IMMEDIATE RELEASE             December 16, 2002

Update: The Lake Ontario departed under the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge at 1:43 p.m. on Dec. 17

Duluth, Minn., U.S.A.—The Port of Duluth-Superior’s last ocean vessel of the season is expected to depart at approximately midnight (Dec. 16), while Great Lakes traffic should continue for another month.

The Marshall Islands-flag Lake Ontario is expected to complete loading about 10,000 metric tons of wheat and about 15,000 metric tons of soybeans destined for Antwerp, Belgium, at Duluth’s AGP Grain Limited at about 11:30 p.m. The vessel should pass under the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge shortly thereafter.

The Montreal-Lake Ontario and Welland Canal sections of the St. Lawrence Seaway are scheduled to close to traffic midnight Dec. 24, but vessels not clearing the locks prior to midnight Dec. 22 will be assessed a $20,000 per day operational surcharge.

Laker traffic in the Port is expected to continue into mid-January because of the midnight Jan. 15 fixed closing date for the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.

This is the second time the Lake Ontario has closed the Port’s St. Lawrence Seaway navigation season. She was also the last ship in 1997. The Port’s final Seaway transit last year was Dec. 17 with the departure of the Norwegian-flag Spar Garnet.

Another Fednav vessel holds the distinction of the Port’s latest Seaway departure since the System’s 1959 opening. The record was set by the Liberian-flag Federal Calumet on Dec. 22, 1984.

The 730-foot Lake Ontario was built in 1980 at N.V. Cockeril Yards-Hoboken, Belgium. She is owned by Bay Ocean Management, Inc., Majuro, Marshall Islands, and operated by Fednav International, Ltd., Montreal. Local agent for the vessel is Fedmar International, Duluth, and the stevedore is Ceres, Inc., Duluth.

AGP Grain and Fedmar International have the distinction of loading the last ocean ship for this and the past three seasons, with the Lake Ontario, Spar Garnet, Lake Champlain and Lady Hamilton.

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