Canadian company gets two new cargo ships

Groupe Desgagnés has christened, in Quebec, two new vessels built for its subsidiary Transport Desgagnés in Shanghai, China.

“With each a length of over 138m, a total carrying capacity of 20,000m3 in their holds and on their main deck, two cranes of 180 tonnes which may be twinned to lift 360 tonnes, with their ice class equivalent to Lloyd’s 1A and their engine of 5,400 kW (7,344 BHP), enabling them to achieve a speed of 15.5 knots, these two new vessels, from the Beluga F-360 series, mark the history of Desgagnés and the shipping industry; and thus, their names must measure up to the occasion”, declared Mr. Louis-Marie Beaulieu, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Groupe Desgagnés.

The new ships are sister ships to the Rosaire A. Desgagnés acquired in 2007, and were named Zélada Desgagnés and Sedna Desgagnés.

The company says that these recent acquisitions of $40 million each are respectively the fourth and fifth steps of an investment plan close to $300 million. In addition to the jobs created and the ensuing economic spin-offs, Mr. Beaulieu declared that he was “quite pleased that, despite the financial crisis and the very difficult economic situation, Groupe Desgagnés was able to realise these transactions that are in line with our expansion and fleet renewal plan, with $300 million in investments already engaged by the company. This fleet renewal plan will improve Sealift services to the Northern Communities and contribute to Desgagnés remaining the leader in Northern Sealift services, which we have been offering for more than 40 years.”

With its head office in Quebec, Desgagnés is a conglomerate that has, since the 19th Century, specialised in marine carriage and transportation of general cargo, solid and liquid bulk, and also passengers. With gross receipts of over $200 million and more than 875 employees in peak season, its activities also extend to marine vessel repairs and maintenance, as well as to rental and operation of heavy machinery. In addition to having two ships under construction, the company owns and operates a fleet of 18 vessels, with an overall deadweight of almost 190,000 mt; they cover the St. Lawrence River Network & the Great Lakes, the Canadian Eastern Arctic, the East coasts of Canada and the United States, as well as the seas worldwide.

Source: The Motor Ship