By Josie Bannerman

The arrival of the freighter Epson Trader at Ogden Point last December, signaled the beginning of a new business opportunity, not only for the Port of Victoria, but also for longshoremen on southern Vancouver Island, and local suppliers of lifts, lights, generators and cranes. While cruise ship visits sustain the port from April through October, you rarely see a ship at Ogden Point during the rest of the year.

Bob Barlow, Manager of Western Stevedoring, the company that runs the Ogden Point facility, confirmed that the Epson Trader was in port to have its holds cleaned. “This is a new activity at Ogden Point this winter,” he said, “and a relatively new activity for the Island.”

Tidal Transport Ltd developed the concept with the support of Local 508, the Vancouver Island division of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, and arranges for the freighters to come to Ogden Point for cleaning.

Based in Port Moody, Tidal Transport already operates a hold cleaning business on the mainland. Shortages of berth space and skilled labour at the Port of Vancouver encouraged company president Ron Brinkhurst to look farther afield, and expand the business to two Vancouver Island locations – Ogden Point and Island Timberlands Dock near Nanaimo.

“Although hold cleaning is not traditional stevedoring work, it provides job opportunities for Local 508,” Brinkhurst said. With the decline of forest products on Vancouver Island and a trend to container shipping, longshoremen welcome the prospect of new job creation. Up to 40 workers may be needed to clean the holds of just one ship.

Freighters typically come to British Columbia to load up cargos of grains, sulphur and potash. “Shippers hire survey companies to inspect the holds for excessive rust or scale, or residues of a previous cargo,” said Brinkhurst. “If the crew of the freighter can’t clean the holds themselves, Tidal Transport may get the job of restoring the holds to shipping standards.”

Persuading the owners of freighters to move a ship from Vancouver to Victoria for cleaning, then back to Vancouver to pick up cargo isn’t an easy sell, Brinkhurst admits. “Charter rates on freighters are at an all time high,” he said, “and holds must be cleaned quickly to minimize downtime.” Local 508 has a highly skilled workforce that can be mobilized on short notice. And that, in combination with the high availability of berth space at Ogden Point, at least in the winter months, makes the fledgling business viable, Brinkhurst said. In addition to the Epson Trader, his company has also sent the Yasa Unity, and the Babitonga to Ogden Point for cleanup this winter.

Paul Servos, General Manager of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA), the agency that owns Ogden Point, doesn’t foresee that freighter cleaning will become a big part of the port’s business, and Brinkhurst agrees. “A complication at Ogden Point is the cruise season when the berths are often fully occupied,” Brinkhurst said.

Nevertheless, Servos is satisfied with this new development. “The GVHA, with its partners, continues to focus on building the deep sea call numbers and diversity at Ogden Point as an important economic engine for the region,” Servos said. “In addition to the business it brings in, the GVHA is the 19th largest taxpayer in Victoria, and paid over $600,000 in taxes to the city last year.”