A reception was held aboard the vessel on March 22^nd to celebrate the record delivery, attended by representatives from the shipping lines and major steel importers for Western Canada.

Ed Kargl, Vice-President Business Development for the Fraser River Port Authority, and Bill Wehnert, Vice President Sales and Marketing for Fraser Surrey Docks, each presented the vessel’s master, Captain Baijal Sharad, with plaques to commemorate the record-setting occasion, and a gift to the chartering agent, Mr. Chun-Bae Lee, Deputy Senior Manager for SK Shipping, of Seoul, Korea.

“Fraser Surrey Docks is a vital terminal in the Pacific gateway for breakbulk cargoes such as this steel delivery,” said Gino Crisanti, President and CEO of Fraser Surrey Docks. “Our facilities, location and skilled workforce enable us to operate a true general cargo terminal that is efficient at handling both breakbulk cargo and containerized goods.”

“This event is doubly auspicious,” said Kargl, “Because the arrival of M.V. SANKO REJOICE also marks the first ship with an 11.5 metre draft to call at Fraser River Port since the official completion on March 15, 2006 of the Port Authority’s channel deepening project.”

The 184.93-metre M.V. SANKO REJOICE arrived March 20 ^th and it will take just over a week to discharge all of the cargo. This vessel marks the first time that a fully loaded vessel carrying more than 30,000 tonnes of steel is making one port call for a complete discharge. The steel is a mixture of structural beams, plate, coil and pipe destined for various projects in BC and Alberta.

Fraser Surrey Docks is the general cargo and container terminal at Fraser River Port, and is a key logistics hub in the Greater Vancouver Gateway. Its ideal location near all major road networks and five different railways allows cargo to be easily processed and loaded aboard trains and trucks for shipment to various destinations.

Fraser River Port is Canada’s largest fresh-water port, and encompasses 270 kilometres of shoreline along the Fraser River from Langley to the Strait of Georgia. It contributes $2.3 billion to Canada’s Gross Domestic Product, generates over $236 million in revenues to all levels of government through taxes and fees, and provides over 12,400 direct jobs.