As the federal government’s decision to block a takeover bid for PotashCorp of Saskatchewan still reverberated last week, the offshore potash marketer Canpotex launched a new ship appropriately named U-Sea Saskatchewan.
The vessel, the first of nine new ships to be operated by Canpotex in co-operation with U-Sea Bulk of Copenhagen, Denmark, was launched in Japan Nov. 4.
Canpotex is the exclusive marketer of potash produced by the three companies operating in Saskatchewan: PotashCorp, Agrium and Mosaic Canada Crop Nutrition.
PotashCorp supplies 53.61 percent of its product to Canpotex, while Mosaic supplies 37.11 percent and Agrium 9.28 percent.
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The U-Sea Saskatchewan, built by Imabari Shipbuilding, will be able to carry 60,000 tonnes of potash. It left Japan last week for the Canpotex terminal in Vancouver. It is expected to arrive Nov. 19 and load Saskatchewan potash for its first voyage.
Steve Dechka, president and chief executive officer of Canpotex, said the other eight ships will also celebrate potash.
“The remaining eight vessels will be named after Saskatchewan’s two main cities and six of Canpotex members’ 10 Saskatchewan potash mine locations,” he said in a news release.
Government MLA Nancy Heppner, who was on hand for the launch, said that Japan is a major trading partner with the province and buyer of potash.
