Thunder Bay port welcomes 1st 'saltie' of 2017 shipping season

Port officials in Thunder Bay, Ont. are set to welcome the first saltieof the 2017 shipping season about two weeks after the first lake freighter arrived in the Lakehead.

• Thunder Bay port welcomes first vessel earlier than usual

At a Friday afternoon top hat ceremony, the captain and chief engineer of the Federal Schelde, a vessel flying under the flag of Barbados, are scheduled to be feted at the G3 Elevator.

The ship arrived in port Thursday morning, port officials said in a written release issued Friday. The Federal Schelde will be loading 21,000 metric tonnes of canola from western Canada bound for Rouen, France.

The top hat ceremony for the first laker was held March 24.