Port of Montreal welcomes year’s first ocean-going vessel

MONTREAL: The German-flagged vessel Seasprat became the first ocean-going vessel in 2012 to reach the Port of Montreal without a stopover. Port president and CEO Sylvie Vachon welcomed the ship’s captain and crew on January 2 as the vessel crossed the port’s downstream limits at Sorel at 6:04pm.

During a brief ceremony held aboard the ship, Vachon congratulated the crew while highlighting the port’s importance to the economy of Canada, Quebec and Montreal. Flying a German flag, the Seasprat is a tanker operated by German Tanker Shipping, represented in Montreal by the SMK Tanker Agency. The Seasprat left the Port of Rotterdam on December 20 at 1:42 am and docked in Montreal at berth 103.

During an official ceremony January 3, the vessel’s captain will receive the Gold-Headed Cane, a trophy awarded to the captain of the first ocean-going vessel to reach the port.