Although there has been no formal announcement either from the shipyard or from Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd., we understand that plans call for the conversion to a self-unloader of GORDON C. LEITCH as soon as a similar job on JAMES NORRIS has been completed early in 1981. It would now seem fairly certain that Upper Lakes has wrested the limestone float for the St. Lawrence Cement Company away from Westdale Shipping and we wonder how this will bear on Westdale's future.

MONTCLIFFE HALL, wintering at Sarnia, somehow managed to allow 5,000 gallons of fuel to escape into the St. Clair River on January 9. The Canadian Coast Guard was notified immediately but it took the authorities a further day to relay the news to the provincial environment ministry. There has been no explanation of how the fuel escaped from the vessel.

The Gaelic Tugboat Company, Detroit, has acquired the bunkering tanker MARINE FUEL and has renamed her GAELIC 101. We presume that she will be used for fuelling vessels docked in the Detroit area.

Last month, we reported the purchase by the Hall Corporation from Norwegian interests of the tanker BIRK, the vessel being intended for salt water service under the Liberian flag as (b) COASTAL TRANSPORT. Halco's plans are indeed ambitious, for the company is also reported to be interested in obtaining the services of a similar Norwegian tanker, the LONN.

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