Port Windsor has welcomed its first salty of the 2023 shipping season.
The M/V Egbert Wagenborg arrived on April 4 from the Netherlands to pick up grain. However rain prevented the grain from being loaded onto the ship. The work was instead completed over the holiday weekend and the vessel left back to the Netherlands.
The Great Lakes-St Lawrence Seaway navigation season opened on March 22.
Peter Berry, Harbour Master and Director of Operations with the Windsor Port Authority says in the last 3 months of the 2022 shipping season, over 1 million tonnes of stone was brought into port.
"That was on the EV battery project alone," says Berry. "Elements of that have slowed down because it's not the foundation that's being worked through as much. But as we see the Gordie Howie Bridge being more road bed, more structures around the buildings, more concrete. There's still 100 feet to go to the pinnacle of the bridge so we do see that there will be stone, sand, cement will come through the port. We're probably going to be on par to last year, if not exceed."
He says water levels are important when it comes to shipping because when levels are down more ships are required as they cannot load as much cargo.
"With the water levels that we are now, they're still above the historical mean average but we're not in the flood conditions we were in 2018-2019," he says. "So that is also helpful. We can do normal loads but 22-25 thousand metric tonnes of cargo, stone or grain into a ship."
Berry adds he's hearing from operators in the port that they are experiencing staffing shortages.
"They are facing the same issues of turnover, not being able to find the qualified people, or people who really are interested in coming in for the work," says Berry. "And we do find that across the marine industry as well. In the marine industry we're having a hard time to find someone who wants to sign on as a deckhand and sail on a ship for a month or two months."
Active recruiting is happening through the Canadian Marine Careers Foundation (CMCF) website. Interested applicants can view available opportunities on their website.
Port Windsor usually sees 600-900 ships each year.
-With files from AM800's Dustin Coffman & Kathie McMann