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Downbound the Welland Canal Oct. 6, 2005.	Paul Beesley

Great Lakes Fleet Page Vessel Feature -- Maritime Trader

By George Wharton

This smaller size straight deck bulk carrier was built as hull #187 by Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., Collingwood, ON. The vessel was launched as the Mantadoc (2) on November 23, 1966 for the N.M. Paterson & Sons Ltd. fleet of Thunder Bay, ON. This vessel’s construction was ordered as a result of a need to replace Paterson’s old, small bulk carriers and to augment the fleet’s capacity. The Mantadoc was named after the Province of Manitoba (“Manta”) which is the provincial location of Paterson’s corporate head office in Winnipeg, MB. In keeping with Paterson’s fleet suffix policy of ending most of their vessel names with “doc” meaning “Dominion of Canada”; the Mantadoc thusly derived its name. N.M. Paterson & Sons Ltd. (now Paterson GlobalFoods Inc.) was a major grain elevator operator in Canada with many of its operations in Manitoba. Through its Marine Division, N.M. Paterson & Sons had been operating vessels on the Great Lakes since 1915 when its first small vessel, the 1874 built D.R. Van Allen was purchased.

The vessel is powered by 4 Fairbanks Morse model 8-38D8-1/8 8 cylinder diesel engines rated at a total of 5,332 b.h.p. (3,920 kW).  Burning marine diesel oil, the power is fed through a gear reduction box to a single controllable pitch KaMeWa propeller giving the vessel a maximum service speed of 16.1 m.p.h. The vessel’s 18 hatches service 6 holds where she is capable of carrying 19,093 tons (19,400 mt) of iron ore at a mid summer draft of 26’ ½” (7.94m) and displaces 4,527 tons (4,600 mt) lightweight. The bulker has the cubic capacity to carry 18,100 net tons* of coal, 16,928 tons (17,200 mt) of wheat, 15,224 tons (15,439 mt) of corn or rye, 13,359 tons (13,574 mt) of barley or 12,279 tons (12,476 mt) of oats.  Other capacities include 320.6 tons (326 mt) of diesel oil of which she used approximately 9.85 tons (10 mt) each day; 6,567.5 tons (6,673 mt) of ballast water, and 60 tons (61 mt) of potable water. The vessel is equipped with 3 Caterpillar diesel generators rated at a total of 780 h.p. (575 kW) and a 600 h.p. (441 kW) KaMeWa bow thruster.

The Mantadoc entered service in 1967 on her maiden voyage with a load of grain for a St. Lawrence River port passing through the Welland Canal on April 15, 1967. On November 10, 1968; the Mantadoc was in collision with the French vessel Francois L.D. in the St. Lawrence Seaway between the Beauharnois Lock and Lake St. Francis. She received extensive port bow damage requiring her to proceed to Davie Shipbuilding, Lauzon, PQ for immediate repair. With this exception, the Mantadoc’s career on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway has been relatively uneventful.

Even though she was limited by today’s standards by her size, the Mantadoc continued to fit out each navigation season since her launch. Her smaller size has allowed her access to smaller ports that would by difficult, if not impossible, for her larger fleet mates to service. Over her career, the vessel has carried millions of tons of grain and iron ore. Other cargoes have included bauxite, coke, pig iron, and raw sugar. There were no set trade routes for the Mantadoc and the vessel was often seen transiting the Welland Canal. On December 7, 2001; the Mantadoc departed Thunder Bay, ON with her final load of the 2001 season and what would prove to be her final load under the Paterson banner. The load consisted of 15,766 tons (16,019 mt) of wheat destine for Montreal. She arrived at her destination port December 12, 2001 after passing through the Welland Canal on December 10.

On March 21, 2002; N.M. Paterson & Sons sold its 3 remaining operating vessels to Canada Steamship Lines, Montreal, QC thus closing its Marine Division. The Mantadoc was renamed Teakglen following CSL’s policy of naming the suffix of their bulk fleet in tribute to Tree Line Navigation Co. Ltd., purchased by CSL in 1937 (“Teak”); and the prefix “glen” in tribute to Great Lakes Shipping Company, purchased by CSL in 1926; whose vessel names included Gleneagles and Glenelg.  Also sold were her fleet mates Paterson (2) and Cartierdoc (2) being renamed Pineglen (2) and Cedarglen (2) respectively.

