Top hat ceremony marks the start of shipping at Thunder Bay for 2025

THUNDER BAY — The shipping season is officially underway at the Port of Thunder Bay. The Captain Henry Jackman was the first vessel to make port in 2025.

Captain Aaron Brunelle and Chief Engineer David Michalowicz received the traditional top hat in a ceremony Tuesday morning — a first for Brunelle.

“It’s a long-standing tradition on the lakes, and it’s nice to be a part of the Thunder Bay community and know that we’re appreciated for supporting the community and the Canadian economy,” said Brunelle.

The Captain Henry Jackman came up the St. Marys River from Sarnia and arrived in Thunder Bay yesterday. But due to ice in the harbour, Brunelle said they had to anchor while the ice breaker made a path. They crossed the breakwall at 12:12 p.m. Monday.

The ship’s crew was loading grain before leaving for Quebec later Tuesday evening.

Chris Heikkinen, chief executive officer of the Thunder Bay Port Authority, said the “symbolic” event represents “the resurgence of the economy in the harbour.”

“The port represents a lot of jobs for the community, but it also represents so much more. It’s a vital transportation route for Canada to get its products to international markets and to also bring in products from international markets,” said Heikkinen.

Heikkinen said the port had a shorter off-season than in previous years. The port closed in mid-January. Typically, the port opens on March 25, he said. This year, it opened four days earlier.

“It really is a quick turnaround, and actually, the (shipping) seasons have been getting longer in the last few years. Even this year, the date that we’re having this ceremony is a couple of days earlier than we would typically see.

“That’s all due to both the climate conditions but also the efficiency of the lock systems and getting the winter maintenance programs done,” said Heikkinen.

Last year, the port saw a 12 per cent growth overall, with the highest volume of cargo moved through the port since the 90s. Heikkinen said this year the port is projecting similar volumes of cargo.

“No slowdown in the grain movement and good potash volumes anticipated as well. On the inbound side, we’re looking at strong steel shipments at Keefer. So things a

View a video of the Top Hat ceremony here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBjeu4plDwI

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Exhibit “Steam and Steel: Propelling the Future of the
Great Lakes” Opens May 23 at Great Lakes Science Center

Cleveland, OH – Explore the history of Great Lakes shipping as Great Lakes Science Center celebrates the centennial of the Steamship William G. Mather with a special exhibit, Steam and Steel: Propelling the Future of the Great Lakes, from May 23 through September 1. Once the flagship of the Cleveland Cliffs, Inc., the Mather is now a museum allowing guests to explore the ship and see its huge cargo holds, brass and oak pilot house, elegant guest quarters, and four-story engine room.

Entering the Steam and Steel exhibit inside the museum, guests will first encounter a 14-by-10-foot replica of the front hull of the ship, providing the perfect place to snap a selfie before embarking on your journey into the history of the Mather and the world of Great Lakes shipping. Displays of artifacts from the Mather, and historic photos chronicling Cleveland’s shipping history, will showcase how Lake Erie and access to the other Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway, and the Atlantic Ocean helped shape the growth of Cleveland as a hub for commerce, industry and innovation.

Interactive exhibits will allow guests to experience what it was like to steer the mighty Mather, load and unload cargo, and raise and lower the drawbridges on a model canal lock. Other exhibits will allow guests to see how technological innovations in shipping, including the addition of radar, dual propeller bow thrusters, and the automated boiler system, contributed to the Mather’s long and successful run as a Great Lakes freighter and helped it become “the ship that built Cleveland.”

Great Lakes Science Center