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Hamilton Port is officially open for business. A barge carrying $3 million dollars worth of asphalt from Michigan arrived early Tuesday morning making it the first vessel of the season. Soon it will be used to fix, maintain and build 400 series highways.

The barge is the first of about 600 expected this season. The Hamilton Port Authority is the largest port in Ontario handling 12 million tones of cargo annually. A total of $1.6 billion worth of product comes through the harbour every year.

The second and third ships to arrive in Hamilton this season are expected later this week. But as the 70 year tradition, only the first captain of the season to arrive gets the honour of sighing the top hat.