Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping News Archive

Today in Great Lakes History

January 31
MANZZUTTI was launched January 31, 1903, as a.) J S KEEFE (Hull#203) at Buffalo, New York by the Buffalo Dry Dock Co..

January 31, 1930 - While the Grand Trunk car ferry MADISON was leading the way across Lake Michigan to Grand Haven, she was struck from behind by her sister ship GRAND RAPIDS.

January 30
ELMDALE was launched in 1909 as a.) CLIFFORD F MOLL (Hull#56) at Ecorse, Michigan by the Great Lakes Engineering Works.

The CHIEF WAWATAM was held up in the ice for a period of three weeks. On January 30, 1927, she went aground at North Graham Shoal in the Straits. She was later dry-docked at Great Lakes Engineering Works in Detroit where her forward propeller and after port wheel were replaced.

January 30, 1911 - The PERE MARQUETTE 18 (II) arrived Ludington, Michigan on her maiden voyage.

On 30 January 1881, ST ALBANS (wooden propeller passenger/package freight vessel, 135 foot, 435 tons, built in 1869 at Cleveland, Ohio) was carrying general merchandise, flour, cattle and 22 passengers in Lake Michigan. She rammed a cake of ice that filled the hole it made in her hull. She rushed for shore, but as the ice melted, the vessel filled with water. She sank 8 miles from Milwaukee. The crew and passengers made it to safety in the lifeboats. Her loss was valued at $35,000.

On 30 January 2000, crew began the removal of the four Hulett Ore Unloaders on Whiskey Island in Cleveland.

January 29
The BUCKEYE (2) was launched January 29, 1910, as the straight decker a.) LEONARD B MILLER (Hull#447) at Cleveland, Ohio by the American Ship Building Co..

JOHN P REISS (Hull#377) was also launched this date in 1910, at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. .

January 29, 1987 - The BADGER almost capsized at her dock due to a broken water intake pipe.

On 29 January 1953, RICHARD M MARSHALL (steel propeller freighter, 643 foot, 10,606 gross tons) was launched in Bay City, Michigan at Defoe's shipyard (Hull #424). Later she was named JOSEPH S WOOD (1957), JOHN DYKSTRA (1966), and BENSON FORD (2) (1983). She was scrapped in 1987 at Recife, Brazil.

January 28
SELKIRK SETTLER (Hull#256) was launched January 28, 1983, at Govan, Scotland by Govan Shipbuilding Ltd.

At 4:00 a.m. on 28 January 1879, the ferry SARNIA was discovered to be on fire while lying at Fitzgerald's yard in Port Huron. All of the cabins were destroyed although the fire department had the fire out within an hour. About $3,000 damage was done. She was in the shipyard to be remodeled and to have a stern wheel installed. Arson was suspected.

On 28 January 1889, the Port Huron Times announced that the Toledo & Saginaw Transportation Company went out of business and sold all of its vessel and its shipyard. The shipyard went to Curtis & Brainard along with the PAWNEE and MIAMI. The BUFFALO, TEMPEST, BRAINARD and ORTON went to Thomas Lester. The C F CURTIS, FASSET, REED and HOLLAND went to R. C. Holland. The DAYTON went to J. A. Ward and M. P. Lester. The TROY and EDWARDS were sold, but the new owners were not listed.

January 27
In 1912, the Great Lakes Engineering Works' Ecorse yard launched the steel bulk freighter WILLIAM P SNYDER JR (Hull#83), for the Shenango Furnace Co..

The LEON FALK JR closed the 1974, season at Superior by loading 17,542 tons of ore bound for Detroit.

January 27, 1985 - The CITY OF MIDLAND 41 had to return to port (Ludington) after heavy seas caused a 30-ton crane to fall off a truck on her car deck.

On 27 January 1978, ALLEGHENY, the training vessel of the Great Lakes Maritime Academy (built in 1944 at Orange, Texas as a sea-going naval tug) capsized at her winter dock at Traverse City, Michigan from the weight of accumulated ice. She was recovered but required and expensive rebuild and was sold and renamed TUG MALCOLM in 1979.

On 27 January 1893, Charles Lonsby and Louis Wolf purchased the 161 foot wooden steam barge THOMAS D STIMSON for $28,000. The vessel was built in 1881 by W. J. Daley & Sons at Mt. Clemens, Michigan as a schooner and was originally named VIRGINIUS. She was converted to a steamship in 1887.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Brian Bernard, Max Hanley, Jody Aho, Mike Nicholls, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. Marine Historical Society of Detroit. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history

Tregurtha's Late Trip Prompts Ice Jam Warning
 

1/28
U.S. Coast Guard officials warned residents of Sugar Island, located downstream from the Soo Locks, that ferry service to the island might be interrupted Friday because moving ice from Sault Harbor could hinder passage of the ferry Sugar Islander II.

The ice movement would be caused by an unusual late-January trip to Sault Ste. Marie by the 1,013-foot motor vessel Paul R. Tregurtha. The Tregurtha, carrying approximately 43,000 tons of coal, arrived in Sault Harbor Friday afternoon. The cargo is being offloaded at the Carbide Dock on the Sault, Mich. side of the river and will later be trucked to across the International Bridge to Algoma Steel Corp. in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

The cargo was loaded earlier in the week at Conneaut, Ohio. After the Tregurtha finishes unloading, she will head for winter layup at Sturgeon Bay, Wis.

According to a report in Friday's Sault Ste. Marie Evening News, the Coast Guard advised anyone on Sugar Island to plan around a possible ice jam at the Mission Point ferry crossing starting as early as late afternoon on Friday but more likely from 8 p.m. to midnight.

After passing upbound at Mission Point, the Tregurtha was turned around in the harbor to approach the dock stern first. Harbor tugs, including the Great Lakes Towing Co. tug Missouri, were used to assist Tregurtha in making the unusual turn. Prior to the vessel's arrival, Coast Guard icebreaking tugs carved a large turning area in the harbor ice, then sliced the large chunks of ice into smaller pieces to promote flow downriver. Icebreakers were also dispatched to enlarge the open reaches of Lake Nicolet downriver of Mission Point to accommodate the large mass of broken ice expected to flow down the river.

Since this mid-winter maneuver has never been attempted in Sault Harbor with a ship of Tregurtha's size, Coast Guard officials were not sure a temporary ice jam at the Sugar Island ferry dock area could be avoided.

The Tregurtha was assisted by the U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers Mackinaw, Katmai Bay and Biscyane Bay.

Meanwhile, the  Katmai Bay escorted the  tanker Gemini upriver to Sault Ste. Marie on Thursday. Gemini will be unloading fuel at Government Dock through Saturday afternoon.

Reported by Jerry Masson, Soo Evening News

6:35 PM Update
Paul R Tregurtha arrived Carbide Dock at 6:35 PM.  The ship will unload 43,000 tons of coal for approx 12 hours then depart downbound.  Once the Tregurtha was secured, the tanker Gemini departed the Government Dock in Soo Harbor downbound for Nanticoke.

Reported by Jerry Masson

Launch of Mackinaw is delayed

1/28
The launch date for the new U.S. Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw has been delayed two weeks and will now take place on April 2, a Coast Guard official confirmed Wednesday.

"That has changed," stated Public Affairs Officer Ryan Barone, of the Coast Guard's 9th District Office in Cleveland. "That's really all I know is that the date has been moved. There was some talk about the March 19 date being close to Easter week or maybe to accommodate Rep. Hastert's schedule, but it is now April 2."

Mrs. Jean Hastert, the sponsor for the new icebreaker, will christen the vessel at the launch ceremony. Mrs. Hastert is the wife of Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert, R-Batavia, Ill.

Lt. Erik Skow, who works onsite for the Coast Guard's contracting office in Marinette, Wis., where the vessel is being built, verified the change.

"The change is official," he said. "It is my understanding that the movement of the launch date is not due to any problems or delays in the construction process but to facilitate the scheduling of dignitaries who will be attending. The word came down to us from Washington, D.C."

Skow stressed that delaying the launch by two weeks would not in any way affect the sea trials, yard inspections or delivery of the boat to Cheboygan in October.

"Two weeks isn't going to matter in the ship's overall schedule," he indicated. "They will keep the Mackinaw inside for two more weeks, though. It will give the crews two more weeks for inside detail work but it won't be a negative factor at all."

The Mackinaw is being constructed inside a mammoth facility at the Marinette Marine Corp. shipyard on the Menominee River. The building measures more than 350 feet long and 250 feet wide, with a ceiling that is 60 feet high.

Ed Pyrzynski of Cheboygan served on the original Mackinaw and is a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw Association as well as the Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum, Inc. committee. The volunteer group is working to keep the older icebreaker in town after it is decommissioned in 2006 and the new ship is on the job. He said he has been keeping tabs on the new vessel's progress and has spoken to Coast Guard officials in Marinette.

"There are many specifications that go into building a ship that costs $110 million," Pyrzynski said. "If something doesn't meet the Coast Guard's specifications, then it is done over again. I'm sure the extra time will benefit everyone."

Following the launch, builder ship trials are scheduled for June 21 with a dry-dock session set for June 24 to correct problems and conduct more tests. Post-acceptance trials are slated for Aug. 31 and the crew ramp-up is due for early October.

Reported by Mike Fornes, Cheboygan Tribune (with thanks to Kevin Griffith)

Commercial vessel traffic returns to Sanitary and Ship Canal past sunken oil barge

1/26 Update
The Coast Guard Captain of the Port has opened the section of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) between the Cicero Avenue Bridge and the Chicago Belt Railway Railroad Bridge to commercial barge traffic.  Vessels are permitted to transit this section of the CSSC under the following restrictions:

1.  Routine vessel traffic will be allowed to transit this area between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
2.  Tow size past the sunken barge is limited to a single, loaded 35 foot wide dry cargo barge, or two end-to-end 35 foot wide empty dry cargo barges.
3.  Vessel drafts may not exceed nine feet.
4.  All tows require a bow assist boat.
5.  All traffic wishing to transit the area must contact the motor vessel David E on channel 19 prior to reaching the Cicero or Belt Railway Bridge for further instruction.

6.  This section remains closed to noncommercial vessel traffic.

 

Seventeen barges safely transited past the sunken barge overnight and into this morning.

