The new vessel was launched April 26, 1982 as the shipyard's hull #226 and was christened Algowest on July 13, 1982 for Algoma Central Railway - Marine Division, Sault Ste. Marie, ON. The vessel was sponsored by Mrs. G.N. Vogel, wife of the head of the Canadian Wheat Board. Senior officers for the new vessel were Capt. Reg Hatcher and Chief Engineer Bill Adams. The bulker's name used the Algoma fleet prefix "Algo" and suffix "west" for western Canada, the source of her cargoes handled through the Canadian Wheat Board. The Algowest was the first straight deck bulk carrier built new for the fleet since the launch of the Algocen (2) on June 18, 1968.
