CSL’s new diesel-electric self-unloading ship,M/V Nukumi, has arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, fresh from its maiden voyage from China. Purpose-built for Windsor Salt, the Nukumi will begin servicing the Mines Seleine salt mine in late April. It departed from the Jiangyin shipyard on January 31 and arrived in Halifax on March 27 The ship is the first diesel-electric Laker and the first single point loader to operate in Canada.

Windsor Salt and Canada Steamship Lines partnered to build a new state-of-the-art self-unloading ship with a deadweight of 26,000 metric tons that will chart new waters in safe, sustainable and efficient shipping in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Great Lakes region. 

Leveraging their shared values of safety, sustainability and innovation, Windsor Salt and CSL began construction of the custom-made vessel in August 2020 after several years of collaborative planning, which included an environmental impact analysis, ship and shore personnel safety reviews, an efficiency evaluation of cargo operations, and navigational optimization.

The distinctive, purpose-designed vessel was created to service Windsor Salt’s need to deliver de-icing salt from its Mines Seleine salt mine on the Magdalen Islands to stockpiles in Montreal, Quebec City, and other destinations within the provinces of Quebec and Newfoundland. Windsor Salt’s consistent and timely delivery of de-icing salt helps keep roadways safe during the winter season across Eastern Canada. (Photo Steve Farmer/Port of Halifax)