 

The Coast Guard, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and the Army Corps of Engineers will continue to closely oversee all salvage and recovery operations until the threat of pollution has been eliminated and the barge has been removed from the channel.

 

Reported by the U.S. Coast Guard

U.S. Steel posts record 4th quarter

1/26
United States Steel Corp. recorded a record net income of $462 million for the fourth quarter of 2004 and a full-year net income of $1.08 billion, a result of demand, acquisitions and cost-reduction efforts, the company announced Monday. "Favorable global steel markets coupled with our acquisitions and ongoing cost-reduction efforts resulted in record income for U.S. Steel for both the fourth quarter and full year," John P. Surma, president and CEO, said in a prepared statement.

A year ago the company posted a net  loss of $22 million in the fourth quarter, and full-year net loss of $463 million for 2003.

U.S. Steel owns and operates Minntac Mine in Mountain Iron and Keewatin Taconite in Keewatin. Those mines ship much of their taconite pellets aboard Great Lakes vessels loading in Superior, Duluth and Two Harbors. Iron ore production for the company was 5.7 million tons in the fourth quarter of 2004 compared with 5.5 million tons during the same period last year. For all of 2004, iron ore production was 22.8 million tons compared with 18.6 million tons in 2003.

Reported by Al Miller

Region's Disappearing Resource: Riverbed gouging takes Great Lakes down a foot

1/26
Lakes Michigan and Huron have permanently lost a foot of water because of erosion in the St. Clair River caused by dredging and other man-made meddling, according to a study released Monday.

The decline will continue for the foreseeable future, it warns, battering boaters, marinas, property owners and the shipping industry struggling with water levels at the bottom of historical cycles.

The low water was troublesome, but temporary, experts had assured those struggling with dried-out boat canals.

Now, they're not so sure.

The reason: Erosion created gouges in the river bottom up to 19 feet deep between 1970 and 2000, enlarging the bottleneck at the bottom of Lake Huron where water drains into the lower Great Lakes and Niagara Falls.

"It's like a drain hole at the bottom of a bathtub," said Rob Nairn, a principal with W.F. Baird & Associates Coastal Engineers of Toronto, which conducted the study for the Georgian Bay Association, a civic organization representing about 4,200 Canadian families who live on Georgian Bay islands and shores. "The drain hole is getting bigger, and the water is going out faster. It's something very alarming that no one has talked about or reported until now."

Jim Weakley, president of the Lake Carriers' Association that represents domestic shipping companies, said he had not seen the report Monday, but that a solution must protect both commerce and the environment: "Any loss of Great Lakes water is of concern for us. Each additional inch allows between 250 and 270 tons of cargo" on a larger freighter, he said.

Experts agree that dredging to deepen the St. Clair River for commercial ships reduced the volume of water in Huron and Michigan. Three such projects, the last one completed in 1962, account for a 19-inch reduction in lake levels, Nairn said.

That was believed to be a one-time drop. Until now.

Monday's report found Lakes Michigan and Huron -- considered one body of water because they are connected at the Straits of Mackinac -- have lost an additional 12 inches since 1970 because of erosion that has gone undetected since the 1962 dredging.

All told, the dredging and erosion has accounted for a water loss from the lakes equivalent to 28 Lake St. Clairs, according to the Baird report.

Because the extra water moves so quickly through Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River and Lake Erie on its way over Niagara Falls, it has not raised the levels of those waters appreciably, Nairn said.

A modest resurgence in Great Lakes water levels during the past two years is part of a natural cycle, but doesn't mask the fact that the Huron/Michigan waters are still a foot below where they would be without the erosion, Nairn said.

And the problem can't be explained by natural forces, he said. Geologists say erosion in the St. Clair River basin stopped between 2,000 and 3,000 years ago. But it began again in the 1900s because of man-made factors including:
Dredging of the channel to 27 feet deep to accommodate ships.
Erosion at the sites of sand mining that took place in the river in early part of the 1900s.
Erosion control structures protecting beaches on lower Lake Huron that deprive the St. Clair River of sediment that normally would have washed into it and filled holes in the river bottom.

The lakes' water loss went unnoticed because it was masked by high water levels of the 1970s and 1980s, the report suggests. But when Lake Huron receded in the 1990s and early 2000s, residents of the archipelago of Canadian islands in Georgian Bay suspected more than just the usual 30-year, high-to-low water levels cycles were in play.

"In recent years, we have had a significant number of wetlands dry up on Georgian Bay, and the aquatic life forced out onto steep granite shorelines," said Mary Muter, the Georgian Bay keeper who monitors the area's natural resources.

The residents commissioned the study at a cost of about $163,000 to find out.

The results have alarmed scientists and policy makers across the region.

"We take it very seriously," said Dennis Schornack, U.S. chair of the International Joint Commission, which oversees boundary waters linking the United States and Canada. "It's definitely of concern and the kind of thing that is supposed to be part of an Upper Great Lakes study that has not been funded yet by Congress."

Schornack said the potential for dredging-related trouble was apparent as early as 1921, when a deepening of the St. Clair River was approved by the IJC, with one condition: that weirs -- underwater barriers -- be installed to slow the velocity of water that would be increased by the channel deepening.

Those barriers were never built, said Schornack.

Underwater barriers or other methods to combat the erosion need to be considered quickly, Nairn and a coalition of environmental groups said Monday. The report did not suggest solutions.

The data also must be part of an ongoing bi-national study of the future of commercial navigation on the Great Lakes, said the environmental groups.

"The Great Lakes are more than simply a navigation corridor, and the time has come for the management of the lakes to reflect that," said Jennifer Nalbone, habitat and biodiversity coordinator for Great Lakes United, a bi-national lakes advocacy group.

* * *
WHAT'S AT ISSUE

Water is permanently being sucked from Lakes Huron and Michigan because of ongoing erosion caused by dredging and other human activities in the St. Clair River -- the drain that funnels water out of the lakes -- according to a study released Monday.

If the data is accurate, the lakes may have already  lost 12 inches of water  in addition to natural lake level fluctuations. The data  would also help explain the  low water levels that have plagued boaters and beachfront landowners during the last few years.

Policy makers may need to explore ways to slow the outflow to  protect the environment as well as Great Lakes shipping interests that depend on deep river channels.

Reported by Hugh McDiarmid Jr., Staff Writer, Detroit Free Press & J. Meyland

Lay-up List - News Photo Gallery Updated

1/26
Click to visit the 11th Annual Lay-Up List
Please send any updates, corrections or new information to news@boatnerd.net

News Photo Gallery updated   Note:  The next photo gallery should be later next week.

Updates to Your Desk Top

1/26
Back by popular demand: Weekly e-mail updates. This feature will notify you each week of new content as it is uploaded and Members also receive previews of new content and special non-public pages.

Click here to be included in the list

Note: you will only receive updates for the Boatnerd sites (no spam and your e-mail address will not be sold) Updates are usually sent on Sunday nights.

Today in Great Lakes History - January 26

The keel for the CLIFFS VICTORY, a). NOTRE DAME VICTORY Hull#1229) was laid on January 26, 1945, at Portland, Oregon by Oregon Shipbuilding Corp.

THOMAS F COLE (Hull #27) was launched January 26, 1907, by the Great Lakes Engineering Works, Ecorse, Michigan.

J F SCHOELLKOPF JR was launched January 26, 1907, as a.) HUGH KENNEDY (Hull#349) at Lorain, Ohio by the American Ship Building Co. .

The THALASSA DESGAGNES entered service for Le Groupe Desgagnes on January 26, 1994.

ST LAWRENCE NAVIGATOR was launched in 1967, as a.) DEMETERTON (Hull#619) at South Shields, United Kingdom by John Readhead & Sons, Ltd..

On 26 January 1898, the CITY OF DULUTH (wooden passenger/package freight vessel, 202 foot, 1310 gross tons, built in 1874, at Marine City, Michigan as a passenger vessel) was carrying passengers, corn, flour and general merchandise from Chicago to St. Joseph, Michigan during a late season run when she struck an uncharted bar in a storm inbound to St. Joseph. She was heavily damaged and driven ashore 350 feet west of the north pier where she broke up. The Lifesaving Service rescued all 24 passengers and 17 crew members using breeches' buoy.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Brian Bernard, Max Hanley, Jody Aho, Mike Nicholls, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. Marine Historical Society of Detroit. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history

River Dredging is Draining Upper Lakes, Group Says

1/25
A 1962 dredging of the St. Clair River resulted in an expanding "hole" that has lowered Lake Michigan's level by a about a foot, according to a report released Jan. 24 by the conservation group Georgian Bay Association.

  According to the report, in 1962 the navigation channel in the St. Clair River was dredged to a depth of 30 feet. The Army Corps of Engineers estimated that the project, combined with previous dredging, resulted in a “one-time” approximately 16-inch drop in the long-term average level of Lakes Michigan and Huron.

  But the study released Monday argues that Lakes Michigan and Huron’s long-term average level has continued to drop, likely because the dredging created a faster-flowing St. Clair River, which is now carving a deeper and deeper channel on its own.

The Army Corps of Engineers has “effectively opened a bigger drain hole in the Great Lakes,” said John Pepperell, president of Georgian Bay Association, a Canadian organization that coordinated the six-month, $200,000 study by the Canadian engineering firm W.F. Baird and Associates.

The goal was to create a shipping channel about 30 feet deep. Today, the study says, the St. Clair channel has eroded to depths exceeding 60 feet in places.

Army Corps officials don’t deny there might be a problem, but said Monday that more studies are needed.

“There definitely seems to be a change in the way water moves . . . from Lakes Huron to Erie,” said Scott Thieme, chief of the Army Corps’ Great Lakes office for hydraulics and hydrology. “We do think there is an issue here that we have been watching and looking at for a while, (but) I think it is more complex than what this report tends to address.”

Conservationists want the Canadian and U.S. governments to dig into the dredging issue and find a solution. They know that the erosion is occurring, but said Monday that there could be factors beyond the river digging a deeper channel for itself. Another factor could be a reduction in river-plugging silt due to shoreline protection and development projects on Lakes Michigan and Huron.

Jim Weakley, president of the Cleveland-based Lake Carriers Association, said he could not comment on the study because he hadn’t seen it. But he said lake levels are a concern to his association, which represents 15 U.S. shipping companies.

