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An All Time Record in North American Maritime History

Chargement_CSB_Years_1Sept-Îles, December 17, 2013 – The Port of Sept-Îles is proud to have hosted the largest amount of bulk cargo ever loaded onto a ship in North American maritime history. At 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, December 15, an enormous iron ore cargo of 302,264 metric tons from the Bloom Lake mine, owned by Cliffs Natural Resources, left aboard the CSB Years to make its first delivery. The iron ore was transshipped in the bay of Sept-Îles with the assistance of the CSL Spirit self-unloader vessel.

The CSB Years is the first ocean-going giant of the Chinamax generation to come to North America and more specifically, to the deep sea Port of Sept-Îles. It will take nearly 57 days to reach its destination in China and deliver its cargo to Cliffs’ partner, Wuhan Iron and Steel Company (WISCO).

This historic record shatters the old record set in the Port of Sept-Îles 20 years ago on October 16, 1993, when 255,653 metric tons of iron ore were loaded aboard the Athesis Ore.

This cargo is worth over $40 million and contains enough iron ore to produce the equivalent of 6 Champlain bridges (Montreal, Quebec) or 200,000 cars, which would stretch 1,200 kilometers if they were placed end to end, i.e., the distance between Toronto and Sept-Îles.

“This new milestone puts the Port of Sept-Îles at a turning point in its history. Chinamax bulk carriers are the way of the future for large iron ore producers because of their operational efficiency and load capacity, which together, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the number and frequency of ships that anchor in the bay,” said Pierre D. Gagnon, president and chief executive officer of the Port of Sept-Îles.

ABOUT THE CSB YEARS

The recently built CSB Years is a “Chinamax” type bulk vessel, with a load capacity of 330,000 metric tons. Its length (330 meters) is equivalent to the height of the Eiffel Tower and its width (57 meters) is similar to that of a football field. Flying the flag of China, the CSB Years was registered in Hong Kong in January 2012 by Nianhua Shipping S.A.

ABOUT THE PORT OF SEPT-ÎLES

Boasting a variety of state-of-the-art facilities, the Port of Sept-Îles is the leading iron ore port in North America, with an annual volume of nearly 30 million tons. Sept-Îles’ port facilities play a vital and strategic role in the operation of many businesses from the region’s primary sector. The Port’s annual economic impact is estimated at nearly $1 billion, with some 4,000 direct and indirect jobs. Through its activity, the Port of Sept-Îles therefore remains a significant source of wealth creation in Quebec and the rest of Canada.

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