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magazine / ja09
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July/August 2009 issue |
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FEATURE
Inland superhighway (Page
3 of 4)
For half a century, the St. Lawrence Seaway has served as a vital artery for ships carrying the coal, grain and iron ore that fuelled Canada’s economy. But a sea change may be brewing.
By D’Arcy Jenish with photography by Martin Beaulieu
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Colourful buoys line the shore as a Coast Guard ship sails past at Prescott, Ont.
Photo: Martin Beaulieu |
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Must be something
in the water
Scientists estimate that more than 185 non-native plant and animal species, such as zebra mussels, water fleas and
seaside goldenrod, have found their way into the Great Lakes over the past two centuries. They have arrived several
ways, including the pet trade, aquaculture and live-fish markets, but the most common means may be the ballast water
carried by ocean-going ships.
Over the past two decades, government agencies around the world, as well as the London-based International
Maritime Organization (IMO), have adopted regulations to control the transfer of invasive species, which can have a
devastating impact on local ecosystems. The IMO has approved a measure that would require all newly built oceangoing
vessels to be equipped with on-board ballast-treatment systems by 2012, with existing ships required to install
them by 2016. There are several approaches, some still in development, and they include the use of ultraviolet light,
deoxygenation and filtration.
Since the start of the 2008 navigation season, Canadian and American regulations have stipulated that before entering
the St. Lawrence, ocean-going vessels with ballast on board must pump out that water and fill their tanks with salt
water at least 320 kilometres offshore and in seas 600 metres deep, the idea being that salt water will kill any freshwater
organisms. Ships with no ballast on board are required to flush their tanks with salt water to eliminate any organisms
that might be lurking in residual water and sediments.
But some of the eight American states bordering the Great Lakes have drafted or implemented what the industry
views as a patchwork of confusing and contradictory regulations, says Bruce Bowie, president of the Ottawa-based
Canadian Shipowners Association (CSA). Legislators in New York State, for instance, have approved a measure that
would require on-board ballast-treatment systems for all vessels entering its waters by 2012. Bowie points out that many
Canadian ships never sail beyond the Great Lakes or the lower St. Lawrence and therefore cannot carry foreign invasive
species in their ballast water. Yet they would be required to comply in order to transit the seaway’s two American locks.
But the New York regulations — which also call for ballast-treatment systems considerably stronger than the IMO
standard — may never come into effect. Several plaintiffs on both sides of the border, including port authorities,
shipping companies and the CSA, have launched a court challenge to have them overturned.
D.J.
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Nine hours after leaving Saint-Lambert, the Spruceglen is sailing across Lac Saint-François, a widening of
the St. Lawrence 65 kilometres west of Montréal. The sky is clear and full of stars, and to starboard, the light of a crescent moon
reflects off the water. Firstmate Georges LaRoche is piloting the vessel in near-complete darkness. The lights
on the deck five storeys below his post are off, except for three pale green beacons. The wheelhouse lights have also been
extinguished so that LaRoche can make out the red flashing navigational aids that mark the shipping channel.
| 'I’ve never worked so hard, but I’m surprised how much I like it. It’s like a big family when you’re on a ship, and the kitchen is
the soul of it. I may do this until I’m 70.’ |
The Spruceglen has a crew of 23 aboard, all under the command of Captain Dillon, who relies on the first, second
and third mates to help him sail the vessel. Chief Engineer Pelletier and his assistants — the first, second and third
engineers — are responsible for the operation and maintenance of the ship’s four-cylinder, 10,800-horsepower engine.
They also run the three on-board generators, each capable of pumping out 525 kilowatts of electricity to power the lights,
pumps, computers and other systems.
There are three other classes of employees on every vessel. Ordinary seamen perform routine maintenance, such as
assisting with the loading and unloading of cargo and tying up while in port. Mechanical assistants work under the
engineers and help maintain the engine and generators, while the cooks prepare meals and keep the galley clean and
orderly. About one-quarter of the Canadians who work in Great Lakes shipping are Newfoundlanders, and many say
they were born “with salt in their blood” but turned to inland sailing because that’s where the jobs were.
No Newfoundlanders are aboard the Spruceglen, but there are three women, including third mate Ghislaine St. Aubin,
who is in the darkened wheelhouse with LaRoche, plotting the ship’s course on a chart by the light of a small, hand-held
lamp. St. Aubin became a sailor more by accident than by design. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in geography,
then worked for several years as a whale-watching guide in Tadoussac, Que. She returned to school to study navigation
at the Institut maritime du Québec, in Rimouski, and landed a job with CSL almost immediately after graduating.
“My mom and dad were surprised but impressed,” says St. Aubin. “I like the work, but it’s kind of a love-hate
thing. When you’re on the water, you can’t wait to get home. When you get home and you see a ship out on the river, you
can’t wait to get back.”
