FEDERAL KUMANO

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Delayed ships finally left Toledo

Two of three ships delayed at the port of Toledo by a labour dispute between a local longshoremen's union and a Port of Toledo stevedore, left the dock on May 16, 2018, after the U.S. Coast Guard approved a plan to use tugs to pull the ships into open water, rather than relying on port pilots whose refusal to cross a Longshoremen picket line had led to the bottleneck. The Montreal-based Fednav, which owns the "Federal Champlain" and "Federal Kumano", initially sought a waiver from the Coast Guard that would have allowed the company to maneuver its ships away from the docks without the assistance of a pilot. That request was denied. A second request to use tugs to pull the ships about 500 feet away from the dock and then deliver pilots to the vessels so they could continue their voyages to their next ports was given the OK. The "Federal Champlain" had been delayed for about 10 days, and the "Federal Kumano" for a shorter time, when the pilots refused to cross a picket line set up by International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1982. The union has been engaged in a long-running dispute with Midwest Terminals of Toledo International, the stevedore company operating the dock under contract with the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. Keeping the ships tied up there had been seen by the union as a key bargaining chip in its battle with Midwest. The "Federal Kumano" headed downriver toward Maumee Bay and its next call in Sarnia, Ontario. The "Federal Champlain "sailed up the Maumee River to the ADM grain elevator on Miami Street, where it was to take on a soybean cargo destined for Italy.