Weakley explained that even a one-inch drop in lake levels means a 1,000 foot ship typically can carry about 250 fewer tons.

“Obviously, we’re very concerned with water levels,” Weakley said.

Great Lakes Waters On the Rise

1/25
The Great Lakes are up to 16 inches deeper than they were last winter, a trend that bodes well for the upcoming shipping season, according to a story in Monday's Detroit Free Press.

Lakes Erie, St. Clair and Ontario all are above long-term averages for the first time in several years according to federal data. Lakes below their averages ­ Huron, Michigan and Superior ­ could reach or exceed that mark this summer for the first time in seven years. That's good news for shippers. shipping industry, where higher water means more cargo and bigger profits. A single inch of water allows a 1,000-foot freighter to carry 270 additional tons of goods, according to the Cleveland-based Lake Carriers' Association.

The lakes began inching up after 2001, when they dropped to the lowest levels in nearly 30 years.

Reported by the Detroit Free Press, Jason Leslie

Coast Guard Day Slowly Takes Shape

1/25
Port Huron city and maritime leaders spent Monday morning trying to figure out how best to say thanks to the local units of the U.S. Coast Guard.

About 20 officials gathered to plan the city's first Coast Guard appreciation day, tentatively scheduled for August. The goal is to recognize the 28-member Port Huron station, the 50-member cutter Hollyhock and local retired Coast Guard members.

Many said explaining how the servicemen and women work is just as important as honoring their accomplishments. "To educate the area on what the Coast Guard does ... A lot of people don't know all of the duties of the Coast Guard," said Chris Frazier, a Port Huron police community service officer.

The group discussed tours of the station along Lake Huron and tours of the Hollyhock and vessels at the Seaway Terminal on the city's south side. Other highlights could include visits from the Coast Guard Band, local high school bands, ceremonies and informational presentations. Port Huron station chief Jeffery Egelston said the event also would give Coast Guard members a chance to relate with residents. "We need to get out there and reach out to the community," Egelston said.

The committee plans to loosely pattern this event on the 10-day Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival on Michigan's west side. The next planning meeting is scheduled for mid-February.

Reported by Chris Sebastian, Times Herald and Frank Frisk

Tougher Rule Urged for Freighter Ballast - Most Ships Exempted From Inspection

1/25
It's hardly been a secret: One of the gravest threats to the Great Lakes region's $4.5 billion fishery is the invasion by zebra mussels and other destructive freshwater exotics that have made their way to North America, trapped in the ballast water of foreign ships.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, formally known as the General Accounting Office, has said so. Countless government, industry, nonprofit and university scientists have said so.

Yet the New York state attorney general's office and others say the U.S. Coast Guard is not inspecting 80 to 90 percent of foreign ships entering the lakes for the foreign invaders. The ships have gotten around the required inspections by declaring they are so loaded down by cargo that they have virtually no ballast on board, officials said.

Bob McCann, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality press secretary, said the exemption rate is "probably outside of the intent of the law." "The Coast Guard obviously believes it would be difficult, if not impossible, to check every boat," he said.

The Coast Guard's ballast water inspections are the government's primary detection method to see if ships have taken the time and expense to exchange their ballast water at sea. It's a costly task to kill off freshwater species from other continents that have been drawn into ballast tanks before transoceanic voyages. The purpose of the exchange is to have salt water kill off any freshwater species or microscopic larvae in the ship tanks, before water from the bottom of the vessels is released into the lakes.

The intent of the National Invasive Species Act that former U.S. Sen. John Glenn (D., Ohio) sponsored in 1990 was to limit the chances that other foreign species would plague the lakes.

At stake is a recreational and commercial fishing industry that together supports 81,000 jobs and infuses the region's tourism industry with cash by generating revenue for motels, restaurants, and bait shops. Monroe, Toledo and Port Clinton are among the benefactors, because western Lake Erie's prized walleye and yellow perch are a huge draw.

Great Lakes United and the National Wildlife Federation officials say they're stunned by the rate of inspection exemptions, which they view as a gaping loophole.

Jennifer Nalbone, Great Lakes United spokesperson, said she believes the public has been led to believe the inspection rate was much higher than 10 or 20 percent. If nothing else, allowing the majority of ships to be exempt doesn't live up to the spirit of the National Invasive Species Act, she said.

The Coast Guard said it is handcuffed by regulations but hopes to get support to either be more aggressive or pursue other options. Those options include anything from chemical to thermal to ultraviolet treatment of ballast water, said Jolie Shifflet, spokesperson for Coast Guard headquarters in Washington.

Jeff Hall, spokesperson for the Coast Guard's Great Lakes office in Cleveland, said it's "basic knowledge that ships try to load up as much as they can before they come here." Efficiency in moving cargo is the primary motive, not circumventing ballast water inspections, he said. Foreign vessel operators claim it's nearly impossible to pump out all residue in their ballast, he said.

The Coast Guard has scheduled a set of public meetings in Cleveland to discuss options. The meetings, on May 9, are to be at the Anthony J. Celebreeze Federal Building, 1240 East 9th St., from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m..

"If we need to change something, it will be based on scientific evidence," Ms. Shifflet said.

Concerns about exempted vessels prompted seven of the Great Lakes states, including Michigan and Ohio, to jointly petition the Coast Guard for improvements last July. "The federal government can and must be more aggressive in combating this problem, which each year costs Great Lakes communities billions of dollars in damages," New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said.

Coast Guard Rear Adm. T.H. Gilmour responded in September, saying his agency has been working with others on plans for improvements since 1999.

Michele Hoffer, assistant to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' director for special projects, said officials are encouraged by the Coast Guard's cooperative response to the July petition. "They share our concerns," she said. She said the process that it is taking to gain federal support is "a step in the right direction."

"They're following through on some of the requests of the petition," Ms. Hoffer said. "It is the major priority at this time."

Reported by Tom Henry, Toledo Blade

Barge Fire on Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal

1/25
An explosion onboard the EMC423 tank barge on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Wednesday evening (Jan. 20) has resulted in the presumed death of a crewmember and the closure of the waterway.  

The tank barge that exploded was carrying approximately 588 thousand gallons of Clarified Slurry Oil.  This cargo is a byproduct of the oil refining process and is used to make fuel oils.  It was loaded onto the barge at the Exxon Mobile Plant in Joilet, Ill., and was destined for the Ameropan Oil Corporation facility in Cicero, IL.  

  The tank barge involved in the explosion is owned and operated by the Egan Marine Corporation.  Egan Marine operates a small fleet of barges and towboats in Lemont, Ill.  

The Coast Guard Captain of the Port has closed the Chicago Sanitary and Ship canal between South Harlem Avenue Bridge and the South Pulaski Road Bridge to all vessel traffic.  The canal will be reopened as soon as it has been determined that it is safe for vessel traffic and that opening the waterway will not adversely affect the ongoing clean up and salvage operation.

Heritage Environmental Corporation has been contracted by Egan Marine to clean up the spill.  The Coast Guard is working closely with Heritage Environmental, Egan Marine, and state and local agencies to mitigate any environmental impacts and ensure that the spill is contained and cleaned up efficiently.  

Marine Safety Office Chicago has initiated an investigation to determine the cause of this accident.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) is assisting the Coast Guard with this investigation and is providing significant technical and investigative expertise.

 Jan. 22 Update:
Cleanup and salvage operations continue on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) today despite the inclement weather.  The Coast Guard is continuing to work closely with the Army Corps of Engineers and Egan Marine to mitigate pollution, salvage the sunken barge, and reopen the canal to vessel traffic.

The Army Corps of Engineers will conduct another hydro survey of the Sanitary and Ship Canal today to assist the Coast Guard in determining if and when the canal can be reopened to vessel traffic.  The results of the previous survey conducted on Thursday were determined to be too inconclusive to make the decision to safely open the canal to vessel traffic.  The Coast Guard expects to receive the data from this latest survey tomorrow.

The Coast Guard has mobilized a Salvage Engineering Response Team (SERT) to assist the Captain of the Port Chicago with safely removing the sunken barge from the Sanitary and Ship canal.  The SERT is a highly specialized group of 8-10 staff engineers who are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide immediate salvage engineering support to the Coast Guard Captains of the Port (COTP) and Federal On-Scene Coordinators (FOSC) in response to marine casualties.

Jan. 24 Update:
After carefully examining the hydrographic survey data provided by the Army Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard has verified that the previously closed section of the Sanitary and Ship Canal below the Cicero Avenue Bridge is safe for navigation.  Therefore, this portion of the canal is now open up to vessel traffic.  Mariners are being advised to transit this area with caution due to the presence of oil containment boom positioned on the left descending bank.  The canal remains closed between the Cicero Avenue Bridge and the Belt Railway of Chicago Railway Bridge until a safe channel has been verified.  The hydrographic survey conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers of this section of the waterway indicates that barge transits may be possible.  Verification tests of this section of the waterway will be conducted tonight.

Egan Marine Corporation has submitted a salvage proposal to the Coast Guard.  Marine Safety Office Chicago and the Coast Guard Salvage and Response Team (SERT) are carefully reviewing this proposal to ensure safe and efficient recovery operations of the oil from the sunken barge.  The Coast Guard, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and the Army Corps of Engineers will closely oversee all salvage and recovery operations until the threat of pollution has been eliminated and the barge has been removed from the channel.

Reported by U.S. Coast Guard

Neebish Dispute Averted by Re-routing Coal Ship

1/25
After some discussion of a very late coal delivery to the Carbide Dock in Sault Ste. Marie, Coast Guard officials on Wednesday opted to close the W. Neebish (or downbound) ship channel at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Lt.Cdr. Andy Connor, operations officer at Group Sault, said the Saturday channel closure will almost certainly retain the growing ice bridge over that channel. He explained that shipping officials had pressed to keep the West Neebish open for the delayed passage of the Paul R. Tregurtha.

However, he said, Tregurtha's planned return from a coal delivery trip to Sault Ste. Marie late this week will not occur until Sunday or Monday (now later). The ship will be directed through the Middle Neebish and Munuscong Channels, avoiding the fast ice in the West Neebish.