A family connection brought Therese Asselin, the Spruceglen’s second cook, onto the water. She was a secretary
until three years ago, when her son, a second engineer with another Great Lakes shipping company, Algoma
Central Corporation, suggested she apply her culinary skills in a ship’s galley. “I’ve never worked so hard, but
I’m surprised how much I like it,” she says. “It’s like a big family when you’re on a ship, and the kitchen is the soul of
it. I may do this until I’m 70.”
Captain Dillon, who has worked on barges, tankers and container ships and has sailed around the world five times,
also followed family into the business. His grandfather was a sea captain. “He died of a heart attack in 1976 while he
was piloting a vessel,” says Dillon. “My grandmother was on board at the time.”
| Comments on this article | Leave a comment | After graduating from high school in New Brunswick, I had the opportunity to discover the wonderful Great Lakes regions as a deckhand. Even though the waters could be rough and cold at times, the spectacular scenery from Sept Isle, Quebec to the Great Lakes was wonderful. Everything was going well when I became seriously ill in Lake Michigan. The American Coast Guard was called in and I was airlifted to Grand Haven Michigan and subsequently transferred to Hackley Hospital in nearby Muskegon. Just got there in time as I was diagnosed with a ruptured appendix which required 21 days hospitalisation. I can remember some of the staff visiting me with their family. Still too sick to travel, after being discharged, I was offered a place to stay by one of the local staff. Amazing hospitality for an 18 year old Canadian so far away from home who did not know anyone in that community. This happened 36 years ago, and we have remained in contact for all these years. Your article on the Seaway brought back memories on this wonderful region and its people.
Excellent article but I offer one correction.There is one Newfoundlander aboard the CSL Spruceglen and that is Captain Mark Dillon.
A most interesting article with excellent images. Last week we purchased a print copy of your magazine. Your table of comparison, on the enclosed map "Using very little fuel ships carry tonnes of cargo". What is the range of transit times, in days (24 hour period) for a vessel to navigate from Montreal to Lake Ontario. How manny vessels passed the St. Lawrence Seaway - in both directions - in the 2008 shipping season? Without being a pessimist I believe that the 21st century will belong to the South-East Asian countries. The cargo shift from the North Atlantic to the Pacific is permanent. What are the concepts for assuring an economic future of the St. Lawrence Seaway?
Give another 10-15 years, with the melting of the Northcap, Port Churchill, MAN will become an integral part of the Transportation Axis Central Canada to the Caribbean Gulf region.
I like to wish the seaway authorities my heartfelt congratulations on the 50th anniversary of the seaway locks and shipping transport.
I sailed the Great lakes Between Holland and Chicago from 1963 till the end of 1969 when my company the
Orange Lijn ceased to excist on the Great Lakes, the company with all the names on her ships named after members of the Dutch Royal Family past and present. From 1966 till the end I was the pernament helmsman on board the Prins Philip Willem and I enjoyed going in and out the locks, being part of the bridge crew beside the Pilot and Captain. I remember several times when we arrived in Montreal when the pilot wanted "Thomas" on the bridge when he went through the locks, it felt good and steering the ship through the locks became a specialty for me. I felt the ship moving under my feet before the compass moved and very seldom had the pilot to give me any instructions changing course or any other course changes. I was there on the bridge had my food brought up etc. I was the most wonderful sailing experience for me and I hope to see the Great lakes one more time. One short story from me. While going down the Detroit river on out way home from Chicago the Pilot gave me an order the change course of ten degrees. You can do it slow, not to slow ofcourse or the way I did that time by turning the wheel hard over to port side and then after the ship was well on her way, very fast I turned the wheel all the way over to starboard side. By doing so the ship rocked back and forth like it was on the ocean and the pilot kept an eye on the compass and when the ship finally stop rocking the boat was perfectly on the given course the pilot gave me a wink and I could see that he enjoyed that very much and said so. The chief steward didn't like it as several pots and pans came off the stove in the galley and several officers spilled their soup into their laps, the time of that course change was 1300 Hours dinner time for the officers, will never forget that incident.
Hope to see this in your next magazine.
I live now in Edmonton but still enjoy the salty water.
Thank for putting this article in your magazine.
Sincerely.
Thomas de Jong former 1st class sailor Dutch Merchant Marine " ORANJE LIJN " 1663 - 1969
Thank you for this great article. I loved the interactive clip on the Internet on how the locks work. How sad that our roads take us away from waterways, so Canadians have lost touch with how vital they are and how much a part of our history. As I looked at the photos, I realized I could only identify one place the bridge at Montréal. So although I have traveled widely in Canada, I have never seen any of the locks in the system. The article has given me the thought to travel along the St Lawrence Seaway to see for myself the locks operating and the towns near it. Why is there no tourist travel on the Seaway?
We enjoyed the well presented and informative article and supplementary information on the website. Learning the history of an important Canadian commerical success helps us to more fully appreciate what we see as we make pleasure craft excursions on parts of the system and the Great Lakes.
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