Port of Montreal presents gold-headed cane to first ship of the year

The Chem Sirius, a chemical tanker flying the Liberian flag, was the first ship of the year to reach Montreal’s Old Port.

The ship left the Port of Antwerp in Belgium on Dec. 19 and arrived  at the downstream limits of Montreal’s port in Sorel at 3:16 a.m. Sunday.

Ship captain Daniel Ju will be rewarded with the 178th gold-headed cane at a ceremony Wednesday.

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The cane is awarded each year to the captain of the first ocean-going vessel to reach Montreal without a stopover.

Sophie Roux, the Port of Montreal’s vice-president of public affairs, said recent meteorological conditions made the last stretch of the journey difficult, with waves reaching heights of 20 feet in the last few days.

The tanker was carrying phosphoric acid on its transatlantic journey.

Phosphoric acid can be used to make fertilizers, food products and cosmetics, Roux explained.

With files from La Presse Canadienne