BBC HOUSTON first vessel of the “LakerMax”-series completing passage into the Great Lakes

Leer, Montreal - 20 May 2025. –  MV BBC HOUSTON has successfully completed her first passages through the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System into Lake Erie and back, marking the premiere for this vessel class which is dubbed “LakerMax”.

After having arrived at Montreal late April, a routine inspection had been conducted by the Seaway Authority, giving the vessel clearance to enter the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System.  Having proceeded to the first lock in the system, the St. Lambert Lock in Montreal, the BBC HOUSTON and her Captain Andrei Kostrov were welcomed by a small committee consisting of Mr Ricardo D’Amore as the representative of The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, Mr Ross Fletcher, BBC Chartering’s Owners Representative in Canada, and Mr Lou Holmes and Ms Jennifer Holmes, both Holmes Maritime, the ship’s agent in Canada. While the vessel was sluiced in the St Lambert lock, plaques commemorating the event were handed over to the Seaway authority and the vessel in a small ceremony. Ultimate destination of the BBC HOUSTON was Erie in Pennsylvania, where the vessel discharged a full shipload of windmill blades.

 “The BBC HOUSTON and sister ships are called “LakerMax” due to their dimensions maxed out to still fit the locks and bridges of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway,” said Ross Fletcher, Owners Representative of BBC Chartering in Canada. “We got many questions as to when the first vessel would call the Lakes, when we announced the delivery of the first vessel of the series, the BBC LEER, a year ago. Now we are finally able to welcome a vessel of this series in these waters.”

“It was a fantastic sight when the vessel entered the St. Lambert Lock,” added Ricardo D’Amore from The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation. “In cooperation with Briese Schiffahrt and BBC Chartering, the Great Lakes Pilotage Association (GLPA) had done some training in a simulator in Québec in February, when maneuvering these vessels in the Seaway was practiced in real-to-life scenarios. But seeing one of these vessels in real life is a whole different thing. Everything went smooth and was well prepared. We hope to see the BBC HOUSTON or one of her sister vessels in the Seaway System again soon.”

Like her sister vessels, the BBC HOUSTON is a multipurpose triple-decker with a lifting capacity of up to 500 mtons. Her optimized deck layout and forward location of bridge and accommodation allow for unobstructed 2,830 sqm of space on the weather deck. With 26,000 cbm and 5,500 sqm covered floor space, the BBC HOUSTON is a true space miracle. In addition, her fuel consumption is less than that of vessels of comparable dimensions. This combination reduces GHG emissions per freight to carried by up to 30%.

Photo caption
In a small ceremony in front of the vessel, plaques commemorating the event were handed over to Mr Ricardo D’Amore, the representative of the Seaway and Captain Andrei Kostrov, Master of the BBC HOUSTON. They were met by Mr Lou Holmes and Ms Jennifer Holmes (left) of Holmes Maritime, BBC’s agents in Quebec and Mr Ross Fletcher (right), Owners Representative of BBC Chartering in Canada. Photo: Dave Gogan