Honda ships conduct regular trans-Pacific routes, but do not come to BC often - only visiting twice last year. The visit marked the first call for the pristine four month old M.V. CELESTIAL WING at Fraser River Port. It was the vessel’s last West Coast stop before heading home empty to Japan.

The vessel’s master, Captain Kazuharu Cho, was presented a commemorative plaque to mark the ship’s first visit to Fraser River Port. Ed Kargl, Vice President of Business Development for the Port Authority, made the presentation on behalf of Captain Allen Domaas, the Port Authority’s President and CEO. Mr. Kargl was joined by Montship Inc.’s General Manager Marine, Stephen Pyne. Montship Inc handled the vessel as the agent for ACT Maritime Co., Ltd.

M.V. CELESTIAL WING is a specialized Honda carrier built in Shimonoseki, Japan in March 2005. The ship measures 180 metres in length with a beam of 30 metres, and a Gross Registered Tonnage of 44,146 tonnes.

Annacis Auto Terminals (1997) Ltd., is located on the Port Authority’s Annacis Properties site, 59 hectares (145 acres) located at the eastern tip of Annacis Island. The auto terminal is one of two such terminals located within Fraser River Port and one of Canada’s largest and most modern distribution centers for wheeled and tracked vehicles of all types. More than a dozen of the world’s top automobile manufacturers make use of this facility.  To date, their automotive complex at the eastern end of Annacis Island includes two deep-draft berths, five rail loading ramps and 39 truck loading bays.

The Fraser River Port Authority oversees Canada’s second busiest port based on total cargo volume. Fraser River Port is Canada’s largest fresh water port and covers 270 kilometres of shoreline along the Fraser River from Langley to its mouth in the Strait of Georgia. It is also Canada’s largest mover of Asian import automobiles, importing 436,931 vehicles in 2004.