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Port Weller News

05 Jan 2024

Heddle Shipyards Rebrands as Ontario Shipyards

(Photo: Ontario Shipyards)

Canada's Heddle Shipyards announced it has rebranded as Ontario Shipyards.The name change was made to "reflect the next phase of [the] company's growth and future success", it said in a statement, noting that the new name also embraces the province's shipbuilding legacy."The province of Ontario was once the epicenter of shipbuilding in Canada, with more than 80 commercial and government vessels built at the Port Weller Dry Docks and many more at the historic Thunder Bay Shipyard.

01 Nov 2022

Heddle Shipyards Wins Terry Fox Life Extension Job

CC BY-SA 3.0

Heddle Shipyards said it has been awarded a $135.5 million dollar contract for the Vessel Life Extension (VLE) of the Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Terry Fox.The nearly three-year project will involve an extensive engineering, planning and procurement phase, with shipyard work scheduled to begin in December 2023. This multi-year project will create and sustain over 200 hundred jobs at the Port Weller Dry Docks through the summer of 2025 when the CCGS Terry Fox is scheduled for redelivery.

17 Nov 2021

Heddle Shipyards Wins CCGS Amundsen Life Extension Contract

(Photo: Tatiana Pichugina / CC BY 2.0)

Heddle Shipyards said it has been awarded the vessel life extension of the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker CCGS Amundsen.This week, the CCGS Amundsen will arrive at the Port Weller Dry Docks in Canada, the St. Catharines, Ontario, where it will stay through June 2022. The eight-month refit valued at approximately $12,000,000 CAD will sustain over 100 direct jobs and support subcontractors and suppliers across the Niagara Region, Ontario, and Canada.Heddle Shipyards noted it has also secured the dry docking of a seaway max laker at its Port Weller facility…

08 Apr 2021

Marine News' Top Boats of 2020

General MacArthur (Photo: Callan Marine)

This year, despite innumerable challenges and setbacks, a great number of new U.S.-flagged vessels made their way into service. In addition to Maid of the Mist's new electric tour boats James V. Glynn and Nikola Tesla featured Wednesday, the newbuilds highlighted below are some of the most noteworthy to come out of U.S. shipyards in 2020.DredgerU.S. dredging contractors have been adding tonnage in a big way. This Spring, Callan Marine added a significant piece to the U.S. fleet with its new Jones Act cutterhead suction dredge (CSD) General MacArthur.

20 Aug 2020

Gladding-Hearn Delivers St. Lawrence Seaway Pilot Boat

(Photo: Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation)

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation delivered a Chesapeake class pilot boat to the Seaway Pilots Inc. in Cape Vincent, N.Y. The Seaway pilots navigate ships in and out of the ports and harbors of the St. Lawrence Seaway between St. Regis, N.Y. and Port Weller on Lake Ontario.With a length overall of 53.6’, a beam of 17.8’ and a draft of 4.8’, the all-aluminum pilot boat features the Ray Hunt Designs deep-V hull. It is powered by twin keel-cooled Volvo Penta D16, EPA Tier 3-compliant diesel engines, each delivering 641Bhp at 1,800 rpm and a top speed of 23 knots.

31 Oct 2018

St. Lawrence Pilots Order Gladding-Hearn Pilot Boat

Rendering of Gladding-Hearn pilot boat (CREDIT: Gladding-Hearn)

The Seaway Pilots Inc. in Cape Vincent, NY has ordered a Chesapeake Class pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. Delivery of the new 53-footer is scheduled for early 2020.The Seaway pilots navigate ships in and out of the ports and harbors of the St. Lawrence Seaway between St. Regis, NY and Port Weller on Lake Ontario.With a length overall of 53.6’, a beam of 17.8’, and a draft of 4.8’, the all-aluminum pilot boat features the Ray Hunt Design Deep V hull.

03 Sep 2013

Six Canadian Coast Guard Stations Close for Season

The Canadian Coast Guard advised that six seasonal summer Inshore Rescue Boat (IRB) stations located around the Great Lakes will be winding down their annual summer operations. Five IRB stations will cease seasonal operations on Monday, September 2, 2013. They are Port-Lambton, Brebeuf Island (Honey Harbor), Long Point, Hill Island and Britt. The Thames River IRB station, located on Lake St Clair, will continue to operate on the following weekends: September 7-8; 14-15; and possibly 21-22, depending on weather patterns. All IRB stations will reopen in the spring of 2014, coinciding with the start of the peak summer boating season on the Great Lakes in Ontario.

