Saskatoon-The U-Sea Saskatchewan departed on its maiden voyage from Japan on Nov. 4 and arrived Nov. 19 in Vancouver. It is the first of nine vessels being built for Canpotex through a joint venture with U-Sea Bulk of Copenhagen, Denmark. The first vessel is named for the Province of Saskatchewan; the remaining eight will be named after the cities of Saskatoon and Regina and six of Canpotex members’ ten potash mine locations in Saskatchewan. “In order to keep our customers supplied with quality Saskatchewan potash on a consistent and timely basis, we require reliable and state-of-the-art handling and transportation systems,” said Scott Rudderham, Canpotex vice president, operations. A number of provincial and Canadian officials were on hand to welcome the vessel into the port. From Vancouver’s Canada Place, the vessel will sail to Canpotex’s Neptune Terminals facility in North Vancouver, where 58,000 mt of Saskatchewan potash will be loaded for a 21-day journey to Thailand and on to Indonesia. “Following delivery, this potash will be used to fertilize important crops such as rice and oil palm,” Rudderham said, noting that in addition to marketing and transporting Saskatchewan potash, Canpotex invests in market development programs that educate farmers about the benefits of balanced fertilizer applications. Canpotex has more than US$900 million in forward vessel commitments, including a total of 15 new vessels to be delivered between 2010 and 2014 through various joint ventures.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain