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Box ship designed for St Lawrence River has market potential

TRANSPORT Canada has announced that "postpanamax ships of 44 metres beam could sail the Lower St Lawrence River to the Port of Montreal".

This comes after Canada's national transportation department recognised the precise navigation capability of computer directed bow and stern thrusters about one year ago. 



But the vessels will be restricted to the old 10-metre fresh water draft and overhead bridge clearances of 52 metres. Maritime researchers have declared that the vessel could carry 6,000 TEU or half the capacity of neopanamax ships that sail the Panama Canal today, reports Maritime Executive of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 



Canada - European trade accounts for almost 50 per cent of the maritime container traffic that is handled by port of Montreal, a factor that could justify construction of a vessel class that could usefully also be defined as St Lawrence-Max, a class that will definitely sail between Europe and Montreal but rarely, if ever, sail the Panama Canal.



In terms of container traffic, an increase from 4,100 TEU to 5,600 TEU between main European ports such as Antwerp/Rotterdam and port of Montreal enhances transatlantic ship transportation economics.



There is an international market application for 44-metre beam by 10-metre draft ships, both container ships and bulk carriers, along the North American east coast to sail into unmodified ports capable of berthing panamax ships. Such ports would require extended reach cranes to service 44-metre beam containerships.



Forty-four metre beam ships could operate domestic North American interlined container service from super-port in eastern Nova Scotia. After a 21-day ocean voyage from Asia, an interlined maritime connection to Montreal would involve 24 days total transit time compared to 23 days total transit time for the more expensive interlined railway connection.
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