FORM 3

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 INITIAL STATEMENT OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

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(Print or Type Responses)

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person *   Ellington Curtis Randolph 2. Date of Event Requiring Statement (Month/Day/Year) 01/25/2005 3. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol BOWATER INC [BOW] (Last) (First) (Middle) 55 EAST CAMPERDOWN WAY 4. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) _____ Director _____ 10% Owner __X__ Officer (give title below) _____ Other (specify below) VP-Newsprint Sales 5. If Amendment, Date Original Filed(Month/Day/Year) (Street) GREENVILLE, SC 29601 6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing(Check Applicable Line) _X_ Form filed by One Reporting Person ___ Form filed by More than One Reporting Person (City) (State) (Zip) Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned

1.Title of Security (Instr. 4) 2. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned (Instr. 4) 3. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 5) 4. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 5) Common Stock 8,654.4251 I 401 (K) Plan Common Stock 2,093 D   Common Stock 150 I IRA

Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.			SEC 1473 (7-02)
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Table II - Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)

1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 4)	2. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)		3. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 4)		4. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	5. Ownership Form of Derivative Security: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 5)	6. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 5)
	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares
Stock Option (right to buy)	  (1)	01/22/2007	Common stock	10,000	$ 41.875	D	Â
Stock Option (right to buy)	  (1)	01/27/2008	Common Stock	10,000	$ 43.9688	D	Â
Stock Option (right to buy)	  (1)	01/25/2010	Common Stock	10,000	$ 48	D	Â
Stock Option (right to buy)	  (1)	01/30/2011	Common Stock	10,000	$ 51.93	D	Â
Stock Option (right to buy)	  (1)	01/29/2012	Common Stock	10,000	$ 47.025	D	Â
Stock Option (right to buy)	  (1)	01/28/2013	Common Stock	10,000	$ 40.74	D	Â
Stock Option (right to buy)	01/27/2005(2)	01/27/2014	Common Stock	10,000	$ 45.02	D	Â
Stock Option (right to buy)	01/25/2006(2)	01/25/2015	Common Stock	10,000	$ 37.295	D	Â
Stock Appreciation Right	  (3)	01/26/2009	Common Stock	10,000	$ 41.0313	D	Â
Stock Appreciation Right	  (3)	02/22/2009	Common Stock	10,000	$ 39.78	D	Â
Stock Appreciation Right	  (3)	05/10/2010	Common Stock	21,200	$ 54.84	D	Â
Phantom Stock Units	  (4)	  (4)	Common Stock	821.1405	$ (5)	D	Â
Stock Option (right to buy)	  (1)	01/17/2006	Common	10,000	$ 34.875	D	Â

Reporting Owners

Reporting Owner Name / Address	Relationships
	Director	10% Owner	Officer	Other
Ellington Curtis Randolph 55 EAST CAMPERDOWN WAY GREENVILLE, SC 29601	Â	Â	  VP-Newsprint Sales	Â

Signatures

William A. McCormick, Attorney-in-Fact		02/02/2005
**Signature of Reporting Person		Date

Explanation of Responses:

*	If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 5(b)(v).
**	Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
(1)	These options are all exercisable.
(2)	One half of the options are/were exercisable on the noted date and the remaining half are exercisable one year later unless the exercisability is accelerated by the committee administering the Plan.
(3)	These rights are all exercisable.
(4)	These phantom stock units were allocated under the Company's Compensatory Benefits Plan (the "Plan") and will be settled (on a 1-for-1 basis) upon the reporting person's retirement, death, disability, or other termination of employment. Units included in column 9 that represent an increase from the last report filed by the reporting person and are not otherwise accounted for by a transaction on this form were allocated under the Plan as of 12/31/04. Additional securities may have accrued to the reporting person's account since that date. The account is subject to revision in order to comply with requirements respecting nondiscrimination standards and limitations on contributions under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
(5)	1 for 1

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