Announced a few weeks ago, Oceanex is cutting of first steel of what will become the largest Canadian flag container/roll on roll off (Con/Ro) ship. This twenty knot, ice-class vessel, to be named the Oceanex Connaigra, is custom designed for world-wide trade and will be 210 meters in length with a deadweight carrying capacity of 19,500 metric tonnes.

 Oceanex Connaigra is being built by Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft mbH & Co. KG of Germany. The roro weather deck of the Oceanex Connaigra is designed for a conventional lift-on/lift-off container ship operation and is able to accommodate all relevant sizes of containers, including the Oceanex high cube 53’ units – with a weather-deck load capacity of 11,000 metric tonnes of containers. Liftable ramps provide access to all five roro decks which allow for the transportation of up to 95 tractor trailers and 500 automobiles. Notably, the ship is uniquely designed with a 40’ wide stern ramp to accommodate over dimensional loads that can weigh several hundred tonnes.

Fednav announced the signing of a long-term contract which provides for the transportation of nickel and copper concentrates from Canadian Royalties’ Nunavik Nickel Project in northern Quebec to customers in Europe as well as the import from Europe of mine supplies and equipment. 

As a result, Fednav will be placing of an order with Sumitomo Corporation and Universal Shipbuilding Corporation, Japan, for the design and construction of an ice-breaking bulk carrier with a design deadweight of 25,000 tonnes to service the transportation contract referred to above. The Polar Class 4 vessel will be built at Universal’s Tsu shipyard, and will be classed by Det Norske Veritas. The scheduled delivery date is December 2013. 

Fednav already owns and operates two of the world’s most powerful ice-breaking commercial vessels, the MV Arctic and the MV Umiak I. Based in Montreal, the Fednav Group is the leading Canadian operator in the deep-sea bulk market, operates year-round in ice-covered waters, and has the world’s largest fleet of ice-class vessels