Op-Ed: Implications of a New Atlantic Coast Deep-Sea Intermodal Port

Written by Harry Valentine

While the Panama Canal is presently being enlarged to transit a new generation of super ships, construction is underway by the Melford Group to build a deep-sea port in the narrow and deep Strait of Canso in Eastern Canada. The strait separates Cape Breton Island and Nova Scotia and provides a “short cut” for ships that sail between US east coast ports and ports located along the St Lawrence River and around the Great Lakes. Skeptics have questioned the viability of the Melford terminal, pointing out that the deep-sea port at Halifax is under-utilized.

However, future developments along the St Lawrence Seaway upstream of Montreal may greatly influence the future viability of the Melford Terminal in the Strait of Canso. The new generation container super ships are too large to sail along the St Lawrence Seaway, in fact, they’re too large to sail the St Lawrence River at full load to and from the Port of Montreal. A tidal bore propagates up the St Lawrence River, preventing the larger ships from sailing to and from the Port of Quebec at low tide.

Maritime vs. Railways:

The ships have to undergo a partial unload at either the Melford terminal or at the Port of Halifax, in order to sail at part-load to the Port of Montreal. While it may be possible to transfer containers to the railways to transport to Montreal and points west of Montreal, the cost of shipping containers on the railways greatly exceeds the cost per container of maritime transportation. In 2005, a study was undertaken on moving containers from an Asian port to the inland Port of Memphis on the Mississippi River.

The maritime mode via the Panama Canal interlined with river barge-trains between the Port of New Orleans and Memphis, saved some US$1000 per container in transportation costs as compared to transferring the containers to the railways at the Port of Long Beach. Given that distance by rail between Boston and Montreal is less than 1/3rd the distance between Halifax and Montreal, the cost savings could encourage shippers to partially unload containers from super ships at the Port of Boston during the winter months, then use the railways to carry the containers to Montreal or points west of Montreal.

Maritime-Maritime Transfer:

Based on the 2005 study re Memphis, there would be economic benefit to transfer containers to smaller ships at the Melford terminal, then sail the ships north from the Strait of Canso and directly into the Gulf of St Lawrence and into the St Lawrence River. Compared to the surging oceanic waves on the Atlantic Ocean off the US and Canadian East Coast, the wave action is comparatively calmer on the Gulf of St Lawrence. The calmer waters across the Gulf of St Lawrence provide greater flexibility in the range of commercial watercraft that may sail between the Melford Terminal and ports along the St Lawrence River, possibly without need to carry ballast water.

There may be economic benefit to extending the length of navigation locks along the St Lawrence Seaway upstream of Montreal, into Lake Ontario. Extended locks would allow tug-pushed, lengthwise-coupled pairs of Seaway-max barges access to such major ports as Ogdensburg NY, Oswego NY, Prescott ON, Hamilton ON, Toronto ON and Oshawa ON. A coupled train of 2 x Seaway-max barges could greatly increase the productivity of moving containers between the Melford Terminal and ports along the St Lawrence River and Seaway.

Shallow-Draft Barge Trains:

Under the present regime, Seaway-max ships sail across the ocean and up the St Lawrence River and along the St Lawrence Seaway to ports located upstream of Montreal. A super ship that can carry more than 4-times the load will require to transfer its load at an east coast port, such as the Melford Terminal. Whereas shallow-draft barges with unrestricted hulls may have difficulty sailing the energetic waters off the Atlantic near Halifax, such vessels may be quite capable of sailing to and from the Strait of Canso and across the Gulf of St Lawrence, including without ballast water.

These barges may be built with sides and a forward bulkhead that rise to well above deck level, plus stern doors to prevent waves from swamping the bottom level of containers. Bilge pumps that source electrical power from a push-tug or towboat would further assure that the contents of the containers remain dry. Extended-length coupled barge trains could sail across the Strait of Canso along the St Lawrence River and Seaway, briefly stopping to uncouple or couple on barges at strategic points along the voyage that are presently without access to viable maritime transportation services.

Extended-length navigation locks located upstream or Montreal would allow barge trains access to the mouth of Oswego River with access to Syracuse NY and also to the mouth of the Genesee River at Rochester NY and the Erie Canal. Barges carrying containers and possibly bulk cargo may also serve ports at Belleville ON, Kingston ON and just east of Cornwall ON. Barges could also access several rivers that flow into the St Lawrence system between the Gulf of St Lawrence and around Lake Ontario. The option of operating barge trains across the Gulf of St Lawrence greatly enhances the attractiveness of constructing a deep-sea port along the Strait of Canso.

Ballast Water:

It may be possible to design barge trains that may sail across the Gulf of St Lawrence and along the St Lawrence River and Seaway, without need to carry ballast water. Future ballast water standards may be enforced along the Upper St Lawrence River upstream of Massena NY. The fluoride content of the river water at Massena and at the power dams near Montreal is more than double the content level being suggested by environmental groups. The Melford terminal at the Strait of Canso would allow super ships that carry cargo at competitive costs to interline with inland watercraft that may be able to sail inland waterways without need to carry ballast water.

Seaway Winter Operations:

During the early years of the Seaway, ships sailed between Montreal and Lake Ontario during winter and consumed excess diesel fuel as they pushed through the ice cover. Modern technology could greatly reduce the energy consumption associated with winter sailing upstream of Montreal. The combined energy cost and operating cost per container, of per ton of an extended-length river train would be lower compared to a single Seaway-max ship.

Tugs that pull extended-length river trains may include a detachable icebreaker bow section designed to cut through the through the winter ice. It may be within the capability of modern computer-assisted navigation technology to allow a single crew to operate the combination of a push-tug coupled at the stern and a towboat-tug at the lead of a barge train. The ability to transfer containers at a port at the Strait of Canso would create an opportunity to sail coupled barge trains along the St Lawrence System, possibly all-year at some time in the future.

Conclusions:

While skeptics may doubt the future viability and competitiveness of the Melford Terminal in the Strait of Canso, a combination of factors promise to enhance its future competitiveness and offer an advantage over the Port of Halifax. Extended-length navigation locks along the St Lawrence Seaway upstream of Montreal would transit extended-length barge trains that may sail the Seaway and across the Gulf of St Lawrence to and from the Melford Terminal. While it may be possible to sail a coupled train of full-sized barges built to seaway-max dimensions across the rougher seas to/from the Port of Halifax, it may be more practical to restrict shallow-draft barge trains to the calmer waters of the Gulf of St Lawrence, the St Lawrence River and Strait of Canso.

Harry Valentine can be reached at [email protected].