The timing of the Tregurtha trip, five days after the Soo Locks closed, raised the potential for another ice bridge dispute at Neebish Island. While Connor's announcement appeared to resolve a budding controversy amicably, the Coast Guard officer clearly charted Group Sault's priorities in dealing with the winter ice crossing from Neebish.

"There is open water for the Neebish Island ferry to operate," he said. "Our priority is (retaining) ferry service, not the ice bridge," Connor stated flatly. He acknowledged the shipping industry's continued attempts to lengthen winter shipping on the St. Marys, just as he recognized some Neebish Islanders' preference for access to the mainland by snowmobile to avoid ferry fares.

The announced closure of the W. Neebish Channel appears to meet the concerns of both sides, even though vessel masters would prefer to use the downbound channel for downbound passages.

Concurrent with the Coast Guard announcement, Capt. Mary Schallip of the ferry Neebish Islander II, announced early today that the ferry will continue to run past Saturday. Schallip said a pressure ridge developed in the ice cover and re-opened a portion of channel used by snowmobilers to cross from the island.

Schallip said she will announce planned layup of the ferry three days in advance of the seasonal shutdown, once firmer ice forms over the passage.

With the last boat for Neebish now set at 5 p.m. Saturday, the ferry will remain in lay-up until some time in mid-March or later, when it can make the normally icebound crossing.

To further clarify the Coast Guard's position on the sometimes noisy debate over the winter ice crossing at Neebish, Connor said the tanker Gemini will also follow the upbound channel on her upcoming downbound passage. Gemini was in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Wednesday, unloading fuels on her regular winter shuttle from Sarnia.

Connor said Gemini's captain and Coast Guard officials agreed to the diversion, even though the West Neebish Channel does not officially close until Saturday. That channel is among a handful of area shipping channels closed by Group Sault's Captain of the Port each winter to assure as sound an ice cover as possible over ice crossing routes to inhabited area islands.

Meanwhile, upriver from Neebish, the crane vessel Yankcanuck was hove-to in the ice near Six Mile Point last Wednesday afternoon. The ship was reportedly using its on-board crane to punch out ice around the hull to hold position.

Connor said Yankcanuck set herself in the channel ice purposely to await departure of Gemini from Government Dock. He said the small crane ship preferred to await a clear dock face to allow Yankcanuck a wide turn into her lay-up berth alongside Government Dock for the winter.

Yankcanuck typically backs into her berth for lay-up with the balance of the Purvis Marine Ltd. fleet at Sault, Ont.

Reported by Jack Storey, The Evening News (dated Jan. 20)

Updates to Your Desk Top

1/25
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Lay-up List - News Photo Gallery Updated

1/25
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Today in Great Lakes History

January 25
On January 25, 1988, the tanker L’ORME NO 1 was involved in an accident at Ultramar Refinery near Quebec City when attempting to tie up during foggy weather. She struck the dock and the impact started a fire that extensively damaged the wharf and the forward section of the ship.

Scrapping on the E J BLOCK began at Port Colborne, Ontario on January 25, 1988.

The JOSHUA A HATFIELD (Hull#782) was launched January 25, 1923, at Lorain, Ohio by the American Ship Building Co..

The W C RICHARDSON (2) was launched January 25, 1908, as the a.) WAINWRIGHT (Hull#175) at Wyandotte, Michigan by the Detroit Ship Building Co. .

On 25 January 1890, ALEX NIMICK (wooden propeller, 298 foot, 1968 gross tons) was launched at W. Bay City, Michigan. She was built by J. Davidson (Hull # 30).

January 24
The JOHNSTOWN (2) (Hull#4504) was launched January 24, 1952, at Sparrows Point, Maryland by Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard.

SPRUCEGLEN was launched January 24, 1924, as a) WILLIAM K FIELD (Hull#176) at Toledo, Ohio by the Toledo Ship Building Co..

The steel barge MADEIRA (Hull#38) was launched on January 24, 1900, at Chicago, Illinois by the Chicago Ship Building Co.

In 1988, while under tow of tug EVEREST, the ENDERS M VOORHEES encountered force 9 winds, parted her towline and went aground and subsequently broke in two at Profitis Elais, Kythnos Island (Thermia) in the Cyclades between the Mirto and Aegean Seas. She was on her way to Turkey for scrapping at the time.

January 23
The CELTIC (wooden schooner-barge, 190 foot, 716 gross tons, built 1890, at W. Bay City, Michigan) broke away from the steamer H E RUNNELS during a fierce gale on Lake Huron on 29 November 1902, and was lost with all hands.  No wreckage was found until 23 January 1903, when a yawl and the captain’s desk with the ship’s papers was found on Boom Point, southeast of Cockburn Island.

The GEORGE A STINSON struck a wall of the Poe Lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan on January 23, 1979. The damage was estimated at $200,000.

The rail car ferry GRAND HAVEN sailed on her first trip as a roll on/roll off carrier from Port Burwell on January 23, 1965, loaded with 125 tons of coiled steel bound for Cleveland and Walton Hills, Ohio.

January 23, 1980 - Protesting the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, workers refused to unload the Russian freighter KHUDOZHNKI PAKHOMOV docked at Dow Chemical in Ludington.

January 22
The c.) WOODLAND, b.) JENSEN STAR) was sold to International Capital Equipment of Canada and cleared off the Lakes from Montreal January 22, 1991, under the Bahamian flag with the modified name to d.) WOODLANDS .

The GOLDEN HIND was sold on January 22, 1973, to Trico Enterprises Ltd., Hamilton, Bermuda (Quebec & Ontario Transportation Co. Ltd., Thorold, Ontario, mgr.)

January 22, 1913 - The SAINTE MARIE (2) (Hull#127) was launched at Toledo, Ohio by Craig Shipbuilding Co.

January 21
On this day on 1959, gale force winds and ice at Buffalo, New York caused the steamer MAC GILVRAY SHIRAS to break lose from its moorings and on the way down the Buffalo River collided with the MICHAEL K TEWKSBURY and severed her moorings. Both vessels crashed into the Michigan Avenue Bridge causing millions of dollars in damages.

On 21 January 1895, CHICORA (wooden propeller passenger/package freight vessel, 199 foot, 1123 gross tons, built in 1892 at Detroit, Michigan) was bound from Milwaukee for St. Joseph on a mid-winter run. She foundered with little trace. All 25 on board were lost. The ship's dog was found wandering on the beach by St. Joseph, Michigan a few days later. A well organized search for the wreck continued until mid-June. Many small pieces of wreckage were washed ashore in the Spring.

On January 21, 1978, the Multifood Elevator #4 at Duluth, Minnesota caught fire and collapsed onto the deck of the steamer HARRY L ALLEN which was laid up beneath the elevator. Her pilothouse was destroyed by fire. Severe warping and cracking of her plating occurred when cold water was poured onto her red-hot deck.

January 19
On 19 January 1824, the Welland Canal Company was incorporated to build the first Welland Canal.

The DAVID M WHITNEY (steel propeller freighter, 412 foot, 4626 gross tons) was launched on 19 January 1901, by the Detroit Ship Building Company (Hull #138) in Wyandotte, Michigan for the Gilchrist Transportation Company of Cleveland, Ohio. Renamed b.) EDWIN L BOOTH in 1914, c.) G N WILSON in 1921, d.) THOMAS BRITT in 1928, and e.) BUCKEYE in 1943.  She lasted until 1969, when she was scrapped in Spain.

January 19, 1927 - The Grand Trunk car ferry MADISON was christened with a bottle of Wisconsin milk. She entered service in March of 1927.

CLARENCE B RANDALL (2) was towed to Windsor on January 19, 1987, for scrapping.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Brian Bernard, Max Hanley, Jody Aho, Mike Nicholls, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. Marine Historical Society of Detroit. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history

Port Reports

1/20
Straits of Mackinac
Reported by Jon Paul Michaels
Wednesday morning found the Edwin H. Gott only as far as Round Island Passage in the Straits of Mackinac after locking down as the last ship of the season at the Soo Sunday night. Also in the Straits waiting for the Gott was fleet mate Phillip R. Clark west bound in the South Passage. After a brief radio conversation between the two, the Gott took the lead westbound breaking a path through the heavy ice that now completely fills the straits area. Following right behind the Clark was the Tug Dorothy Ann and barge Pathfinder coming from Round Island along with it's fleet mate Herbert C. Jackson. Strong Northwest winds slowed the convoy after passing under the Mackinaw Bridge and later the Herbert C. Jackson stopped 3 miles west of the bridge presumably to wait for better conditions before entering  the open part of Lake Michigan.

Goderich, ON
Reported by Dale Baechler
The Canadian Progress was struggling all Wednesday afternoon to make the Sifto Salt dock. The strong southerly winds Tuesday night filled the outer harbour with ice making the turn difficult. The Macdonald Marine tugs were assisting and it is unknown if and when she'll begin loading.

Marquette, MI
Though the Soo Locks closed last Saturday, shipping continues in and out of Marquette.  Last Saturday, the Mississagi and the John Munson both arrived at the ore dock in the upper harbor.  The next day, the Michipicoten arrived.  By Monday, all three vessels were loaded and departed for Algoma Steel in Soo, Ont.  At that point, ore dock officials thought the season was over except for the James Barker which was scheduled to arrive Wednesday from Superior to unload coal for Wisconsin Electric.  However, during the evening, the John Munson arrived back into Marquette to
take on another load of ore for Algoma Steel.  Also, on the schedule is the Michipicoten which is scheduled to arrive around 1 p.m. Wednseday.  The James Barker's arrival time was not known at the time of this report.  Ore dock officials are not sure at this time whether additional vessels are due in.  Ship crews on Lake Superior will have to deal with very rough weather which is forecasted through the weekend.  This includes very strong  winds, frigid temperatures, and snow.  Winds Tuesday were gusting well over 30 miles an hour out of the south creating white out condition throughout the region.  Wednesday morning, winds turned to the north and gusted over 15 miles an hour with temperatures hovering around 20 degrees but expected to drop near zero Wednesday evening. 

