The East Coast is on the move

The Dutch Runner was back in the Montreal area in early November, to safely bring an expensive load of zinc. Later, the vessel was back on the East Coast on a salt run between Pugwash to Mulgrave N.S. Members have had meetings on board to gather proposals for the upcoming negotiations.

Coastal Shipping had their new vessels in operation in the Arctic this summer and fall. Crew members appreciate working on a vessel with better and newer technology. The Havelstern and Alsterstern were added to the fleet which bring the number of vessels to six tankers. The Tuvaq is expected to be going to dry dock in the next month. This brings Coastal Shipping Ltd the largest unionized tanker company on the East Coast.

The Overseas Shirley continues to trade from Placentia Bay NL (Whiffen Head Terminal ) to the Dartmouth Imperial Oil dock. The cargoes of crude oil come mainly from the Hibernia oil rig. Occasionally, the vessel carries oil shipments to foreign countries, a nice change from the normal routine appreciated by crew members. Occasionally, the vessel trades in Venezuela.

Canadian terminal operators understand the needs for seafarers to be in touch with their family. Lately, Mr Paul Adams, P.Eng., President of Newfoundland Transshipment Limited, agreed to conduct dock side wireless internet tests in order to provide full wireless internet connections for ships coming to their terminal; if these test are positive, we should soon get internet at that dock. The Port of Montréal management is also evaluating the feasibility of getting their systems up and running to provide wireless connections. Port administrators said the infrastructure is in place but not working properly. They will have their computer specialists to perform tests and hopefully set their systems so that all seafarers coming to the Port of Montreal will be able to access free internet with their personal computers.