Canadian marine transportation company Groupe Desgagnés and Valero’s Canadian Operations have formed a joint venture, Transport Maritime Saint-Laurent Inc., that has acquired two Panamax-class ships. These ships will serve to transport, among others, crude oil from Valero’s Montreal East Terminal to its Jean Gaulin refinery in Lévis, on the south shore of Québec City—a journey up the St.

Lawrence River of about 250 km (155 miles).Currently, the refinery relies on foreign crude oil for feedstock, which is received by ship at its deep-water dock on the St. Lawrence River and has significant storage capacity for crude oil, and intermediate and refined products.