Lay-up List Updated

1/20
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Port Reports

1/18
The Soo
Reported by Jerry Masson:
With tugs busting ice in the slip, Atlantic Huron departed Algoma Monday morning upbound for Thunder Bay after finally unloading its frozen cargo of coal. The CSL ship arrived at Algoma Jan 18th but was unable to discharge the load due to sub zero temps at the Soo. The ice breaker Samuel Risley will assist the ship into Thunder Bay for lay-up. (The Lower Lakes Mississagi was seen warming up her engines this morning at Algoma. No word on either a dock change at Algoma or possibly getting underway).

Goderich, ON
Reported by Dale Baechler:
The Algosteel entered the Goderich harbour late Monday night under heavy ice conditions for a load at Sifto Salt.The MacDonald Marine tugs and the CCGS Griffon provided some much needed assistance for this late season entry into port.

Buffalo, NY
Reported by Brian Wroblewski:
A representative for the owners of the Buffalo resident passenger steamer MARINE STAR, formerly the cruise ship AQUARAMA was quoted in the Buffalo News as saying that the redevelopment of the ship is still on track despite a 10 year lay up at a lakefront pier. James A Everatt claimed that a decision will be made within the next few months on whether to complete the $40 million renovation of the ship into an entertainment and cruise ship or sell her for scrap. He said that the owners are Empire Cruise Lines of Delaware and that they were currently paying roughly $60,000 a year in maintenance, dockage fees, and insurance. Mr Everatt stated that the plans for the ship included stripping the upper works and replacing them with glassed in viewing areas. Much of the interior has already been gutted and not much of the 1950's decor remains intact at this time. Any modernization of the ship would require a major repowering job since the original 1940's steam plant is highly inefficient and out of date. The MARINE STAR was originally designed as a C-4 class WW2 troop ship and does not lend herself to delicate handling in the restricted waters of the Great Lakes. She had a reputation while sailing as the AQUARAMA for creating a large bow wave that sank pleasure craft and left a trail of destroyed boat docks in her wake.

Sarnia / St. Clair River
Reported by Barry Hiscocks:
Frontenac arrived at the south end of the North Slip at about 9:00 this morning with assistance of the tug Menasha. Frontenac had fueled at Shell Oil in Corunna prior to proceeding for lay up.  Menasha also reported to Sarnia Traffic, that they will breaking a path for the Richard Reiss later today. The Reiss will tie up astern  and east of the Cuyahoga, at the Cargill Dock.  Hopefully she'll come in bow facing east. CCGS Griffon was downbound in the river at about 8:00 this morning from Goderich piers. She'll be working below Algonac and down through the cut to assist the upbound Reiss.  M/T Algoeast will also depart from Sun Oil in Sarnia tomorrow morning for Nanticoke. She's now making arrangements for an escort and ice breaking assist below Algonac and into Lake St. Clair. ETD is scheduled for 5:00 AM currently.

Algoma to Purchase new Tanker, Gemini to join Fleet

1/18
Algoma Tankers has entered into a Memorandum of Agreement to purchase the M.T. Aggersborg, a 1998 built double-hulled petroleum products tanker, from Borg Tankers II Limited, Bermuda and operated by Dannebrog Rederi AS of Copenhagen, Denmark. The expected delivered cost to Canada is approximately $42 million. The transaction is expected to close late in the 1st quarter or early in the 2nd quarter of 2005. The vessel is currently trading in the Arabian Gulf/Indian Ocean area and will be repositioned to the East Coast of Canada to join the Algoma Tanker fleet once the transaction is completed.

In addition, the Gemini will also be joining the Algoma Tanker fleet shortly. The U.S. flagged Gemini is owned by Cleveland Tankers (1991) Inc. of which Algoma has a 25% ownership interest. The 100% wholly-owned subsidiary, Algoma Tankers (USA) Inc., employs the vessel under a long-term time charter arrangement and also has an option to purchase the vessel. This purchase option has been exercised and the vessel will be purchased and transferred to Canadian flag in the 1st quarter of 2005 under ownership of Algoma Tankers Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Corporation.

Algoma Tankers, a division of Algoma Central Corporation, located in St. Catharines, Ontario, manages the commercial and technical operations of the tanker fleet, which, once these two transactions are completed will consist of four modern double-hulled tankers and a smaller single-hulled tanker. Algoma Tankers' core business is the transportation of refinery production including heavy fuel oil, gasoline and other petroleum distillates throughout the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Waterway and Atlantic Canada region.

Algoma Central Corporation owns and operates the largest Canadian marine transportation fleet. The Algoma Central fleet includes 14 self-unloaders and five bulk carriers, all of which are managed by the Seaway Marine Transport partnership, and five petroleum product tankers. In addition, the Corporation owns one ocean-going self-unloader directly and five others jointly through its 50% interest in Marbulk Canada Inc. The above fleet composition reflects the sale of a 1968 built bulk carrier and a 1974 built single hull tanker to offshore interest in early January 2005 for total proceeds of $2,600,000.

The Corporation, through a subsidiary, Algoma Central Properties Inc., also owns and manages commercial real estate in Sault Ste. Marie, St. Catharines and Waterloo, Ontario.

Aggersborg information

Eleven Lakers at Duluth-Superior This Winter

1/18
Eleven ships plan to tie up in the Twin Ports this winter, according to a story in the Duluth News Tribune.

"That's on the low-side of average for our port," said Jim Sharrow, facilities manager for the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. The Twin Ports typically welcomes 11 to 13 vessels during the winter lay-up.

By his estimate, each ship that spends its off-season here injects between $500,000 and $800,000 into the local economy. That figure assumes only
standard maintenance for a ship, not major mechanical overhauls or upgrades.

Gene Walroos, general superintendent of Fraser Shipyards Inc. in Superior, is bracing for a busy winter. He expects to have about 120 people on the company payroll, tending to the needs of ships in port and making sure the vessels are ready for action in late March, when a new season begins.

The shipyard's winter business fluctuates not only with the number of lakers that tie up in the Twin Ports, Walroos said, but with the financial health of carriers. By most accounts, the shipping season now drawing to a close was much more auspicious than the previous one.

"We don't have our year-end numbers yet, but obviously, we saw quite an improvement" from 2003, said Glen Nekvasil, vice president of corporate communications for the Lake Carriers' Association, a Cleveland-based organization that represents operators of U.S.-flagged fleets on the Great Lakes.

The continued recovery of the U.S. steel industry has much to do with what Nekvasil characterized as the "revival" of Great Lakes shipping during 2004. He said the overall increase in iron ore shipments is expected to be in the 20 percent range.
 

Two Ships Battle Heavy Weather On Locks Final Day

1/18
Two 1,000-foot ships slogged through heavy seas, freezing spray and near-zero temperatures on the open waters of Lake Superior late Saturday in a race to make the Soo Locks ahead of the scheduled midnight closing.

By late Saturday afternoon, a Coast Guard official said only the 1,000-foot Stewart J. Cort and Edwin H. Gott were expected at the Locks before the midnight closing deadline. Through the day, Cort was reportedly about 90 minutes ahead of Gott, the apparent last vessel to pass through the Locks in the waning shipping season.

The two ships faced far less than ideal conditions on the open lake as the two headed across Lake Superior Friday and Saturday. With west and northwest winds whistling into gale range on the downbound passage, the two loaded vessels were confronted with seas of up to 20 feet in conditions where airborne spray freezes instantly when it lands aboard late-running ships.

As a brittle-cold Saturday afternoon wore down to evening, Gott - the apparent last vessel of the season at the Locks - was expected to make Whitefish Point about 8:30 p.m., in time to make the midnight deadline. Cort was expected about 90 minutes ahead of Gott.

The final two vessels of the season finished off an unusually busy last day of the season at the Locks. Earlier on Saturday, the Canadian motor vessel Mississagi moved into Lake Superior upbound, the last ship in that direction.

Among downbounders, the steamers Herbert C. Jackson and Kaye E. Barker preceded the Canadian motor vessel Frontenac in an early-afternoon flurry of shipping activity at the Locks.

Reported by Jack Storey/Soo Evening News

The Big Boats are Back: Great Lakes Shipping Rebound Buoys Freighter Fans

1/18
Ship-watcher Peter Vanderlinden's observations of the St. Clair River can be a good barometer for the 2004 Great Lakes shipping season.  For Vanderlinden and the shipping industry, it was a great year.  "It was because I recorded 3,800 ships sighted," said Vanderlinden, 75, of Marysville.  "The year before it was 2,900."

The Lake Carriers' Association, representing 15 shipping companies on the Great Lakes, reported 102 million tons of cargo shipped by the end of November, a 19% increase from a year ago.  Two main factors rise to the surface to explain the good shipping year: higher water levels and a growing construction industry.  "2004 was a year of noticed improvement," said Glen Nekvasil, association spokesman.  "But one does have to be very frank: 2003 was a very bad year.  We had a number of vessels that didn't sail or sailed short seasons."

Only a few freighters stop in the Blue Water Area each year. But the ships play another important role for the city -- feeding tourism.  Some ship-watchers travel from across the Midwest to watch the massive vessels glide past, and a good shipping season can mean great viewing for visitors and the dollars they spend locally.

The low Great Lakes water levels that in recent years have plagued recreational boaters have a larger, and costlier, impact on the shipping industry.  While powerboaters and sailboaters have to worry about access to their favorite fishing spots and harbors, water levels determine how much cargo a freighter can load.  "Water levels were a factor (in 2004).  They were up, so we were carrying more," Nekvasil said.

Because the cost is relatively the same for a company to send a boat between two ports, larger loads help both shipper and customer.  St. Clair Aggregates in Marine City had freighters unload concrete and construction materials 64 times to its location on the St. Clair River.  For manager Larry Beaker, more capacity meant fewer trips to pay for.  "It would cost the same amount of money to move the boat. It could possibly lower the cost (for his business)," he said.

Marine Transport Services, which manages ship movements for Upper Lakes Group Inc. and Algoma Central Corp., had a more successful year because a strengthening economy means more building materials to haul.  "The steel industry ... had a very strong year, and that really pulled the demand up on the U.S. fleet and for the Canadian side," said Wayne Smith, Marine Transport vice president.

Because of foreign competition, American steel companies in the late 1990s saw business dwindle.  In turn, the ships that haul steel's building blocks -- iron ore -- also idled.

By the end of the shipping season this month, Nekvasil estimates the total cargo shipped to end up between 110 million and 112 million tons. By contrast, the same vessels in the highly successful 1997 season hauled 125,000 tons.

