the Three Rivers (St. Lawrence River). Three Canadian Coastguard ice breakers have been working round the clock in the area since then, but no ships have been allowed to depart Montreal outbound due to this. There are currently five ships docked at Montreal awaiting favorable ice conditions in order to depart for sea, and Canadian Coast Guard Ice Operations advise that shipping may resume for departures at 0630hrs local time on January 8, 2014.

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) authorizes the passage of vessels up to 44 metres wide in the Quebec-Montreal section of the St. Lawrence navigation channel. The previous authorized width was 32.1 metres without restrictions. The CCG has made the provisions following a study commissioned by the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) and conducted jointly with Transport Canada, the CCG, the Laurentian Pilotage Authority and the Corporation of Central St. Lawrence Pilots. “I would like to thank everyone who has collaborated on this project,” said MPA President and CEO Sylvie Vachon. Specifically, the new provisions will make it possible for all post-Panamax vessels, including 6,000-TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) container ships, to reach Montreal.

Every marine vessel requires two critical components to ensure a safe journey: a competent master at the helm and a reliable power source in the engine room. Because of the increasing ship traffic and safety concerns, the design of pilot boats used to transfer pilots to and from ships has evolved significantly in recent years. Cat marine engines will power the majority of the new breed of pilot boats built for ports across Canada. The Laurentian Pilotage Authority (LPA), based in Montreal…