Oil & Chemical Tanker MARIA DESGAGNÉS

   I haven't often seen such calm waters when photographing boats along the St. Lawrence Seaway like when I snapped the downbound 394' oil and chemical tanker MARIA DESGAGNÉS near Mariatown last June as she motionlessly approached like that finger-snapping dance move from the Broadway play "East Side Story". c):-o

   Yeah, I guess you had to be there, but due to her sleekish style you could easily fall in love with this beauty which was built in 1999 at the Qiu Xin Shipyards in Shanghai, China. Then her name was KILCHEM ASIA but later that year she was sold to Groupe Desgagnés of Quebec City.

   Along with her liquid bulk carrying Desgagnés sisters DARA, ESTA, JANA, SARAH and THALESSA, MARIA is double-hulled, rated for navigation through ice and  chartered through Petro-Nav, a Desgagnés company subsidiary.  Petro-Nav is one of North America's leaders in ship chartering of petroleum and chemical products which may include crude oil, refined oil, vegetable oils and fats, petroleum, chemicals and asphalt.

   While so many of her liquid and dry bulk fleetmates that we see throughout the shipping season and are currently laid up for winter, MARIA DESGAGNÉS remains active trading along the St. Lawrence River and Gulf, as well as the U.S. Eastern Seaboard while ice and winter conditions permit. However while our El Niño friend continues to bring milder than normal winter conditions, so is true along the St. Lawrence and east coast which has allowed MARIA to freely navigate to ports from Montreal to Sydney, Nova Scotia, including her current rest stop in Quebec City. Good luck with your next performance girl and "Break A Leg!!" c);-b

No Football or Real Hockey this weekend? c):-(( No Problem!! Just check out one of my first Groupe Desgagnés boat posts about another hard working beauty, the general cargo ship MÉLISSA DESGAGNÉS http://carlzboats.blogspot.ca/2012/09/cargo-vessel-melissa-desgagnes.html, Or NOT!! c);-b