MV HARVEST SPIRIT REPEATS AS SEASONOPENING VESSEL IN PORT OF THUNDER BAY
M.V. Harvest Spirit has officially opened the Port of Thunder Bay shipping season for the second consecutive year. In a gathering of familiar faces, the Port of Thunder Bay on Sunday recognized the crew of the Harvest Spirit in a Top Hat Ceremony held at Richardson International’s Main Elevator.
Captain Adam Hagen and Chief
Engineer Gavin Pink were bestowed the traditional Top Hat by Port Board Chair Pat Bushby, along with a heaping of welcoming words and tokens of appreciation from local dignitaries and leaders:
The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services
Marcus Powlowski, M.P. Thunder Bay – Rainy River
Lise Vaugeois, M.P.P. Thunder Bay – Superior North
Mayor Ken Boshcoff, City of Thunder Bay
Charla Robinson, President,
Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce
The Harvest Spirit arrived in Thunder Bay on Saturday, March 23, crossing the breakwall at 17:40. This marks the first time since 2008 the port has opened this early, tying the record for the earliest opening on record. The McKeil-owned vessel became only the second to receive the Top Hat honour after also being the final vessel to depart port and close the prior shipping season in January.
The Top Hat Ceremony draws attention to both the importance of marine shipping and the impact of the port on the local economy. Globally, an overwhelming majority of goods are transported by ship, with volumes rising annually. The Port provides significant employment and contributes hundreds of millions of dollars annually to the local economy.
Chris Heikkinen, CEO
“In a port city like Thunder Bay, with a rich history of shipping, the Top Hat ceremony is nice to show the community shipping is underway for another season. Marine shipping is vital to the global supply chain with over 80% of all goods shipped by marine vessel. The port is a huge driver of the economy here. We have a strong start expected this year with more ships scheduled compared to other seasons.”
“This opening ties the record for the Port- March 23rd. The weather cooperated with us.We are expecting our first salt weather ship this week as well.”
“Thunder Bay is definitely our most important port of call and one of the most important in Canada. Putting grain through the Great Lakes not only adds to the tradition of 100 years of shipping, but is a great economic engine. This is the most economical and environmentally way to ship anything.”
“This May will be 25 years for me out on the vessel. The trip up from Windsor was relatively uneventful but we are looking at some inclement weather for the return. We do have a extremely good sea boat and our crew are excellent with 16 people. This time of year can always be a little bit tricky but we can handle it. It is always an honour to be the first ship.”
“We have about 40 trips this year with the vessel and 26 of them will be to Thunder Bay. We will take about 14,500 metric tons of grain to Windsor on this trip where it will be processed into canola or soybean oil.”