Another sign of spring sailed into the port of Oshawa early Tuesday morning.
It was the first vessel of many as the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority celebrated the launch of shipping season with their top hat ceremony.
It was around 1 a.m. when the captain of the MV NACC Quebec began navigating the waters to dock in Oshawa.
The ship’s captain was welcomed to the Port by what has become a tradition, according to Harbour Master Vicki Gruber.
“It is symbolic,” says Gruber, who is also the director of safety and security for Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority.
“We ask the captain to sign the top hat, and date it every year. From there it will go into our history book.”
The ceremony is held in ports all over, according to Gruber. The harbour master says sometimes it’s a golden cane or another item, passed down over the years.
Captain Orval Bouchard said this week he’s bringing in roughly 14,000 tonnes of cement to the city.
He says although he’s been doing it for years — there’s something in the air when he helps start the season.
“It is very exciting. It’s exciting for all of the Great Lakes areas when the season starts. We start bringing goods,” he says.
“The waterways are relatively closed off for the winter months, so it’s quiet if you are out there.”
The seafarer has been sailing the seas for more than 40 years and more recently on the Great Lakes. He’s been in the Navy, navigated large cruise ships and also worked as a captain aboard BC Ferries vessels.
“When the season is open and the locks are open and the seaway’s open, it’s very encouraging for everyone. Even those that don’t work on ships,” he says.
And his cargo is just one of several commodities that arrive at the port. According to the Oshawa site manager Claudio Faria.
“We get a lot of steel, different kinds of steel, salt as a commodity for the roads in the winter. We get fertilizer,” he says.
And what some may not know — since the vessels can carry 15-20 thousand tonnes of goods, Faria says shipping it on the water — reduces traffic on land.
“That can translate to hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of tractor-trailers that aren’t on the highway,” says Faria.
The start of the season means a lot not only to the Oshawa economy but Durham Region and beyond. Oshawa’s mayor says with more than 100 vessels expected to dock this year at the port it helps spur the economy in several ways.
“We’re going to see more and more of our port getting a lot busier,” says Mayor Carter. “Like I say, steel, cement, agriculture, they all play an important part in regards to the economy.”
Last year H.O.P.A. says between the ports of Hamilton and Oshawa, they saw more than 10 million metric tonnes of cargo come through.
Officials say they are prepared for more growth as well. The port authority has invested more than $30 million in a major capital improvement project. The work will see revitalized dock infrastructure, interior roadways and new grain storage capacity among several other enhancements to build supply chain capacity.