"The entire port community is excited to get a new shipping season underway. We look forward to the significant economic impact Great Lakes shipping has on Detroit and the entire region," said Steven Olinek, deputy director of the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority (DWCPA).
On March 27, 2005, the Olympic Monitor set sail from Antwerp, Belgium with a cargo of steel coils, under the command of Captain Evagelos Niforos. The Olympic Monitor is 600 feet long with a 76 foot beam. Piraeus, Greece is its home port.
The coveted J.L. Hudson Trophy was presented to World Shipping, the ship's agent, by Olinek, at a luncheon meeting hosted jointly by the Detroit Propeller Club in cooperation with the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority. The luncheon was held on Wednesday, April 13, 2005 at the Detroit Yacht Club on Belle Isle in Detroit. The luncheon officially celebrated the port opening.