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Port of Montreal Awards 178th Gold-Headed Cane

[ January 25, 2017   //   ]

Montreal Port Authority (MPA) President and CEO Sylvie Vachon presented the Gold-Headed Cane to Shipping Agent Denis Blondeau of SMK Tanker Agency on January 4, who accepted it on behalf of South Korean national Captain Danel Ju, master of the Chem Sirius, the first ocean-going vessel to enter the Port of Montreal without a stopover in 2017.
The Chem Sirius left the Port of Antwerp, Belgium on December 19 and crossed the Port of Montreal’s limits at 3:16 a.m. on January 1.
Sylvie Vachon addressed the gathering, saying: “So soon after his arrival from Antwerp, Belgium, Captain Ju has already departed for Charleston, South Carolina aboard the Chem Sirius. But this time when he returns home in March, he will be bringing with him the honor of winning the Gold-Headed Cane, reflecting a longstanding port tradition specific to Montreal. By doing so, he joins an elite group of 177 other navigators who sailed, or are still sailing the world, marked by Montreal, port of destination and of tradition!”
Several representatives from the marine industry, the Montreal business community and the world of politics attended the ceremony of the 178th Gold-Headed Cane. Guests included the Member of Parliament for Montarville, Michel Picard, representing the Honorable Marc Garneau, minister of Transport of Canada, the Minister for Maritime Affairs for the government of Quebec, Jean D’Amour, and the mayor of the City of Montréal, Denis Coderre.
When it was implemented in 1840, the ceremony recognized the arrival of the first ocean-going vessel that made it through the ice in spring to reach the Port of Montreal. Today it reminds us that the Port of Montreal has been open year round since 1964.

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