14 Jan 2011

Seaway Tonnage Rebounds in 2010

The St. Lawrence Seaway experienced a rebound in activity over the course of the 2010 navigation season, with a 15% increase in cargo volume yielding an estimated total of 35.5 million tonnes. Shipments of iron ore posted a strong 35% gain over the level witnessed in 2009. Grain likewise showed improvement, posting a 10% increase year over year. Coupled with a 63% surge in general cargo, which consists principally of iron and steel break-bulk shipments and project cargo such as wind turbine components, the Seaway finished the year on a positive note. “With a recovery in the manufacturing sector, characterized by a resurgent domestic auto assembly business…

12 Jan 2010

Seaway Concludes 50th Anniversary Season

The St. Lawrence Seaway concluded its 50th anniversary season on December 28 with the passage of the JW Shelley. The vessel transited the Iroquois Lock at 7:37 p.m. on route to Lake Ontario. The Seaway navigation season for 2009 spanned 274 days. The Welland Canal, which has been in operation since 1932, remained open to navigation until December 30, as the CSL Tadoussac transited Lock 1 at 3:04 p.m. and cleared Port Weller entering Lake Ontario at 3:22 p.m. Total Seaway cargo volume for 2009 is estimated to amount to 30.5 million tonnes, the lowest volume witnessed since the early 1960's. The 25% decrease in cargo volume compared to 2008 can be attributed to the depth of the recession, which sharply curtailed movements of iron ore and steel on the waterway.

23 Apr 2001

Port Weller Christens Two Ships in One Day

For the first time in the shipyard’s five-decade history, two ships were christened on the same day at Port Weller Dry Docks in St. Catharines. The vessels, Hull 79 and Hull 516, were renamed and welcomed at a ceremony at the yard on March 3. The third of three CSL vessels to have forebody replacements at Port Weller, Hull 79, which was sponsored by Kimberley Pauley, wife of Capt. Steve Pauley, is the last part of a $100 million contract with Canadian Shipbuilding & Engineering. In addition to a completely new hull, which has been attached to the engine room portion of the former MV Louis R. Demarais, Hull 79 also boasts automated self-unloading equipment. Hull 79 also holds the distinction as one of the largest ships on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence waterway, at SeawayMax size.

07 Nov 2001

Ship Repair Forum Changes to Reflect Current Events

Changes in the international political and economic climate will add new urgency to the theme of the Shiprepair & Conversion 2001 conference in London in November — gaining the edge in a competitive global industry. Marking the 10th anniversary of the event, the conference takes place alongside the industry's leading exhibition in the Grand Hall, Olympia, on November 28-29. A new pick-and-mix booking format offers cut-price entry to one or more of the four morning and afternoon sessions — giving delegates, exhibitors and visitors more scope to take part in both the conference and trade show, which will feature a record 360 exhibitors.

17 Jun 1999

Algoma Grants Unique Contract To CSE

Algoma Central Marine has awarded a $5.5 million contract to Canadian Shipbuilding & Engineering for the conversion of a single-hulled tanker, 431 ft. (131.5 m) M.V. Algoeast, to double-hulled construction at its Port Weller Drydocks facility. The project, which is the first type of conversion ever to be done at a Canadian shipyard, will commence this December and expects to employ about 100 shipbuilders through the winter.

27 Jul 1999

Tank Barge Report

Currently, Marcon International, Inc., the ship sale & chartering firm, has 62 inland tank barges available for sale, down from 124 in June 1996. Most of these are typical U.S. inland river units of approximately 30 years of age (vs. an average active U.S. inland fleet age of 24 years). Marcon also has listed and available for sale a total of 41 ocean and coastwise barges compared with 50 in June 1996. Most of these are older single skin units. Even with OPA 90 retirement dates approaching and double skins being built, the firm reports not seeing any great numbers of U.S. single hull tank barges coming on the market - especially from the ocean and coastal fleets. There is a wide split in price ranges for those vessels for sale.

27 Jul 1999

Niagara Christened at Port Weller Dry Docks

The largest-ever Canadian ship built for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence was christened at Port Weller Dry Docks at the Lake Ontario entrance to the Welland Canal. CSL Niagara is the newest member of the Canada Steamship Lines fleet, and the first of three ships built by Port Weller as part of a $100 million fleet reinvestment program by CSL. Measuring 740 x 78 x 48 ft., Niagara required more than 6,000 tons of steel for construction. The unique shipbuilding project saw an entirely new hull constructed and joined to the engine room portion of J.W. McGiffin. Niagara is the first ship to be built to the St. Lawrence Seaway's new maximum-size allowances, and features the most up-to-date self-unloading system available, unloading cargo at rates up to 6,000 tons per hour.

