Montreal-based Canada Steamship Lines(CSL) is to invest in a 16,000dwt transhipment bulk carrier on the strength of a long-term deal with BCI Minerals of Australia.

Construction of the new vessel at an unnamed shipyard is to begin during the spring of 2026, with delivery scheduled for mid-2027. So as to undertake transhipment services in the interim, with effect from the second half of 2026, CSL will provide a self-unloader on timecharter to BCI. Overall, the strategic partnership between the Canadian group and the listed Australian company spans a 21-year period.

The nascent transhipper is expected to meet the logistic needs of Mardie’s planned annual production of 5.35m tonnes of high-purity salt and 140,000 tonnes of sulphate of potash. The ship will be of comparatively shallow draught, so as to maximise cargo lift within tidal and channel parameters, and the design will feature double-ended propulsion, using four azimuth drives and a diesel-electric plant, to meet both exacting manoeuvrability and efficiency criteria.