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Montship Inc. was founded in 1925 by W.A.H. Hulton and August Hansen. The company expanded and became a shipping agent for several tramp vessels through the Hulton Group, focusing on British coal and European grain. In its first 20 years, Montreal Shipping Company Limited faced several crises such as the Great Depression, World War II, and post-war international shipping fluctuations. The company overcame these challenges and continued to grow its operations. Its close ties with F.K. Warren Co. led to its first ship owning investment involving trade between the Maritimes and the West Indies.
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Montship Lines Limited was incorporated in February 1946 by the Lawes brothers and Louis Dreyfus & Cie., to establish a shipping line between Eastern Canada and the Western Mediterranean, and eventually Northern Europe. The Canada-Mediterranean Line began in 1946, and Montship soon established the Canada-Continental Line, to expand its service to the rest of Europe. Montmorency Shipping Inc. was established to move paper to the US East Coast, Gulf ports, Mexico, and Argentina. In 1949, the company opened an office in Toronto and became the largest shipping agency company in Eastern Canada, representing several lines. However, high costs of Canadian-flagged operations were expected to affect Montship Lines’ competitiveness.
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In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Montreal Shipping Company Ltd (MSCL) played a pivotal role in the St. Lawrence Seaway opening and was appointed an agent for various steamship lines. It acted as a chartering agent, handling parcels on behalf of British Metal Corporation, and expanded its liner section by representing eight liner services, which helped reposition MSCL as one of the largest shipping agents in Eastern Canada. The decline of shipping business in Canada due to increased costs and a shift to land transport was offset by the opening of new markets, such as the West Indies and North Coast of South America, and the expansion of the company’s liner division.
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The Montreal Shipping Company Limited‘s history from 1972 to 1985 was marked by significant changes in the shipping industry. Containerization developed rapidly, and many shipping companies introduced container services. The company’s attempts to participate in the Canadian National Energy Offshore Program failed, and its investment in Keen Industries Limited of Edmonton proved unsuccessful. The company acquired a computer system that integrated freight invoicing, manifesting, statistics, and accounting for all the liner accounts represented. They represented several companies in Canada and managed their shipping activities to the Canadian West Coast. The company opened a new office in Prince Rupert to expand its tramp account base.
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Montreal Shipping, a ship agency in Canada, underwent significant changes in management and ownership in the early 1990s. The retirement of four long-serving directors saw Guy G. Bouchat appointed as President, and in 1992, Montreal Shipping ended its representation of Hapag-Lloyd due to increasing competition. However, the two companies cooperated to establish Halo Maritime, which provided back-office services for Hapag-Lloyd. In 1996, Michael H. Belmer succeeded Bouchat as President. As freight rates and volumes declined in the Pacific, Montship expanded its breakbulk and conventional business, establishing a Vancouver brokerage section, acquiring Ocean International Transport and incorporating Trealmont Chartering.
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Montship marked its 75th anniversary in 2000 with receptions in each Canadian city where it has offices. It also undertook the complete renovation of its Head Office and published ‘The Montship Story’ book. The Canadian economy was experiencing moderate growth but the technology explosion that had captivated everyone in the previous two years began to show signs of weakness by the end of the year. Investors, while losing confidence in high tech companies, were still willing to support traditional sectors such as mining, resources, manufacturing, and service industries. In 2008, Montship appointed Brian McDonald as President. Later in 2010, Montship entered into a non-equity joint venture with some of the oldest Port Agents in North America, Norton Lilly International and Robert Reford Inc.
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Michael H. Belmer retired from his position as Chairman and CEO of Montship in 2012. He was succeeded by Brian McDonald, who was serving as the President of the company at the time. In 2013, the group acquired East Coast Reefer Services (ECRS), a container and leasing company, to supplement the reefer maintenance and repair services already being provided by the group. With the acquisition of ECRS, the group’s capabilities in the reefer maintenance and repair sector were significantly enhanced, allowing it to provide a more comprehensive range of services to its customers. In 2016, the group welcomed Norton Lilly Canada Inc. and by extension, Ultramar, as equity partners in Trealmont Transport Inc. (parent company). In 2018, Allied Maritime Services Inc., a division of Montship since 1946, opened a new truck brokerage division located in Montreal, Quebec. The group also purchased an equity share in Renaissance International Freight Forwarding in 2018. Overall, the changes at Montship during the period from 2011 to 2020 involved leadership transitions and acquisitions that were aimed at expanding the company’s services and strengthening its market position.
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Since 2020, the group has been expanding its operations. In 2021, it formed a joint venture with Seaport Intermodal to create Trealport Container Services Ltd. Additionally, the group opened its second container yard in Montreal, Quebec in 2022. In 2022, Domenic Bravi retired as CFO after 42 years of service with Montship. The freight forwarding arm of the group opened new offices in Halifax and Toronto in 2023, increasing our freight forwarding presence in Canada to 4 offices. In the same year, Martin Edwards was named as CEO & Scott Pichette as President of Trealmont Transport Inc. and its subsidiaries, both succeeding Brian McDonald, who remains Chairman. These developments demonstrate the ongoing growth and evolution of the Company.