12 Jun 2000

Specialties Cornerstone of Canadian Market

The past decade was a tough one for the Canadian shipbuilding market. It was a decade that produced a decline of both employment and decline of newbuilds, many of which were contracted in the late 1980s still awaiting construction. This unfinished business was concentrated mostly on various military projects that had been thought out but were never actually followed through. It is estimated that by the time the 1990's came to a close that Canadian yards had experienced the worst decade since postwar times with total sales declining by about 50 percent since 1991. In addition, total employment in the industry has broken off by about 50 percent from 12,000 workers in 1990 to today's figure of 5,000.

11 Jul 2000

Algowood Limps Into Port Weller Drydock

The Canadian-flag bulker Algowood was expected to arrive under tow at Port Weller dry docks, Ontario, on July 15. Repairs to the 31,940 dwt bulker are estimated at $5 million and will include replacing 30 ft. of damaged hull with a new 40 ft section that will increase the vessel's overall length to 740 ft, the new maximum for the St. Lawrence seaway. Algowood sank in a dock at Bruce Mines while loading aggregate on June 2 and was refloated on July 8.

25 Aug 2006

Shipbuilder CSE to Seek Funding

The Star has reported that Canadian Shipbuilding & Engineering Ltd. (CSE) will seek government money, cut labour costs and restructure before resorting to a sales process if necessary, the monitor overseeing its bankruptcy protection said in court documents. CSE was formed 20 years ago by the merger of the shipbuilding and repair divisions of two of Canada's biggest private shipping companies, Canada Steamship Lines and what is now called Upper Lakes Group Inc. The CSL Group — owned by former Prime Minister Paul Martin until 2003 — sold its remaining interest in Canadian Shipbuilding & Engineering in November. Upper Lakes Group Inc. now owns more than two-thirds of CSE, which had 420 employees when all its operations were running.

29 Jul 1999

Forebody Update: A New Ship Comes Together

What started out as mere sketches on the drafting tables at CSL almost two years ago now sits in the building berth at Port Weller Dry Docks well on its way to becoming the biggest Canadian Lakes vessel ever built. Apart from the construction of the various sections of the new hull (forebody), which incorporated some of the latest in shipbuilding techniques, and the development of state-of-the-art unloading systems, the task of joining it to the engine room compartment and accommodation block (after end) of former J.W. McGiffin was nothing short of an engineering feat. The delicate procedure took place in mid and late March. The transition section -- the 24-ft. unit which accounts for the extra two ft. in deck height and three ft.

29 Jul 1999

Canadian Maritime Review

With 1,860 miles of waterways, our neighbors to the north are no slouches in the maritime industry. In fact, Canadian maritime companies continue to offer technological and operational innovation. The Canadian coastline stretches out 151,492 miles, making it the second largest country in the world. Canada not only supports a thriving maritime industry, with exporting ships carrying timber, crude petroleum, natural gas and aluminum, but the country is also home to a variety of companies providing the means to allow these vessels to run smoothly and efficiently. In St. Catherine's, Ontario, Port Weller Drydocks is known for its extensive knowledge of engineering connecting the design, installation and testing aspects of inter-disciplinary projects.

07 Dec 1999

Great Ship - CSL Niagara

M.V. CSL Niagara, which was delivered by Port Weller Dry Docks this past July, is the largest seaway capable vessel on the Great Lakes. The two self-unloader resulting was formulated by joining the aft end of M.V. J.W. McGiffin to a complete new forebody built and outfitted by PWDD. Beginning with the new forebody being floated out of the building dock, McGiffin was then docked and its old forebody was cut and floated off — the new forebody was re-docked and joined to McGiffin's stern shortly after. Taking advantage of new maximum seaway dimensions resulting in cargo lifts, the vessel was selected to celebrate strong links between Canada Steamship Lines and the Niagara Region.

02 Aug 1999

CSL Niagara Christened

The largest-ever Canadian ship built for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence was blessed at a ceremony last June at the Lake Ontario entrance to the Welland Canal at Port Weller Drydocks. The vessel is the newest member of the Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) fleet, and the first of a trio of ships to be constructed by Port Weller as part of a $100 million fleet reinvestment program by CSL. Measuring 740 x 78 x 48, the newbuild required more than 6,000 tons of steel. This grand project also included the construction of a new hull, which was joined to the engine room portion of the J.W. McGiffin. Featuring the most advanced self-unloading system available, the Niagara is the premiere ship to be built to the St. Lawrence Seaway's new maximum-size allowances.

03 Mar 2006

Canadian Shipyard wins $45M Order

Canadian Shipbuilding and Engineering has won a $39.6 million order for three new ships that will keep the St. Catharines, Ont., shipyard running at full employment for the next two years, Buffalo News reported. The order, which resulted from an alliance with Dutch shipbuilder Peters Kampen Shipyards that was announced last September, is expected to keep Port Weller Dry Docks' employment at 250 through the end of next year. The ships were ordered by a British firm, Carisbrooke Shipping. (Source: Buffalo News)