MONTREAL – The New Year gives rise to all kinds of traditions and in the Port of Montreal, the celebration of the Golden-Headed Cane has been perpetuated for over 180 years. In 2022, the Quebec Express ship earned the honor by pointing its bow in the waters of Sorel first.
© Provided by The Canadian Press
As is customary, it is the captain of the “first ocean-going vessel to cross, without any other stopover, the limit of the waters of the Port of Montreal”, who receives the famous golden-headed cane. This year, the Quebec Express arrived at Sorel at 12:21 a.m. on January 1.
Thus, it is Captain Felino D’Souza who will be decorated. According to information provided by the Montreal Port Authority (MPA), the container ship owned by shipowner Hapag-Lloyd left the port of Hamburg, Germany, on December 19.
Also according to information from the APM, the cargo allows the import and export of everyday products intended for businesses and individuals. The Quebec Express notably had on board products essential to the fight against the pandemic as indicated by certain priority designations.
In a press release, the President and CEO of the MPA, Martin Imbleau, offered his congratulations to Captain D’Souza and his crew. Due to the pandemic, the traditional in-person ceremony had to be canceled.
Captain Felino D’Souza has 27 years of experience at sea, 16 of which as a captain. He is said to have promised to hand over the gold-headed cane to his wife, Vylona Jessy, for whom January 1 is her birthday.
Interestingly, the Golden-Headed Cane was given to the ice until 1964 to mark the resumption of port activities. Since the arrival of the icebreakers, the tradition has been changed to mark the start of the new year.
Slight drop in volumes
In addition, the MPA took advantage of New Year’s Day to unveil the preliminary results for its year 2021. The year was notably marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also by the longshoreman’s strike.
Despite everything, the volume of goods passing through the Port of Montreal only suffered a slight drop of 3.5% to a total of 33.9 million tonnes.
In terms of container traffic, the MPA recorded an increase of 7.3% with a total of 1.7 million containers that passed through its facilities.
On the other hand, the liquid bulk sector suffered a drop of 5.4% to end the year with a total of 11.7 million tonnes. The decline is even more marked in the solid bulk sector with a loss of 7.3% for a total of 7.8 million tonnes.
The official verified results will be presented next May.
The Canadian Press