On Saturday, McKeil Marine’s Ontario Venture left Picton, Ont with a load of wheat and soybeans, bound for the Parrish and Heimbecker (P&H) grain terminal in Quebec City. It was the first shipment from the new P&H grain terminal in Picton and the first cargo carried on the Great Lakes by McKeil’s recently-acquired vessel. Construction of the new grain terminal was announced in August 2024.
The Picton grain terminal was built by Parrish and Heimbecker, in partnership with Picton Terminals (part of the Doornekamp group of companies). Picton Terminals is situated on the site of the former Bethlehem Steel ore storage and loading terminal that shipped iron ore from the Marmora mine from 1955 to 1978.
The load of grain is the first cargo loaded on the Great Lakes for McKeil Marine’s Ontario Venture. The vessel was built as the tanker Patrona in 2004 at the Qiuxin Shipyard in Shanghai. It also sailed under the names Maersk Nordenham and Patrona 1. It was recently converted to a bulk carrier, replacing the fore body of the vessel but retaining the stern. The conversion shipyard has not been confirmed but was possibly the COSCO Shipping Shipyard in Nantong (China). The vessel arrived in Sydney, Nova Scotia on March 27th, after a 78 day long delivery trip. The vessel did carry a cargo of coke breeze on its delivery trip, discharging the cargo at Port Cartier before heading to the Lakes.
[recent Parrish and Heimbecker Facebook post, and other internet sources]
 Ontario Venture loads at new P&H terminal, Picton, Ont. April 2026 [James Rapinda, Parrish and Heimbecker photo] |
 Ontario Venture takes first load of grain from the new P&H grain terminal in Picton, April 2026. [Jason Sparks, Picton Gazette] |