Tourism cargo

Even though only a handful of freighters stop near Port Huron each year, the city caters to thousands of ship fans each shipping season.  Because ships are so close to shore through the St. Clair River, maritime enthusiasts such as Ronald LaDue, 58, of Hamlin, N.Y., travel to Port Huron several times a year to see the ships.  Ladue has watched ships for more than 50 years and considers Port Huron the best viewing spot.  "My wife and I spent our honeymoon up there at the Thomas Edison Inn," he said.  "We didn't sleep much; we were always down watching the ships go by.  I'd rather go to Port Huron than any other place in the world."

Ship-watching is a pivotal element for Desmond Landing, the riverfront redevelopment in southern Port Huron by Acheson Ventures. The development company has solicited opinions from ship-watchers through Boatnerd as to what type of building or other elements would best serve the hobbyists.

John Burde, 58, of Carbondale, Ill., grew up in Burtchville Township and remembers watching the freighters go by his home.  "It was always something that I loved," Burde said. "We used to sit in Pine Grove Park all day sometimes ... you'd see one every 20 minutes or so."

Jim and Jerry Clary operate a Web camera pointed at the river, and they say people from across the world watch ships live every day online.  "It's really encouraging," said Jerry Clary. "They say, Ô, we watch it every day.' It's catching on."

Reported by Chris Sebastian, Port Huron Times Herald

CSL Tadoussac Wins Welland Canal Christmas Contest

1/18
The CSL Tadoussac was chosen Best Dressed Ship in a recent Christmas decoration contest sponsored by Thorold Tourism. The price, a silver fruit cup that came off the scrapped laker Marlhill and a plaque will be presented at the Annual Shipmaster's Dinner, February 19 at Club Capri in St. Catharines.

Reported by Terry Dow

Former Passenger Ship Blocks Traffic in Detroit

1/18
The former passenger ship turned scrap barge Alabama broke partially loose from its moorings in the Rouge River in Detroit Sunday morning. The vessel's stern swung out into the channel and blocked traffic in the river. It covered part of the draw of the N&S Bridge.

About 10:30 a.m. The Cuyahoga had finished unloading at the Morton Salt dock and was preparing to back out of the River. She was delayed for about 45 minutes but was able to pass.

The Coast Guard was on scene with the dock owners assessing the situation.

The Alabama was used as a scrap barge and has been docked, unused, at the Harradon Dock in the Rouge for many years.

Reported by Mike Jackson

Today was a busy day for traffic in the Rouge River.  The Cuyahoga was unloading a cargo of salt at Morton Salt, The Karen Andrie with her barge A-397 was loading at Marathon, and the Tug Holly Ann with barge were waiting for the Cuyahoga to clear to enter the Rouge.  After the Karen Andrie passed the Cuyahoga she had to stop and wait for the NS Bridge.  After she cleared the bridge it was noticed by the Cuyahoga that the barge Alabama, a longtime fixture in the Rouge, had broken loose and hanging out into the river blocking it.  She was secured at the bow, but the stern had broken loose.  After some tense moments and very skillful maneuvering by the Cuyahoga, the Alabama was flushed back into the dock and temporarily secured and the traffic resumed back to normal in the Rouge.

Reported by J.D. Graham

Port Reports

1/18
Toledo, OH
Reported by Jim Hoffman:
The Cedarglen tried leaving Toledo this morning with the assistance of two "G" tugs Idaho and Illinois with no success. The strong currents along the Maumee River are still ongoing yet. The Cedarglen will try again on Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m. they are supposed to be headed for Windsor, Ontario for lay-up. Late last week there was serious flooding of a number of communities located along the Maumee River system due to heavy rains that saturated the area and the melting of all the snow at the same time, with all of that water all at once its no wonder all the rivers were in flood stage for several days. These rivers are now receding back to more normal levels. This is the reason for the strong river currents.

Marquette and Escanaba, MI
Reported by Lee Rowe (Marquette also by Chad Michael):
Although the Soo Locks are closed, Marquette is still shipping out ore.  The Mississagi loaded on Sunday while the John G. Munson waited.  The Michipicoten arrived and anchored out in the harbor to await her turn.  The James R. Barker may arrive later with a load of coal, as well.

Escanaba continues to be busy.  The Mesabi Miner is due in Sunday night, then the Walter J. McCarthy, Jr. on Monday, the  Tregurtha also on Monday, and the Great Lakes Trader very late Monday.
Monday update: Ice and cold weather are hampering the ore shipments out of Escanaba.  The Mesabi Miner had her load interrupted for a while on Monday because of mechanical problems at the dock.  The Walter J. McCarthy Jr. got stuck in the ice on Minneapolis Shoal on her way into the harbor and was freed with the assistance of the tug Erika Kobasic.  The Lee A. Tregurtha, because of the delays, cancelled her trip to Escanaba and went to Sturgeon Bay.   Weather permitting, the Great Lakes Trader/Joyce VanEnkevort and Joseph L. Block are still expected this week.

Soo Traffic
Reported by Jerry Masson:
Downbound Mississagi arrived at Algoma Steel today. The Captain advises after unloading, his company will make a decision on tying up until April or pull the anchor.  Soo traffic reports the John G Munson will be downbound Tuesday or Wednesday for Algoma.

Duluth - Superior
Reported by Al Miller:
Arthur M. Anderson arrived over the weekend and entered the big drydock at Fraser Shipyards for winter lay-up.  The John G. Munson also is scheduled to lay-up in the shipyard, tying up across the entrance to the drydock.  (This keeps ice from pushing against the drydock gate, and come spring, the Munson can be pulled back, leaving an ice-free area around the gate.)  The Reserve also is in the shipyard.

DeTour's Final Passages
Reported by Cathy Kohring
Sunday morning around 11:00 a.m. the Cutter Mackinaw escorted the Stewart J Cort and the Edwin Gott down past DeTour and out of the St. Marys river system for their final trip of the season.  It was interesting to listen to the scanner as each freighter called the Mackinaw and thanked her for her assistance and wished her a good winter season and they all looked forward to seeing each other again in the spring.  A beautiful, sunny and cold(-12) finish to the shipping season on the St. Marys River. 

William G. Mather Museum Takes a Road Trip

1/18
Attached are two press releases on the MATHER's outreach programs for Winter 2005.  Even though the boat is closed for the season, the MATHER's crew is still spreading the word about the history of Great Lakes shipping as well as "The Ship That Built Cleveland!"

Potential Restoration & Maintenance Volunteers can visit the MATHER's booth at the Cleveland Boat Show (Jan. 14-23) to see some very interesting and very BIG "tools of the trade", as well as to see and hear the whistle from the CITY OF BUFFALO.  If you'd like to volunteer with your plumbing, electrical, welding, carpentry, painting, or general maintenance skills, talk to the friendliest Museum Crew on the Lakes about how to get onboard!
 

"What’s That Cargo?" Game Returns to Cleveland’s 2005 Mid-America Sail and Power Boat Show

The Steamship William G. Mather Museum will have something for all visitors who visit its booth at the January 14-23, 2005 Mid-America Sail and Power Boat Show. For younger visitors, there is an 8-foot long teaching model of the Mather and "What’s That Cargo?" game. "What’s That Cargo?" will give visitors a chance to discover different types of cargo by touching samples of what the Mather hauled for 55 years – iron ore pellets (taconite), limestone, coal, grain and even cars! Visitors who play "What’s That Cargo?" can win a special prize from the Treasure Chest and a discount admission coupon to visit the Mather Museum when it opens on April 30, 2005.

"Land Lubber" Programs

The Steamship William G. Mather Museum proudly offers its third season of "LandLubber" programs to promote Great Lakes history and culture at an inland location.  CanalWay Center in Cuyahoga Heights will again host these FREE programs on Wednesday evenings, 7-8 p.m.  This year's exciting schedule includes:

Feb. 9, "Shipwrecks of Lake Erie – Fire, Storm, Collision" presented by Georgann and Mike Wachter, authors of the "Erie Wrecks" Series on Lake Erie Shipwrecks.

March 16, "Black Friday" presented by Carrie Sowden, Director of the Peachman Lake Erie Shipwreck Research Center and archaeologist for the Great Lakes Historical Society.

April 20, "Hulett Unloaders" presented by John A. Burke, Trustee of the Great Lakes Historical Society.

Visit www.wgmather.org for more information.

Lay-up List - News Photo Gallery Updated

1/18
Click to visit the 11th Annual Lay-Up List
Please send any updates, corrections or new information to news@boatnerd.net

News Photo Gallery updated

News Page & Photo Gallery Announcement

1/18
With the 2004 navigation season drawing to a close, these pages will be updated weekly until the beginning of the 2005 season.  News breaking stories and articles will continue to be updated in this news page promptly as warranted.  The next photo gallery is scheduled to be released for Tuesday, January 25th.

The lay-up list will continue to updated daily as information becomes available.

Note: Today's photo gallery is large meaning photos submitted after noon on the 17th could not be included.  They'll be included in the next gallery.

Today in Great Lakes History - January 18

On 18 January 2004, the Great Lakes Fleet’s 1000 footer EDGAR B SPEER became stuck in the ice in the Rock Cut in the St. Mary’s River.  Over the next two days, the U.S.C.G.C. MACKINAW tried to free her, but unsuccessfully.  On 21 January, the tugs RELIANCE, MISSOURI, JOSEPH H THOMPSON JR and JOYCE L VAN ENKEVORT all coordinated their efforts under the direction of Wellington Maritime’s Captain John Wellington and got the SPEER free.

The CABOT was refloated on January 18, 1967. On December 16, 1966, while loading at Montreal, the CABOT rolled over on her side and sank. The CABOT's stern section, used in the interim as the stern section of the b.) CANADIAN EXPLORER, now sails as the stern section of c.) CANADIAN TRANSFER.

The MONDOC (3) had her Canadian registry closed on January 18, 1979. The vessel had been renamed b) CORAH ANN and sold to Jamaican company. CORAH ANN was scrapped in 2003.

The National Steamship Co. was incorporated January 18, 1906.

