M.V. Nukumi – self unloading bulk carrier
Commissioned in May 2022 the self unloading bulk carrier Nukumi is purpose built to serve the Magdalene Islands Salt Mine and parts of Eastern Canada. Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) is a specialist in the operation of self unloading bulk carriers and Nukumi is no exception. She is equipped with a single-point loading system, which allows the vessel to take on cargo through a single hopper situated amidships. A conveyor belt on rails at the top of the cargo hold shifts to evenly distribute cargo and the 80m long unloading boom is equipped with a traversing belt to accommodate different discharge points without having to shift the vessel or the boom during discharge operations.
Built by Chengxi Shipyard, Jiangyin, Jiangsu, PRC
Owned and operated by Canada Steamship Lines (CSL)
Chartered by K+S Windsor Salt
LOA 225.2m
Beam 23.8m
DWT 25,800 MT
Propulsion: Diesel-electric, MaK, Kiel, Germany
Main Engine power 12,793 HP
Propellors: 2
Rudders: 2
The construction of the vessel stems from an agreement between Canada Steamship Lines and K+S Windsor Salt to service the Mines Seleine salt mine on the Magdalene Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. She was officially delivered to her owners in January 2022 and loaded her first cargo in May 2022.
In recognition of her innovative design as the first diesel-electric laker and the first single-point loader to operate in Canada, Nukumi was named Bulk Ship of the Year 2022 by the International Bulk Journal (IBJ).
The Seleine Mine, located on the Magdalen Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence is the only salt mine in Quebec, thereby supplying all the road salt for the province in addition to Newfoundland, parts of the eastern seaboard of the U.S. and France. The mine was opened in 1982 with a government investment of $125 million and sold in 1988 for $35 million to Canada’s Windsor Salt Company. The company was subsequently purchased by K+S Americas, becoming part of the Morton Salt monopoly. The mine produces 1.3 million tonnes of rock salt per year.
The Magdalen Islands are composed of seven inhabited islands, six of which are linked by a main road. The seventh island is no longer inhabited and is only accessible by boat.
The Islands are part of the Province of Quebec although they are closer to the provinces and Newfoundland and Labrador. They are situated 700 km away from Quebec’s mainland and approximately 150 km from Prince Edward Island.
Feature Image Courtesy: New CSL/Windsor Ship M/V NUKUMI Departs China! (captainspicers.com)