PORT OF WINDSOR FEATURE
June 28, 2010
Morterm Limited can and does competitively handle any type of cargo from any type of ship that can operate in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system.
Morterm began its existence on a disused iron ore and coal dock in west Windsor when the St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959. Then known as Morton Terminal Limited, the company was backed by U.S. and Belgian interests thatsought to capitalize on an expected surge in ship traffic. When that did not materialize, the company’s project floundered and collapsed.
Morton Salt took over and began to make improvements to the then 60-year-old facility, with paving and the construction of warehouses. After a number of years, it was apparent that further investment was required, but low traffic volumes made that difficult to justify.
Morton Terminal Limited became Morterm Limited in 1983. Under the new ownership, substantial investments totalling millions of dollars were made to improve infrastructure and transform the terminal into a first-class facility. Among the improvements: new and renovated warehouses; reconstruction and sheet piling of the pier; a new entrance providing access to a local expressway, the Ambassador Bridge and Highway 401; and more asphalt was poured and hectares of gravelled outside storage compounds were created.
At the same time, the fleet of equipment required to conduct business was overhauled and renewed. A 400-ton capacity crane was acquired, as was a fleet of heavy-duty lift trucks (up to 80,000 pounds capacity). The network of rail lines on the terminal was revamped, as was the rail connection with Morterm sister company Essex Terminal Railway, which provides shippers/receivers with rail access throughout Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Key personnel were added in the same time frame. Greg Steel, a 30-year veteran of the industry, is the terminal manager, handling the day-to-day activities. He is supported by a dedicated group of supervisors and administrative staff.
Terry Berthiaume, vice-president and chief operating officer, oversees the entire operation and is a longtime company executive.
Morterm Limited has emerged as a leading stevedoring, warehousing, transshipment and storage company that competes with rivals in the Lake Ontario/Lake Erie/Lake St. Clair/Lake Huron region. The company handles steel in any form – coil, plate, beams, wire rod, etc. – bulks such as fluorspar and raw sugar, project cargoes and, more recently, wind turbine components.
Morterm is a perfect location for wind turbine importers. Southwestern Ontario’s ideal wind conditions have attracted wind farm developers to the region. More than 100 wind turbines have been discharged from ships, stored, marshalled and shipped from Morterm by trucks in the past couple of years.
Everything about wind turbine components is big, heavy and awkward. Morterm’s facilities – particularly the very large outside storage compounds – are ideal for wind turbine parts and pieces. And access to local highways – very large trucks needed to transport wind turbine components have to make only two turns to deliver throughout the area – is attractive.
Further information is available at www.morterm.com.