Shipyard Verreault, a related company of Ocean Group, has announced the return of Fednav, an international shipowner, to Les Méchins shipyard. Fednav's MV Umiak I, a bulk carrier specially built for Vale Base Metals, began its regulatory dry dock on April 12, 2024.
With the acquisition of the Verreault shipyard in October 2022, Ocean Group now owns three sites specialized in shipbuilding and ship repair. With the l'Isle-aux-Coudres shipyard on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, the Verreault shipyard to the south, and workshops and dock space available in Quebec City, Ocean Group offers a significant presence and strong expertise to shipowners using the St. Lawrence River.
"Fednav enjoys a strong and lasting partnership with Ocean Group, particularly in the field of port towage services. Our two companies are perfectly aligned in their commitment to quality and safety. Moreover, we are extremely proud of our decision to dry-dock the MV Umiak I in Quebec, a strategic choice that we made in alignment with Vale Base Metals, that not only underscores our dedication to excellence but also significantly supports the local economy. What's more, instead of sending the ship across the ocean for dry-docking in Europe, we're saving fuel and reducing our emissions," explained Isabelle Brassard, Fednav's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
A 31,992-ton ice-breaking bulk carrier, the MV Umiak I was constructed specifically for Vale Base Metals, a global mining company, to transport concentrate from its remote Voisey's Bay mine site in northern Labrador to their processing plant in Long Harbour, Newfoundland. The MV Umiak I, which is the Inuktitut name for a supply boat, takes eight trips a year through the Port of Quebec for offloading and onloading cargo operations.
“We are very pleased that the MV Umiak I will be dry-docked in Canada for routine maintenance, not only in terms of supporting local industry and jobs, but this move is consistent with Vale Base Metals’ larger objectives to implement innovative ways to reduce emissions across our operations,” said Roberto Damasceno, Director of Newfoundland and Labrador Operations, Vale Base Metals.
The Verreault shipyard is equipped with a dry dock measuring 244 meters long by 56 meters wide and employs about hundred experienced workers, making it ideally suited to receive vessels like the MV Umiak I.
“The Canadian flagship Fednav is one of the first to review its strategy of returning to Canadian shipyards, and we hope that other shipowners will take similar initiatives to benefit our environment and create local economic spin-offs," said Daniel Arsenault, Executive Vice President of Ship Operations, Construction and Repair of Ocean Group.
