Port of Toledo receives 1st ocean freighter of 2011
4/19/2011The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority Monday morning formally welcomed the first oceangoing freighter of the 2011 shipping season to the Port of Toledo.
The M.V. Daniella, registered in the Netherlands, arrived Friday from Thailand carrying a “project cargo” of machinery for the BP/Husky refinery in Oregon.
Officials from the port authority and Midwest Terminals of Toledo presented ship’s captain Richard Hut and his crew with welcoming gifts during a ceremony on board the ship Monday morning before it departed.
Cargo tonnage across the Toledo docks increased by 8.2 percent last year, to 10.86 million tons, buoyed primarily by increases in coal and iron ore traffic. Twenty-two oceangoing vessels called in Toledo during 2010, up from nine the year before.
The annual “first ship” ceremony is traditionally held to honor the first ocean vessel of the shipping season in recognition of Toledo’s position on the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway navigation system.
Most of the ships that visit Toledo are Great Lakes vessels carrying bulk products such as coal, iron ore, grain, salt, and cement.