Remaining laid up in Montreal through most of the 2002 navigation season; the Teakglen was chartered from CSL in the early fall of 2002 by Goderich Elevators Ltd., Goderich, ON for use as a storage barge with the Willowglen which last operated December 21, 1992. The Teakglen departed Montreal on September 29, 2002 to load wheat in Quebec City for Goderich. She made a one way trip up the Seaway arriving in Goderich on October 5th. After arriving in Goderich, the Teakglen laid up beside the Willowglen to begin her new roll in the grain storage service business.

By January, 2004, the Teakglen's registered owners were Goderich Elevators Ltd., Goderich, ON.  By the fall of 2004, both the Teakglen and fleet mate Willowglen were listed as "for sale" as scrap or barge conversion candidates.  As of July of 2005, the Teakglen was listed with an asking price of $183 (US) per tonne based on 4,600 light displacement tonnage (LDT) or $841,800 as is, where is, safely afloat. 

On July 29, 2005, under the new ownership of Wayne Elliot, Wainfleet, ON (also owner of International Marine Salvage, Port Colborne, ON), the Teakglen was towed from Goderich to Sarnia by the tug Evans McKeil.  Shortly after, on September 7, the Teakglen departed Sarnia towed by Purvis Marine tug Avenger IV bound for Thunder Bay, ON.  At Thunder Bay, the Teakglen was dry docked for her 5-year survey and bright new hull paint.  On September 30, the bulker was rechristened Maritime Trader for her owner Voyageur Maritime Trading, Inc., Ridgeville, ON, being operated and managed by Voyageur Marine Transport Ltd., Ridgeville, ON operating under a charter to James Richardson & Sons Ltd., Winnipeg, MB (James Richardson International).  The Maritime Trader departed Thunder Bay on her maiden voyage October 2, 2005 bound for Sorel, QC with 13,869 tons (14,091 mt) of wheat, canola seed, and flax seed.  She began her first full season under her new banner departing Thunder Bay on March 24, 2006 with 13,236 tons (13,338.72 mt) of canola seeds for Windsor, ON.

* The shipping industry standard for shipments of coal is the net ton (2,000 lbs or 907.2 kgs).  Other bulk commodities use the gross ton (2,240 lbs / 1,016 kgs) or metric tonne (1,000 kgs / 2,204.6 lbs).  All tonnage figures used here are the gross ton unless otherwise noted.

 

Overall Dimensions (metric)
Length	607'10" (185.27m)
Beam	62'00" (18.90m)
Depth	36'00" (10.97m)
Displacement (lightweight)	4,527 tons (4,600 mt)
Capacity (mid-summer)	19,093 tons (19,400 mt)  at a draft of 26'00 1/2" (7.94m)
Power (diesel)	5,332 b.h.p. (3,920 kW)

Click here for Collingwood Shipyard Photos of the Building of the Mantadoc
Detroit River Oct. 5. N. Schultheiss	Docked. Roger LeLievre	Loading Thunder Bay. Rob Farrow
Stern view. N. Schultheiss	Goderich Feb. 2003 with the Frontenac in the background. Mike Nicholls	Detroit River. Mike Nicholls.
As the Mantadoc. Mike Nicholls	Docked. D. Jessup	Close up of stack. Kent Malo
Leaving Lock 7, Welland Canal, Thorold, ON in June 2001. G. Wharton	Approaching Lock 8 at Port Colborne. G. Wharton	Stern view. G. Wharton
Close of of the stack in new CSL colors. Kent Malo	Mantadoc Dec. 5, 2001. Westbound on Lake Superior, her last trip as Mantadoc. Chief Engineer Stan Ditcham	Laid up at Goderich as storage vessel Feb. 20, 2003. Mike Nicholls
Close up. N. Schultheiss	Stack. N. Schultheiss	In Montreal, May 2002 Kent Malo