The Port of Montreal awarded its annual gold-headed cane Thursday morning to the captain of the first ship to enter the port in the new year.
“I've been so much surprise and never expected it,” said Captain Volodymyr Yurchenko, whose bulk carrier, the Virginiaborg, left Norway on Dec. 20.
The Ukrainian captain and the crew arrived in the port's limits at 3:50 a.m. on Jan. 2, to be the first vessel of 2019.
Despite his 36 years at sea, the captain admitted he’s come close, but never entered Montreal's port until this week, when he delivered a cargo of fortified steel.
“All the time, we are passing by the Great Lakes, but this is an unexpected visit for me and an unexpected event for me. It's double surprised,” he said.
The Virginaborg's cargo is the first after another record-breaking year for the port – its fifth in a row.
Last year it handled 1.6 million containers, a 9-per-cent increase over 2017.
Port of Montreal President Sylvie Vachon says Canada's newly signed trade deal with Europe and a strong economy are partly responsible.
“We see a big increase also from emerging markets. So now we have many maritime companies that are connected directly with Asia, so that helped us in our growth,” she said, admitting that there have also been challenges, most notably in getting material out of the port on trucks that have had to navigate Montreal's myriad of infrastructure projects.
“It's a challenge, as you know, Montreal. It will be much better in a few years, but for the moment with all the construction and all the projects around us, sometimes it’s difficult for truckers,” she said.
The port's longshoreman's union also recently voted overwhelmingly to strike, but they cannot walk off the job until essential services are guaranteed.
“I hope and believe that they will reach an agreement in 2019,” said Vachon.
The union is negotiating a new contract, which expired in December, with the Maritime Employers Association, a group that includes ship owners, operators, agents and longshoring companies.
