Port of Vancouver USA welcomes Spar Rigel on her maiden voyage

VANCOUVER, Wash. — The Port of Vancouver USA welcomed the Spar Rigel, commanded by Capt. Ranish Raveendran of India, on her maiden voyage to the United States on April 30, 2010.
Raveendran and his 19-member crew were welcomed to Vancouver by Russell Mitchell and Kate Moreno, local agent for Southport Agencies, Inc., Seth Honrud from United Harvest and port representatives Andrew Ness, Lars Uglum and Todd Krout.

The Spar Rigel, named for the owner’s granddaughter, was built in Yangzhou, China and launched April 7, 2010. Spar Shipping AS will take ownership of six additional new ship builds over the next two years. The vessel is 623 feet in length and has a deadweight capacity of 58,000 metric tons. The crew for the vessel’s first visit to the Port of Vancouver USA is from India. The vessel is owned by Spar Shipping AS and chartered by Clipper Bulk (USA) LLC. And Southport Agencies, Inc. is the vessel’s agent.

The voyage was chartered by Multi-flour International Corporation. The ship is loading 47,000 metric tons of spring, soft white and hard red wheat for discharge to Acajutla, El Salvador and will complete her discharge in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala.
About the Port of Vancouver USA

Photo from (l-r): Russell Mitchell, Southport Agencies Inc.; Seth Honrud, United Harvest, LLC.; Tejas Swar, Umesh Rai, Muralidhar Sarangi, Inderjit Singh, Vinay Kumar Singh, crew and Capt. Ranish Raveendran of the Spar Rigel; Lars Uglum, Todd Krout and Andrew Ness, Port of Vancouver

The Port of Vancouver USA, created by Clark County taxpayers in 1912, is one of the major ports on the Pacific Coast. Its competitive strengths include available land, versatile cargo handling capabilities, vast transportation networks, a dependable labor force and an exceptional level of service to its customers and community.

The Port of Vancouver is in the midst of a year full of projects and developments that will lead to vital job creation, economic stimulation and environmental preservation. By diversifying its cargo mix between bulk commodities, breakbulk and project cargos, the port is responsible for job generation and significant contributions to the tax base for not only its own community, but also the state of Washington. Current expansion of the port’s rail system and development of new port industrial and marine properties will bring new jobs – both short term and long term – and the preservation of wetlands, the creation of enhanced wildlife habitat, and make way for more green/sustainable business partners operating from the port. For more information, please visit us at www.portvanusa.com.

– POV –