CANADIAN FOREST NAVIGATION GROUP (CANFORNAV) SAILING MILESTONES POWERED BY INSIDE MARINE
MILESTONESSailing
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The Canadian Forest Navigation Group (Canfornav) has evolved into one of the leading international dry bulk carriers in the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes region. Canfornav is one of the larger handy size vessel owners and operators in the world wide ocean transportation market.
CEO Knud Jensen and Errol Francis, Senior Vice President of Operations report on recent events.
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President & CEO Knud Jensen
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The Canfornav group is on the way to celebrating 50 years as ship operators and shipowners “In this industry, that is a milestone,” said CEO Knud Jensen, who celebrated 50 years, in Shipping back in 2018, “time flies when you are having fun!”
From a meagre start-up in 1976 as a ship operator, to today, where Canfornav has grown into a company controlling 35 handysize bulkcarriers, owning 29 of these vessels, with the other six vessels on long-term Japanese charter. Canfornav has six more long-term charter vessels which will enter the fleet over the next two years.
“We have managed to keep pace with the expanding market,” Mr Jensen explained, “despite the turmoil of an ever-changing
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freight, commodity and financial market. We are optimistic for the next couple of years.”
Upgraded sustainability
Just as the Canfornav fleet continued sailing through the pandemic, so too did the company’s sustainability upgrade program progress. “We moved forward with our plan,” explained Errol Francis, Senior Vice President of Operations, “to meet the challenges of IMO decarbonisa tion strategy.”
This strategy will come into effect on January 1, 2023, with the Energy Efficiency Existing Index (EEXI) and Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) that will be applied to all vessels. Both will impact operational mea sures with the aim of reducing emissions.
“All our vessels without electronic flowmeters are being upgraded,” con tinued Mr Francis, “to reflect more accu rate consumption figures for our fleet.
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We presently have a pilot project with StormGeo, six vessels on trial, as we believe digital technology can play a role in meeting this challenge.”
The Canfornav fleet benefits from some energy saving devices such as the Mewis Duct and propeller boss fin to optimise performance. On the latter, the company is also conducting a computational fluids study. This would enable the maker to apply for Classification approval, which could permit Canfornav to use the results in the EEXI calculations.
On ballast water testing, Canfornav was happy that after an absence of over two years, due to Covid, the company was once again able to work with research sci entists from Fisheries and Oceans, part of the Government of Canada. Canfornav con ducted a BW testing in July of this year using one vessel in a Great Lakes port.
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Test results showed that the sampled ballast met the D-2 IMO Standard. All Canfornav vessels trading to the Great Lakes are equipped with Alfa Laval Pure Ballast Systems, which is a UV system that works well in the cold and turbid waters of the Great Lakes.
Sailing troubled waters
Covid meant Canfornav had to work remotely for two-and-a half years remotely on Skype, Zoom, etc. Now, having adopted a hybrid work model, which feels good for everyone’s mental health and well-being, company staff spend three days each week in the office, and two days working remotely.
“CANFORNAV has enjoyed a lucrative handysize market over the past 18 months and we are on our way to a profitable 2022" concluded Mr Jensen. n
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Errol Francis, Senior VP Operations
www.canfornav.com phone number: +1-514-284-9193 email: chartering@canfornav.com
800 Rene-Levesque Blvd West, Suite 2300 Montreal, Quebec, H3B 1X9 Canada
