Teams from the Montreal Port Authority were elated to welcome the first call of the CMA-CGM MONTREAL on May 25, 2022, at 2 p.m. With a length of 200 metres and a capacity of 2,500 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), this vessel named after Quebec’s largest city will link the Port of Montreal to the markets of Northern Europe. To mark the occasion, a plaque was presented to the ship’s master Capt. Arcenal Plaza Alnes upon his arrival at Cast Terminal. The MPA is also very pleased with the arrival of several new vessels, providing increased capacity and better fuel efficiency, including the Vistula Maersk, the Vayenga Maersk and the MV Nukumi.
“The Port of Montreal is delighted with the entry into service of the CMA CGM MONTREAL, further proving CMA CGM’s commitment and how strongly our trade ties unite us. The Port of Montreal continues to be an attractive competitive option, a reliable and fluid port that efficiently serves markets in Quebec, Ontario and the U.S. Midwest,” said Martin Imbleau, President and Chief Executive Officer of the MPA.
“As a terminal operator, we are always delighted to be a witness to the successes of our partners. Over the last decade MGT have proudly worked with the CMA CGM team who have shown time and again, their dedication to the market and to the supply chain. And we of course look forward to continue supporting CMA CGM’s growth ambitions,” said Michael Fratianni, President and Chief Executive Officer of MGT.
CMA CGM Canada General Manager Thiago Campos stated, “As a global leader in sea, land, air and logistics solutions, the CMA CGM Group is committed to discovering BETTER WAYS to do business. We are pleased to celebrate the first call of the CMA CGM MONTREAL on our St. Laurent service, which provides extra capacity between Canada and North Europe to help with the increases in consumer demand. Whether our Canada customers need to ship dry cargo or have temperature-controlled freight, we will get the job done.”
The MPA is also very pleased with the arrival of several new vessels at the MPA, providing increased capacity and better fuel efficiency:
- The Vistula Maersk and the Vayenga Maersk, two of the world’s largest ice-class container ships, are designed specifically to operate in icy water conditions. In addition to a stronger hull, they provide greater efficiency of intake and minimal fuel consumption. The vessel will utilize biofuel manufactured from recycled sustainable biomass. Both vessels will operate on the same service between Canada and Northern Europe.
- The MV Nukumi, Canada Steamship Lines’ new diesel-electric self-unloading vessel, successfully completed its inaugural loading and discharge of de-icing salt for Windsor Salt at the Port of Montreal earlier this month. The vessel was designed specifically to meet Windsor Salt’s de-icing salt shipping and handling needs in Eastern Canada, from the salt mine in the Magdalen Islands. There are several design innovations built into the MV Nukumi that help reduce the vessel’s overall environmental footprint and are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution by 25% and 80% respectively, compared with previous ships serving the same routes.
“The maritime industry has a key role to play in the energy transition and the Port of Montreal is pleased to welcome new generations of more carbon-efficient ships. Providing optimal infrastructure for tomorrow’s ships will always be at the heart of our priorities,” continued Martin Imbleau.
Photo from left to right: Michael Fratianni, President and CEO of MGT, Amine Dounnajah, Senior Trade Manager of CMA CGM Canada, Michel Sawaya, Corporate Manager at CMA CGM, Daniel Dagenais, Vice President of Port Performance and Sustainable Development of the MPA, Thiago Campos, General Manager of CMA CGM Canada, Sonia Martini, MGT’s Director of Business Development and Customer Care, and Martin Imbleau, President and Chief Executive Officer of the MPA.
