Newest Equinox Class vessel is en route to Algoma in Canada

The Algoma Central Corporation has taken delivery of the first of two new Equinox Class self-unloading lake bulk carriers from the Yangzijiang Shipyard in China. The Algoma Niagara departed September 12 on its two-month voyage to Canada via the Panama Canal. It is expected to arrive in Canada and enter service in early November, making the ship available for the peak fall season on the Great Lakes. She will be joined by her sister ship, the Algoma Sault, in the first half of 2018.

The Algoma Niagara will be the fifth Equinox Class vessel to join the Algoma Great Lakes fleet. She will be joined by her sister ship, the Algoma Sault, in the first half of 2018. Four Equinox Class gearless bulkers are already in operation servicing the company’s grain and iron ore customers.

Algoma’s Equinox Class represents the next generation of Great Lakes–St. Lawrence waterway bulk cargo vessels. The ships have been designed to optimize fuel efficiency and operating performance, thus minimizing environmental impact. A 45% improvement in energy efficiency has been achieved compared to older vessels. The Algoma’s Equinox fleet is also the first class of Great Lakes vessels to include a fully integrated IMO-approved exhaust gas scrubber that has been certified to remove 97% of all sulphur oxides from shipboard emissions.