Oil Tanker LALANDIA SWAN

The 455' Danish tanker LALANDIA SWAN was moving along pretty fast as I snapped her heading downbound at the Old Windmill Park near Prescott, Ontario last August. When she was launched in 1991 in Pula, Croatia, her name was TELSI. After a couple years of nurturing, she became a swan. First the EURO SWAN in 2001 and then the LALANDIA SWAN in 2011. With her belly or rather, her holds, filled to the max this refined oil from Nanticoke, Ontario, the SWAN glided along carefree past Seaway channel marker buoys and then like the beautiful water bird that's showcased on her bow and funnel, she delicately slipped through Iroquois Lock with pride and eloquence. Obviously she hadn't yet received the memo of her doomed fate.  

Memo, what memo? That would be the one that outlined that the LALANDIA SWAN was to be purchased by Rand Logistics of New York and then converted into a Great Lakes self unloading bulk carrier for Lower Lakes Towing of Port Dover, Ontario. YIKES!! c):-()
The bad news being that the aft section on the proud SWAN will be removed and attached to a new fore-body at the Chengxi Shipyards in Jiangyin, China. c):-(

The good news being that when all is said and done, the SWAN will live on for many more years, while motoring only fresh inland seas as the most modern 'River-class' self unloader in the Lower Lakes fleet. Along with the removal of her holds for slimy and grimy oil and chemicals, the new SWAN will grace the lakes in Lower Lakes traditional hull colours of white and light grey, much like an elegant swan. c):-) Though her name while must likely change again, a black hulled 'ugly duckling' she'll be no more. c);-b