Feeder service to move containers between Hamilton and Montreal

A new container shipping service is operating between Hamilton, Ontario, and Montreal.

Hamilton Container Terminal (HCT), in partnership with the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA Ports) and shipping line Desgagnés, is developing a container feeder service between Hamilton and Montreal.

Docking at Hamilton’s Pier 14, the M/V Sedna Desgagnés is due to make the new service’s first voyage June 10. The first sailing is expected to be followed by a second Hamilton-Montreal voyage in July, building up to 20+ sailings in 2022.

The container ‘feeder’ vessel will carry approximately 350 containers (350 TEUs) originating  from Hamilton and bound for Montreal. These containers will be transloaded in Montreal to other vessels destined for various overseas ports.

Since its establishment at the Port of Hamilton in 2015, HCT has been building its container handling business, providing a viable alternative to some of the more congested depots in the Toronto and Hamilton area.

“We have been creating the business ecosystem to bring this service to life,” said HCT president Amandeep Kaloti. “We have invested in infrastructure and established the right partnerships for it to succeed.”

In addition to Desgagnés and HOPA Ports, MSC is a key supporter of this service, Federal Marine Terminals as the terminal operator, and all export bookings handled by Hamilton-based freight forwarder Avancer International Freight Systems.

HOPA Ports’s president and CEO Ian Hamilton believes HCT is tapping into a wider shift that is creating new opportunities for Great Lakes shipping. In choosing the marine mode, shippers will be reducing their supply chains’ C0₂ footprint by as much as 500 percent versus surface transportation

“Highway congestion, greenhouse gas reduction targets, driver shortages – all of these factors are combining, so marine is making more sense for short journeys than ever before,” Hamilton said.

“We know there is a demand in the market for more sustainable, efficient and competitive options for container movements, and we are proud to help HCT launch this forward-looking solution.”

HCT is currently accepting additional bookings from Hamilton to Montreal to India and far east destination ports for the service’s inaugural sailing.