L. P. Mason and Company of E. Saginaw, Michigan sold the steam barge PORTER CHAMBERLAIN (wooden steam barge, 134 foot, 257 gross tons, built in 1874 at Marine City, Michigan) on 18 January 1888, to Comstock Brothers and L. & H. D. Churchill of Alpena, Michigan.

 Today in Great Lakes History - January 17

NORTHERN VENTURE closed the Welland Canal for the season as she passed downbound for Hamilton with coal in 1975.

In 1978, the CLIFFS VICTORY, JOSEPH H FRANTZ, WILLIAM G MATHER, ROBERT C NORTON, CRISPIN OGLEBAY and J BURTON AYERS formed a convoy in the Detroit River bound for Cleveland.

The PHILIP D BLOCK (Hull#789) was launched at Lorain, Ohio, by the American Ship Building in 1925.

Tanker GREAT LAKES was launched in 1963, as the a.) SINCLAIR GREAT LAKES (Hull#1577) at Decatur, Alabama by Ingalls Iron Works Co..

JOHN E F MISENER (2) was float launched in 1951, as a.) SCOTT MISENER (2) (Hull#11) at St. Catharines, Ontario by Port Weller Drydocks, Ltd..

January 17, 1902 - The PERE MARQUETTE 2 ran aground at Ludington.

PERE MARQUETTE 19 grounded in limited visibility on January 17, 1916, two miles south of Big Point Sable, Michigan 600 feet off shore. The captain made three unsuccessful attempts to find the Ludington Harbor entrance and on the turn around for the fourth attempt she grounded.

On 17 January 1899, the GERMANIA (wooden propeller freighter, 136 foot, 237 gross tons, built in 1875 at Marine City, Michigan) caught fire and burned to the water's edge at Ecorse, Michigan. The previous day, Norman Reno of Ecorse did some painting inside the cabin and it was presumed that the stove used to heat the cabin may have caused the blaze. The vessel was in winter lay-up at the rear of the home of Mr. W. G. Smith, her owner.

Today in Great Lakes History - January 16

The COLONEL JAMES PICKANDS (Hull#791) was launched in 1926, at ;Lorain, Ohio by the American Ship Building Co..

In 1987, the DETROIT EDISON (2) was at Brownsville, Texas for scrapping, she was raised after being scuttled by vandals.

On her way to the cutters torch, the dead ship ASHLAND was anchored off Bermuda in 1988, when she dragged her anchors and was swept onto rocks. She suffered massive bottom damage but the tow continued.

On 16 January 1909, TECUMSEH (wooden propeller bulk freighter, 200 foot, 839 gross tons, built in 1873, at Chatham, Ontario) burned to a total loss at her winter berth at Goderich, Ontario.

In 1978, the CANADIAN CENTURY and NORTHERN VENTURE departed Toronto for Hamilton with coal after laying up at that port due to the bridge tenders strike which closed the Burlington Lift Bridge to navigation.

On 16 January 1875, the Port Huron Times printed the following list of vessels that were total losses in 1874:
Tug IDA H LEE by collision in Milwaukee.
Tug TAWAS by explosion off Sand Beach.
Steamer W H BARNUM by collision in the Pelee Passage.
Steamer TOLEDO by partially burning at Manistee.
Tug WAVE by burning on Saginaw Bay.
Tug DOUGLAS by burning on the Detroit River
Steamer BROOKLYN by explosion on the Detroit River
Steamer LOTTA BERNARD by foundering on Lake Superior.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Brian Bernard, Max Hanley, Jody Aho, Mike Nicholls, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. Marine Historical Society of Detroit. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history

Welland Canal Program

1/17
For Ontario boatnerds and those that might be able to receive this on satellite, TVOntario (TVO) is broadcasting a program at 10PM EST tonight (Monday) entitled "Conquering Niagara: The Story of the Welland Canal".  It is scheduled to be rebroadcast on Tuesday Jan. 18 at 1:30AM.  Please check your local listings for specific channel and time details.
Thanks to James Gardiner for bringing this program to our attention.

Check back later today for further news updates.

Coast Guard Implements New Regulated Navigation Area On The Chicago Sanitary And Ship Canal

1/15
A regulated navigation area (RNA) has been implemented by the Coast Guard for all vessels operating in the vicinity of the aquatic nuisance species demonstration electrical dispersal barrier. This RNA has been established by the Coast Guard Ninth District Commander in response to a recent test conducted by the Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers on the effects of the electrical barrier on passing barge traffic. The Coast Guard has worked closely with the Army Corps of Engineers to develop new safety regulations to ensure the safety of all vessels transiting through the electrical dispersal barrier.

The RNA requires that the following measures be taken by all traffic prior to crossing the fish barrier:

1. All vessels are prohibited from loitering in the vicinity of the electrical dispersal barrier.

2. Vessels may enter this section of the waterway only with the sole purpose of transiting to the other side, and must maintain headway throughout the transit.

3. All personnel on open decks must wear a Coast Guard approved Type I personal flotation device while in the area.

4. Vessels may not moor or lay up on the right or left descending banks, and towboats may not make or break tows.

5. Vessels may not pass in the vicinity of the electrical dispersal barrier, and must make a SECURITE call when approaching the barrier to announce intentions and to work out any passing arrangements on either side.

6. Commercial tows transiting the electrical dispersal barrier must be made up with wire rope to ensure electrical connectivity between all segments of the tow. 

The demonstration electrical dispersal barrier was constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers to prevent aquatic nuisance species like the Asian Carp from entering the Great Lakes from the Illinois River system. It is located on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in Romeoville, IL.

U.S. Coast Guard

Hoax Caller Pleads Guilty: Faces Fines, Imprisonment

1/15
A Detroit-area man accused of making false distress calls to the Coast Guard has plead guilty in the U.S. District Court in Detroit.

Bradley Taylor, 28, of Rochester Hills, admitted to calling Coast Guard Station Belle Isle the night of June 1, 2003 and falsely reporting that his vessel was taking on water in Lake St. Clair.  

“False distress calls not only cost taxpayers money and place U.S. Coast Guard members at increased personal risk, but more importantly, they divert limited resources from mariners who are in actual distress,” stated Captain Paul Preusse, Chief of Operations for the Ninth Coast Guard District.  There were four suspected hoax cases in the Western New York area alone in 2004, costing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars.

While Mr. Taylor was sitting on a boat safely moored at a Detroit area marina, boats from Belle Isle, Station St. Clair Shores and a helicopter from Air Station Detroit raced to his rescue.  Taylor had told the communications watchstander at Belle Isle over VHF channel 16, the international hailing and distress frequency, that he was sinking and expected his radio to fail imminently.  The estimated cost to the taxpayer as a result of this hoax call is at least $10,718.

As part of his plea agreement, Mr. Taylor faces a maximum term of six months imprisonment and a maximum fine of $10,000.  Additionally, he will be required to reimburse the Coast Guard for the expenses incurred for the search and rescue effort.

U.S. Coast Guard

Green Bay Has Busiest Season Since '79

1/15
Despite fewer visiting ships, the port of Green Bay had its biggest year handling cargo since 1979, port officials said this week.

The port received 2,231,744 metric tons of cargo during the 2004 season which ended Jan. 6. That's a 15 percent increase compared to 2003, and the most domestic inbound tonnage since 1979.

The increase came despite the lower number of arrivals, 211 compared to 228 in 2003. The increased tonnage in fewer arrivals is because of rising water levels, allowing ships to carry more cargo, and the loss of small barged exports of granite that made up some of 2003's total.

The largest increases in domestic tonnage were in coal (22 percent), cement (8 percent) and limestone (4 percent). Much of the increase came from a 638 percent increase in foreign lumber and wood pulp as a result of the first full year of operations at the K & K Warehousing dock. Also increasing were foreign salt and cement.

There was a 57 percent decrease in domestic liquid asphalt and a 24 percent decrease in foreign pig iron.

Reported by Green Bay News-Chronicle, Rick Mason

Port Reports

1/15
Buffalo, NY
Reported by Brian Wroblewski:
The Niagara Frontier Transit Authority has picked it's development team for the Buffalo Outer Harbor project. The so called "Lakefront Group" won out over two other competitors for their plans submitted late last year. The team includes three out of town firms including  Opus Group, VOA Associates, Urban Retail Properties, and the two local firms, Unilad Development, and BIDCO Marine Services. Their ambitious plan calls for a convention center, hotel, sports complex, festival pavilion, aquarium, office space, and marina. The land to be developed runs between the Seaway Piers to the North and the Buffalo Port Terminal to the South. This area recently passed environmental testing and is mostly open ground with a few buildings scattered across the site including the old bell hovercraft hanger now used as a marina and the Pier restaurant building. The plan has a huge price tag of $750 million with a combination of public and private investment. No funding has been sought at this time since the project is still in the very early stages but the companies involved have a successful track record with large development all across the country.

Green Bay, WI
Reported by Dick Smith:
The U.S. Coast Guard will begin clearing an ice track in the shipping lane on lower Green Bay and the mouth of the Fox River on Sunday.

Ice-breaking operations are being conducted to assist with the arrival of a ship delivering coal.

Persons are reminded that ice-breaking operations make ice recreation especially hazardous.

All shanties should be removed from areas in the vicinity of the shipping channel before Sunday and all fisherman, snowmobilers and other interested parties should stay clear of the shipping channel while ice breaking is taking place.

Marquette & Escanaba, MI
Reported by Lee Rowe:
Loading continues in Marquette in very frigid weather.  The Michipicoten was loaded on Friday while the CSL Tadoussac waited at the dock.  The Kaye E.  Barker loaded and anchored in the harbor because of strong winds and high waves on the lake.  If weather permits, the Mississagi and John J. Munson will come in for loads before the locks close.

The Frontenac completed her load at Marquette on Thursday while the Kaye E. Barker waited at the dock.  The Michipicoten anchored in the harbor waiting for the Frontenac to leave.  The Kaye E. Barker was expected to depart on Friday morning.  Weather permitting, the CSL Tadoussac is expected to come in for a load, and the Michipicoten plans to make a return trip.

Escanaba is also busy with an average of a boat a day through the 23rd. The Mesabi Miner loaded and left on Friday (31 hrs to load); the Wilfred Sykes loaded Friday also, and the Charles M. Beeghly waited.  The Joseph H. Block is due on Saturday, the Mesabi Miner is expected to return Sunday, and the McCarthy and Great Lakes Trader are due Monday.

