Omisalj – Goviken – Algoma Guardian
1987-Present

Specs
Build Information
Year Built: 1987
Builder: 3 Maj Brodogradiliste d.d. Shipyard, Rijeka, Croatia
Hull #643
Registry: CAN. 730596
IMO #8505850
Laid Down: —
Launch Date: 1986
Commissioned: 1987
Construction
The Omisalj was constructed in 1987 by 3 Maj Brodogradiliste d.d. Shipyard of Rijeka, Croatia, as an ocean going bulk carrier. She was constructed to maximum Seaway dimensions and was fitted with 3 large deck cranes.
The Omisalj was one of three sister ships, the other two being the Petka [Sandviken, 2000; Algoma Spirit, 2008;] and the Malinska [Daviken, 1997; Algoma Discovery, 2008;]. These triplets still remain the largest saltwater vessels to visit the Great Lakes.
Modifications
- Deck cranes removed, December 2009.
General Stats
Length Overall: 729′
Length Between Perpendiculars: 710’04”
Breadth: 75’09”
Depth: 48’05”
Loaded Draft: 33’10”
Capacity: 34,380 Tons
Vessel Type: Gearless Bulk Carriers
Number of Cargo Holds: 7 [Hatch-Hold Arrangement: 1-1-1-1-1-1-1]
Number of Hatches: 7 [Dimensions: #1 – 48’x44′; #2, 4, 6 – 47’x44′; #3, 5, 7 – 63’x44′]
Primary Operations: Ore, Grain Trade
Propellers: 1 Controllable Pitch Propeller
Rudders: 1
Engineering Equipment
Original
Engine
Engine Type: Diesel Engine
Engine Manufacturer: Sulzer, Winterthur, Switzerland
Engine Model: 6RTA62
Number of Engines: 1
Rated HP: 15,490 BHP
History
Lineage
Omisalj – 1987-1989
Owner: Jugolinija [State-operated shipping line of Yugoslavia]
Operator: Jugolinija
Flag: Croatia
Home Port: Dubrovnik, HR
Omisalj – 1988-1989
Owner: Jugolinija [State-operated shipping line of Yugoslavia]
Operator: Misener Transportation, St. Catharines, ON [Charterer]
Flag: Croatia
Home Port: Dubrovnik, HR
Omisalj – 1989-1992
Owner: Jugolinija [State-operated shipping line of Yugoslavia]
Operator: Jugolinija
Flag: Croatia
Home Port: Dubrovnik, HR
Omisalj – 1992-1997
Owner: Croatia Line
Operator: Croatia Line
Flag: Croatia
Home Port: Dubrovnik, HR
Goviken – 1997-2008
Owner: Viken Shipping
Operator: Viken Shipping
Flag: Bahamas
Home Port: Nassau, BS
Algoma Guardian – 2008-2011
Owner: Algoma Central Corp., St. Catharines, ON
Operator: Algoma Central Corp.
Flag: Bahamas
Home Port: Nassau, BS
Algoma Guardian – 2011-Present
Owner: Algoma Central Corp., St. Catharines, ON
Operator: Algoma Central Corp.
Flag: Canada
Home Port: St. Catharines, ON
Her Story
The Omisalj was constructed in 1987 by 3 Maj Brodogradiliste d.d. Shipyard of Rijeka, Croatia, as an ocean going bulk carrier. She was constructed to maximum Seaway dimensions and was fitted with 3 large deck cranes. The Omisalj was constructed for Jugolinija, the state-operated shipping line of Yugoslavia. She entered service in 1987.
After the fall of the USSR in 1991, Jugolinija reorganized as a private firm, also changing their name to Croatia Lines in February of 1992. The fleet was repainted with royal blue hulls.
The Omisalj was the first saltie to transit the St. Lawrence Seaway system for the 1997 season on April 2. On October 7, 1997, Omisalj was sold to Viken Shipping, being renamed Goviken. She continued on ocean and Great Lakes trade routes.
The Goviken became the first saltie to load taconite at the BN No. 5 ore dock in Superior, Wisconsin, on July 11, 2006, loading ore for the Mittal Steel Mill in Algeria.
On June 20, 2008, Algoma Central Corporation purchased Goviken from Viken Shipping. Goviken was renamed Algoma Guardian. She remained dedicated on ocean trade routes until December 2009, when her large deck cranes were removed in Europe, and she was reflagged Canadian in July of 2010.
Algoma Guardian continues to be an active member of the Algoma Central fleet, serving the ore and grain trades.
Compiled By Brendan Falkowski
Updated on September 17, 2020
Gallery
Algoma Guardian on the St. Marys River, October 9, 2009. Photo by Roger LeLievre Algoma Guardian on the St. Marys River, November 6, 2010. Photo by Roger LeLievre Algoma Guardian on the St. Marys River, November 6, 2010. Photo by Roger LeLievre Algoma Guardian on the St. Marys River, September 5, 2013. Photo by Roger LeLievre Algoma Guardian on Lake St. Clair, June 30, 2016. Photo by Isaac Pennock Algoma Guardian on the St. Marys River, September 12, 2018. Photo by Roger LeLievre Algoma Discovery on the Welland Canal, May 25, 2019. Photo by Isaac Pennock Algoma Guardian on the St. Marys River, May 28, 2019. Photo by Roger LeLievre Algoma Guardian on the St. Marys River, June 27, 2020. Photo by Daniel Lindner Algoma Guardian, bow detail, on the St. Marys River, June 27, 2020. Photo by Daniel Lindner Algoma Guardian, stern detail, on the St. Marys River, June 27, 2020. Photo by Daniel Lindner Algoma Guardian on the St. Marys River, June 27, 2020. Photo by Daniel Lindner Algoma Discovery at Port Huron, Michigan, July 11, 2020. Photo by Isaac Pennock
Sources
Greenwood’s Guide to Great Lakes Shipping 2016, Harbor House Publishers, 2016. Pp. 3.1.
“Algoma Guardian”. Algoma Central Corporation. N.d. Accessed 17 September 2020. <https://www.algonet.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/GUARDIAN-201409.pdf>