From Constanta, Romania, the Leopold Oldendorff became the first ship of the year, arriving at 5.15pm on 2 January 2024 and mooring at the Rio Tinto Iron Ore Company dock a few hours later.

It was at around 2pm the following day that the prestigious cane with its stylised knob combining aluminium and iron ore was handed over to the Turkish captain, Ufuk Kurcan, as tradition dictates. The captain, who was taking part in a ceremony of this kind for the first time in his career, said he was very honoured by the recognition.

In addition to receiving the traditional cane, the ship’s 23 crew members were presented with a toque bearing the Port of Sept-Îles logo and a well-stocked basket of local products from Rio Tinto Mining Company.

The brief ceremony took place at the Rio Tinto Mining Company’s port facilities and was attended by Mylène Lapierre, Terminal Operations Coordinator at Rio Tinto IOC, Raynald Ouellet, Vice-President of Operations and Business Development at the Port of Sept-Îles, and Joël Richard, Accounting Technician at the Port of Sept-Îles.

Flying the Portuguese flag, the 300-metre ocean-going vessel, built in 2015 and owned by German shipowner ThyssenKrupp Steel, will be heading back to Rotterdam with her crew and a cargo of 184,200 tonnes of iron concentrate and pellets. Now in its 37th year, this tradition is designed to mark the arrival of the first ship of the year to dock in the Port’s waters, and to highlight the impact of port activities in the community. To be eligible, the ship must come from abroad and be bound for a destination outside the country.

(Photo from Port of Sept-Îles)