The Cason Calloway went in to Gladstone with a load of coal on Friday.

Sturgeon Bay, WI
Reported by Vic DeLarwelle:
Ships that have arrived at Bay ship this past week are,  The Adam E. Cornelius 1/12/05 and was placed at berth #9.

The Indiana Harbor arrived this morning (1/14)and was placed in the 1000' graving dock for her 5 year survey, and once that is completed, it will be removed from the graving dock and placed at berth #15 for the winter.

Soo Locks
Reported by Jerry Masson
With one more day to go before winter Navigation closes at the Soo Locks, the downbound Paul R Tregurtha locked through Friday for the lower lakes. The John G Munson locked through upbound but was unable to make the turn into the Canadian channel due to ice.  The 768 foot Munson followed the ice edge up to light 26 for the turn down river to Algoma Steel.

Lay-up List - News Photo Gallery Updated

1/15
Click to visit the 11th Annual Lay-Up List
Please send any updates, corrections or new information to news@boatnerd.net

News Photo Gallery updated

Today in Great Lakes History - January 15

In 1978, the upbound MC KEE SONS, LEON FALK JR, WILLIAM P SNYDER JR, A H FERBERT and CHAMPLAIN became stuck in heavy ice outside Cleveland Harbor. Eventually they were freed with the help of the U.S.C.G. icebreaker NORTHWIND and the U.S.C.G. MARIPOSA.

FORT YORK (Hull#160) was launched January 15, 1958, at Collingwood, Ontario by Collingwood Shipyards, Ltd..

In 1917, the ANN ARBOR NO 6 left Ecorse for Frankfort on her maiden voyage.

On 15 January 1873, A. Muir began building a wooden 3-mast schooner ("full sized canaler") at his shipyard in Port Huron. Fourteen men were employed to work on her, including master builder James Perry. The schooner was to be the exact counterpart of the GROTON, the first vessel built at that yard. The vessel's dimensions were 138 foot keel, 145 foot overall, 26 foot2 inches beam and 11 foot 6 inch depth.

On 15 January 1886, the tug KITTIE HAIGHT was sold to Mr. Fisken of Toronto for $3,900.

 Today in Great Lakes History - January 14

On 14 January 1945, the W. Butler Shipyard built C1-M-AV1 ship LEBANON (Hull#40) was the last vessel through the Soo Locks.  Ice was a serious problem.  The newly commissioned ice breaker U.S.C.G.C. MACKINAW escorted the LEBANON to Lake Huron.  The Locks had never before been open this late in January.  They were kept open to allow newly built cargo vessels to sail from Superior, Wisconsin to the Atlantic Ocean where they were needed for the war effort.

Scrapping began on the CHICAGO TRIBUNE January 14, 1989, by International Marine Salvage in Port Colborne, Ontario.

January 14, 1920 - The Grand Trunk carferry GRAND HAVEN was fast in the ice three miles out of Grand Haven.

In 1977, the CANADIAN MARINER laid up at the Consol Fuel dock in Windsor after her attempt to reach Port Colborne was thwarted by heavy ice off Long Point.

On Jan 14, 1978, the JAMES R BARKER departed the Soo Line ore dock in Ashland, Wisconsin, where she had been laid-up since August 7, 1977, due to the iron ore miners strike.

Data from: Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Brian Bernard, Max Hanley, Jody Aho, Mike Nicholls, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. Marine Historical Society of Detroit. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history

Cleveland-Cliffs Diversifies to Satisfy Demand In China

1/13
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., the biggest North American maker of iron ore pellets, has agreed to buy Australia's Portman Ltd. for $465 million in cash to increase sales to Chinese steelmakers.

Buying Portman would help the Cleveland, Ohio-based miner diversify outside North America, where it sells 95 percent of its pellets. Portman exports three quarters of its ore to China and is expanding its biggest mine by 60 percent, betting Chinese demand will boost prices to a record this year.

"The bid reflects, among other things, the scarcity of good iron ore companies and if Asia is where the growth is coming from it makes sense for them to invest here," said Neil Boyd-Clark, who helps manage more than $350 million of equities at ABN Amro Asset Management Australia Ltd. "The iron ore market at the moment is extremely tight."

Reported by Ken Boerman
 

Lawsuit Possible Over Spirit of Ontario Refunds

1/13
The New York state Attorney General's Office threatened Tuesday to sue Rochester's high-speed ferry company, saying the firm has failed to provide refunds for hundreds of disgruntled customers.

Canadian American Transportation Systems shut down the Spirit of Ontario ferry to Toronto in September with no warning, leaving many people with useless tickets and gift certificates for future voyages. Some even complained that the company accepted reservations the same day it ended the service.

CATS says it is trying its best to address the claims, but the attorney general is turning up the heat. "It is against the law of the state of New York to receive cash for a service and not provide the service and refuse to return the money,"  Bobby Colon, an assistant attorney general in Rochester, told the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle recently.

If the attorney general doesn't hear back from CATS in five days, it will file the suit in state Supreme Court, "alleging that CATS has engaged in deceptive business practices, fraud and violations of other consumer protection laws enacted to protect the traveling public." The suit would seek about $100,000 in refunds and more in potential penalties. CATS owes refunds to about 600 people.

A federal magistrate judge has ordered the vessel to be sold at a Feb. 28 foreclosure auction to pay creditors. The minimum bid has been set at $22.5 million. The city of Rochester is expected to be among the bidders.

Reported by Jason Leslie, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle
 

Easy Going for Late-Season Shipping

1/13
With only days left in the Lake Superior shipping season, the first half of the ice season will likely go down as easy going for cargo vessels and icebreakers alike, Jack Storey reported in The Evening News newspaper from Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.

Bitterly cold weather expected this week may tighten up iced channels before Saturday's closing of the Soo Locks, but a Coast Guard official said he does not expect the last week of shipping to be anything like last year's struggle.

The '03 season ended a few days after Jan. 15, 2004, when the 1,000-foot Edgar B. Speer lodged herself in heavy ice in the W. Neebish Channel. A small fleet of tugs and icebreakers spent the better part of three days moving the huge ship, after which further trips were canceled in the extended shipping season.

This January, the same stretch of water through the Neebish Rock Cut is ice free, as are all area channels except the middle portion of the lower St. Marys River.

Lt. Cdr. Andy Connor, operations officer at Group Sault, said despite fast ice on the Munuscong Bay portion of the river, ships still operating are moving well through the river and the largely open waters of Whitefish Bay.

Connor said two of the four Coast Guard icebreakers initially dispatched to Eastern Upper Peninsula waters have since been released for other duties. He confirmed that with the mid-river exception, this year's ice crop has been late in arriving on area channels.

He said Group Sault's most persistent ice trouble comes from Duluth Harbor, where the new tender USCGC Alder has reportedly held its own with harbor ice.

He said a sharp drop in temperatures to single-digit daytime highs predicted for Friday and Saturday may tighten up river ice in places. He does not expect cargo vessels to encounter ice difficulty on final passages before the Soo Locks close Saturday, however.

With vessels laying up at several southern ports as well as at the lakehead in Duluth-Superior, layup traffic can be expected in either direction as the season winds down.

Once the Locks do close, Connor said a handful of vessels are expected in Sault Harbor as midwinter arrives. He said the Canadian tender-breaker Samuel Risley will be passed through the Locks for the lower lakes sometime next week. Fuel deliveries to Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. will continue through the winter and he said an unusual coal cargo is scheduled for off-loading at the Carbide Dock on the Michigan side after the Locks close.

Another unusual aspect of this late shipping season has been reasonably active Canadian-flag traffic through the Locks into January. As a consequence, the Corps of Engineers kept the MacArthur Lock open through the Jan. 15 closing date to handle the extra traffic.

Normally, shipping traffic continues for a time into Escanaba on Lake Michigan for iron ore cargoes after the Soo Locks close.

Asian Carp Barrier May be in Jeopardy

1/13
A new, more powerful barrier to keep Asian carp from swimming into the Great Lakes is almost finished, but concerns about how it could affect shipping and recreational boating could keep it turned off, at least for now.

Prompted by complaints from the shipping industry, federal and state officials have been meeting to determine if boats can safely pass through the electrical current designed to keep the ravenous fish out of freshwater.

A temporary series of electrical cables strung across the bottom of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in 2002 became an issue with shippers last spring when a string of barges drifted into the fish barrier and crew members spotted an arc flashing between two of the floating platforms.

The incident raised concerns that the fish barrier could prove to be a hazard for barges carrying petroleum, chemicals and other flammable commodities through the canal, which links the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. "We don't want anybody to blow up," Coast Guard Cmdr. David Fish told the Chicago Tribune Tuesday.

Reported by Steve Jackson, Chicago Tribune

Port Reports

1/13
Marquette, MI
Reported by Lee Rowe
Wednesday saw more ships waiting to dock in Marquette.  The Pathfinder/Dorothy Ann loaded while the Frontenac waited on the other side of the dock.  The Herbert C. Jackson and Kaye E. Barker waited in the harbor.  The Jackson left without getting a load.  Because of the heavy demand for ore, ships are loaded as the trains pull in.  The chutes are down, and the trains are emptied into the pockets/chutes while the ships remain tied in one position.

The Marquette harbor was a busy place on Tuesday.  The Arthur M. Anderson was completing her load when the Michipicoten and Pathfinder/Dorothy Ann IV arrived.   The Michipicoten arrived first and tied up at the dock. The Pathfinder/Dorothy Ann backed in to the dock on the same side and tied up there waiting her turn at the dock for a load.  Later in the day the Frontenac arrived and waited out in the harbor.

Saginaw River
Reported by Todd Shorkey
On Wednesday afternoon, the tug Donald C. Hannah and her tank barge tried to make the Saginaw River.  The pair became stuck in the ice around Light 8 of the Entrance Channel, but were eventually able to free themselves.  The barge then became stuck in the ice near Light 12.  The Donald Hannah uncoupled from the barge to break up the ice around it and was finally able to free it.  By 7:30 Wednesday night, the pair made the open water of the Saginaw River and tied up for the night at the Consumers Energy dock.  Extremely heavy fog blanketed the area during this time.  They are expected to depart in the morning to go upriver and unload.