Thunder Bay {3}
2013-Present
Specs
Build Information
Year Built: 2013
Builder: Chengxi Shipyard, Jiangyin, Jiangsu, China
Hull #CX9302
Registry: CAN. 836913
IMO #9601039
Laid Down: —
Launch Date: —
Commissioned: July 30, 2013
Construction
The Thunder Bay was constructed as a self-unloading bulk carrier for Canada Steamship Lines. She is built to the maximum allowable dimensions for the Seaway.
The Thunder Bay {3} was the second of CSL’s Trillium Class ships to be constructed, being one of four self-unloading sisters. The Trillium class ships featured highly automated systems and greater fuel efficiency and capacity than their other CSL fleetmates. Her sisters were the Baie St. Paul {2}, Whitefish Bay {2}, and Baie Comeau {2}, and the gearless Trillium vessels CSL Welland and CSL St-Laurent.
Her self-unloading equipment consists of a dual hold belt leading to an aft loop-belt system to a 260′ deck-mounted boom.
Modifications
- Upgraded to Nova Scotia Class Certification, Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, 2020.
General Stats
Length Overall: 739’10”
Length Between Perpendiculars: 730’04”
Breadth: 77’11”
Depth: 48’05”
Loaded Draft: 29’06”
Capacity: 37,690 Tons
Vessel Type: Loop-Belt Self-Unloader
Self-Unloading Boom Length: Aft-Mounted; 259’02”
Number of Cargo Holds: 5 [Hatch-Hold Arrangement: 5-5-5-5-5]
Number of Hatches: 25 [Dimensions: 57’04”x11’07”]
Primary Operations: Ore, Coal, Stone, Grain, Salt Trades
Propellers: 1 Controllable Pitch Propeller
Rudders: 1
Engineering Equipment
Original
Engine
Engine Type: Diesel Engine
Engine Manufacturer: M.A.N B&W, Kien, Germany
Engine Model: 6S50ME-B9; 6-Cylinder, slow speed
Number of Engines: 1
Rated HP: 11,729 BHP
History
Lineage
Thunder Bay – 2013-Present
Owner: Canada Steamship Lines, Montreal, QC
Operator: Canada Steamship Lines
Flag: Canada
Home Port: Montreal, QC
Her Story
The Thunder Bay was constructed in 2013 as the second member of the Trillium Class ship for Canada Steamship Lines. The Thunder Bay was the second of 6 Trillium class ships constructed and the second of four self-unloading Trillium class ships. She was christened Thunder Bay on June 11, 2012, being completed on May 25, 2013, and departing China for Canada on May 29, 2013. She arrived at Montreal on August 25, 2013 where final preparations upon her entering of service were completed. She sailed up the St. Lawrence Seaway on July 30, 2013, to unload her cargo of ballast stone at Windsor, Ontario.
The Thunder Bay was upgraded to Nova Scotia class certification in February of 2020 while receiving a routine drydocking and inspection. Additional hull strengthening was fitted while in drydock.
The Thunder Bay continues to be an active member of the Canada Steamship Lines fleet, hauling ore, coal, stone, grain, and salt across ports on the Great Lakes and Canadian east coast.
Compiled By Brendan Falkowski
Updated on June 10, 2020
Gallery
Thunder Bay on the St. Marys River, August 27, 2013. Photo by Roger LeLievre 
Thunder Bay at Port Huron, Michigan, August 31, 2013. Photo by Isaac Pennock 
Thunder Bay on the St. Marys River, August 4, 2014. Photo by Roger LeLievre Thunder Bay on the Welland Canal, September 11, 2014. Photo by Roger LeLievre
Sources
“Thunder Bay”. Canada Steamship Lines. N.d. Accessed 10 June 2020. <https://www.cslships.com/sites/default/files/thunder_bay_-_new_version_2017.07.pdf>
“CSL’s Trillium Class Laker”. Canada Steamship Lines. N.d. Accessed 10 June 2020. <https://www.cslships.com/sites/default/files/csl_trillium_laker_brochure_en_-_spread.pdf>
Greenwood’s Guide to Great Lakes Shipping 2016, Harbor House Publishers, 2016. Pp. 4.16.
Wilush, Ted. “Thunder Bay (3)”. Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping Online. N.d. Accessed 10 June 2020. <http://boatnerd.com/pictures/fleet/thunderbay.htm>
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