A ship carrying foreign coal that will dock in Sydney on Friday afternoon is creating a controversy in Cape Breton.

The ship belongs to a company owned by Canada's Federal finance minister, Paul Martin. His company, called Canada Steam Ship Lines Ltd., is held in a blind-trust, as required by the government's conflict of interest guidelines.

However, Cape Breton/Victoria MP Peter Mancini says it's demoralizing to coal miners. Mancini is quoted as saying Paul Martin's "personal portfolio is getting fatter as Cape Breton's economy gets thinner." The federal ethics counselor has excluded Martin from any government activities involving Devco. Howard Wilson notified Martin in early December that Canada Steamship Lines has filed an expression of interest in some of Devco's assets. That means that Martin is in a potential conflict of interest and must not take part in any government activities involving the Crown corporation.