In September last year, as part of a departure from the Port of Hamilton, Hamilton/Oakville-based manufacturer Hooper Engineered Vessels International (HEVI) loaded four process towers, measuring between 155ft and 250ft in length and weighing between 320,000lbs and 400,000lbs each, aboard a heavy-lift ship destined for a Mississippi power plant currently under construction.
HEVI’s highly specialized engineered vessels will be used in the Kemper County integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant, which is due for completion in 2014.
The four enormous process towers were loaded September 25th and 26th aboard the heavy-lift ship Stellaprima for delivery via the Port of Mobile,Alabama.
HEVI’s location on Pier 26 at the Port of Hamilton gives the company a competitive advantage, with access to over 500 feet of immediate deep water dock for barge and ocean shipments. From Hamilton’s strategically-located Great Lakes port, HEVI cargo has access to the Mississippi River, Atlantic Ocean, and global destinations.
This shipment was followed by a delivery of eight large HEVI- produced reactors for the same power plant project later in the year.
“Access to the Port of Hamilton via the HEVI facility is integral to our continued success in delivering the difficult projects. This shipment celebrates the tremendous efforts of the many people and many hours of hard work, to support an important client’s power generation project,” said Chris Hooper, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Hooper Welding. “Hooper/HEVI has manufactured complicated, heavy, high- pressure/temperature ASME pressure equipment for the process industry for over 60 years. The company is made up of the finest manufacturing personnel and expertise in the industry and delivers the most challenging projects and equipment for our clients in Canada, United States and International markets. The continued quality and service delivered, defines our reputation in the marketplace as a global leader of ASME pressure equipment.”
PROJECT CARGO AT THE PORT OF HAMILTON The Port of Hamilton offers an ideal location for large manufacturing shipments. Hamilton is the largest Canadian port on the Great Lakes, with access to 100 million North American consumers, and extensive multimodal transportation connections. More than $2 billion worth of cargo of all types passes through the port each year.
The HEVI shipment is among several big cargoes that arrived or departed from the Port of Hamilton in autumn last year. On the import side, the heavy lift ship Stellaprima arrived in port in mid-September carrying 175mt rotors from Rotterdam destined for the Bruce Nuclear plant in Goderich, Ontario. The port also later handled a delivery of 200 rail cars from a Hamilton-based manufacturer to a customer in Saudi Arabia, as well as a large shipment of windmill components.
“Project cargo is an important part of the Hamilton Port Authority’s growth and diversification strategy,” said Ian Hamilton, HPA Vice President, Business Development & Real Estate, noting that project cargo quadrupled from 2008 to 2011, and is on-track to grow further. “We have the experience, the facilities, and the location, so we are expecting even more traffic in the coming years as domestic and foreign manufacturers take notice.”
“The presence and capabilities of the Hamilton Port Authority are immense assets to this community. Few cities in Ontario can boast of the multi-modal transportation infrastructure that is present in this city,” said Neil Everson, Director of the Economic Development Division at the City of Hamilton. It is partners like the Hamilton Port Authority that are the reason why Hamilton is ranked as the number one location for business investment by Site Selection magazine. “
The Port of Hamilton is the largest Canadian port on the Great Lakes in terms of both size and cargo handled. The Hamilton Port Authority’s strategic vision is to be the Great Lakes port of choice.