What cuts through four feet of ice while carrying the equivalent of 91 truckloads of logs? Canfor’s ice-breaking log-carrying vessel – the MV Williston Transporter, which begins operating today.
Although the MV Williston Transporter has been part of Canfor’s assets since 2005, it was taken out of service in 2007 in response to poor market conditions.
With an increase made to allowable cuts and a need to supplement the trucking-in of logs, the vessel is now an important component to Canfor’s log-hauling operations. Following necessary repairs and upgrades, the vessel and crew are ready for the 24/7 operations, 10 months of the year.
The ice breaker is 360-foot long, 110-foot wide and can carry a 5,000 tonne payload. It will transport logs a distance of 65km across Mackenzie’s Williston Lake, which takes approximately 5.5-6 hours one way in the winter, and 4.5 hours in the summer.
Welcome aboard to the officers and crew of the MV Williston Transporter.