Forebody Update: A New Ship Comes Together

What started out as mere sketches on the drafting tables at CSL almost two years ago now sits in the building berth at Port Weller Dry Docks well on its way to becoming the biggest Canadian Lakes vessel ever built. Apart from the construction of the various sections of the new hull (forebody), which incorporated some of the latest in shipbuilding techniques, and the development of state-of-the-art unloading systems, the task of joining it to the engine room compartment and accommodation block (after end) of former J.W. McGiffin was nothing short of an engineering feat. The delicate procedure took place in mid and late March. The transition section -- the 24-ft. unit which accounts for the extra two ft. in deck height and three ft. in hull width on the new forebody -- is under construction in one of the main assembly buildings at the shipyard. The transition section will be welded to the after end and the forebody will be floated back to mate with it, forming the biggest Canadian-flagged vessel on the Great Lakes at 740 ft. in length, 78 ft. in width, and 48 ft. in depth.