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Coast Guard monitoring ice in St. Clair River 2/9 - Port Huron, Mich. – The U.S. Coast Guard is continuing to monitor ice conditions in the St. Clair River, according to a statement from the agency. Current ice conditions have a potential to cause flooding near the city of St. Clair. If water levels continue to rise, the Coast Guard will break ice in the North Channel, according to the statement. Canadian Coast Guard ice breaker Samuel Risley has joined the U.S. Coast Guard’s Bristol Bay in the efforts. On Monday the Risley was escorting the Algoeast upbound. The ferry to Harsens Island was operating Monday morning, according to Clay Township Central Dispatch. Port Huron Times Herald |
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Feds unveil plan to keep Asian Carp out of Great Lakes 2/9 - Federal officials Monday unveiled a multi-pronged attack to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes and prevent an invasion that could potentially devastate a $7 billion recreation fishing industry. Among the tactics in a $78.5 million, 25-point plan: Navigational locks in Illinois waterways that lead to Lake Michigan will be opened less frequently, and officials will more aggressively search for and kill the fish when they are found. "We are going to hit the carp with all of the tools in the toolbox," said Cameron Davis, a senior adviser with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The plan was announced following a meeting between several environmental agencies and governors from Great Lakes states at the White House. Asian carp were brought to Arkansas in the 1960s to clean up algae from sewers and fish hatcheries. After a flood, they escaped into the Mississippi River in the early 1990s and have been migrating north up Midwestern rivers ever since. The fish are voracious eaters that can grow up to 4 feet long and weigh 100 pounds. They reproduce rapidly and can quickly displace native species. In stretches of the Illinois River they now account for as much as 90% of the fish population by weight. Scientists fear they could do the same in the Great Lakes, potentially destroying native species. What's more, the fish have the habit of leaping up to eight feet out of the water at the sound of approaching motors. They have knocked boaters unconscious and broken their bones. Some people now cruise along parts of the Illinois River wearing football helmets for protection. An electric barrier about 20 miles from Lake Michigan was supposed to be the last, best way to stop the carp from invading the Great Lakes, but last month genetic material from the fish was found in Lake Michigan for the first time. Nancy Sutley, head of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said despite evidence that the fish are in Lake Michigan, they aren't yet established and there remains a window of opportunity to stop them. She called the federal plan "strong and aggressive." The issue has become a political hot potato, pitting environmental groups and the recreational boating and fishing industries against commercial shippers. Michigan sued Illinois to force them to shut the locks in the hope of containing the fish but the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case. Michigan then asked the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision and filed another suit seeking to separate the man-made connection between the Great Lakes and Mississippi water basins. Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York and Pennsylvania have joined that suit. At the White House meeting on Monday, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm met with federal officials to figure out alternative ways to contain the fish. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell joined the meeting by conference call along with officials from Ohio. The plan includes an additional electrical barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal to repel the fish, and a restrictive schedule for the locks. If fish are detected near the locks the water could be electrified or treated with fish poison. In addition, the plan calls for increased testing to monitor the fish are and speed up research to stop them from reproducing. Ms. Granholm said after the White House meeting that such measures wouldn't be enough to protect the lakes. "You have to permanently shut these locks down,'' she told the Associated Press. The Natural Resources Defense Council, which has advocated aggressive action to stop the carp, characterized the proposal as a head scratcher. "The complete absence of time lines and triggers for specific actions to be taken in response to specific events make evaluation of the framework's details difficult," Thom Cmar, a spokesman for the organization said in a statement. "But, we are concerned that the document released today still doesn't articulate a clear plan, based on the best available scientific information, that will actually work." Wall Street Journal |
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Tall Ships coming to Duluth this summer 2/9 - Duluth, Minn. – Tall ships promise to bring big crowds to Duluth this summer. Eight large historic replica sailing vessels are expected to call on the port between July 28 and Aug. 3. Two years ago, when three tall ships visited Duluth for three days, the spectacle drew a record 125,000 people to the city’s waterfront. Terry Mattson, president and CEO of Visit Duluth, expects to shatter that attendance mark this year with a weeklong event featuring more than twice as many vessels. “We expect it to be the largest single event in the history of Duluth,” he said, predicting the ship festival certainly will draw more people than the 2008 tall ship visit — conceivably double the crowd. While this year’s event will feature many more ships, Mattson said Visit Duluth plans to sell the same number of onboard tour passes it did in 2008. By holding pass sales to a maximum of 25,000, Mattson said Visit Duluth expects to avoid a repeat of some of the problems with lines and waits that plagued the 2008 ship festival. It’s one of several lessons Mattson said Visit Duluth has learned from that experience — an event that was a bigger draw than organizers had ever anticipated. Tickets for onboard tours are expected to go on sale in March or April at the latest, Mattson said. Watch www.visitduluth.com for further details. The event will feature more than just ships. Visit Duluth has teamed with the University of Minnesota Duluth to ensure the venue offers something for everyone, including music, theater, artisans and food. Jack Bowman, dean of UMD’s School of Fine Arts, is helping to plan the event, and brings his past experience orchestrating elaborate half-time extravaganzas for the Dallas Cowboys football team to the table. Bowman also said his department happens to employ Development Director Rob Hofmann, a former organizer for a couple of tall ship festivals in other cities, who will also make his services available. “The event offers great opportunities for both students and faculty to be involved,” Bowman said, noting that the experience of helping to put together such a large event could be a valuable résumé-builder. UMD will provide entertainment for people attending the Tall Ships festival, including a production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Pirates of Penzance.” In addition to domestic tall ships, the event also is expected to attract at least one and possibly two international vessels. Mattson said the cost of bringing such a fleet to Duluth would be prohibitively expensive if not for the partnership of organizations such as the American Sail Training Association. Even so, Mattson said he’s working with a budget of about $500,000 for the event in Duluth. “This is a fantastic chance to experience the magical draw of history associated with these sailing vessels,” he said. “It’s perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” 2010 tall ships festival
• July 28-Aug. 3 Duluth News Tribune |
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Updates - February 9
Weekly Website Updates |
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Today in Great Lakes History - February 9 EAGLESCLIFFE, loaded with 3,500 tons of grain, sank two miles east of Galveston, Texas on February 9, 1983, after the hull had fractured from a grounding the previous day. She began taking on water in her forward end en route to Galveston. To save her the captain ran her into shallow water where she settled on the bottom in 20 feet of water with her bridge and boat deck above water. All 16 crewmembers and one dog were rescued. She was built for the Hall Corp. of Canada in 1957 at Grangemouth, Scotland as a.) EAGLESCLIFFE HALL, renamed b.) EAGLESCLIFFE in 1973. The ALEXANDER LESLIE was launched February 9, 1901, as a.) J T HUTCHINSON (Hull # 405) at Cleveland, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. The HOMER D. WILLIAMS suffered extensive fire damage to her side plating and forward lower cabins during her lay-up at Toledo, Ohio on February 9, 1971. The fire was started by a spark from welding that caused the tarpaulins stored in the hold to catch fire. February 9, 1995 - The founder of Lake Michigan Carferry, Charles Conrad, died at the age of 77. In 1899, JOHN V. MORAN (wooden propeller package freighter, 214 foot, 1,350 gross tons, built in 1888, at W. Bay City, Michigan by F. W. Wheeler & Co. (Hull#44) was cut by the ice and developed a severe leak during a mid-winter run on Lake Michigan. The iron passenger/package freight steamer NAOMI rescued the crew from the sinking vessel. The MORAN was last seen on the afternoon of 12 February 1899, drifting with the ice about 20 miles off Muskegon, Michigan. She was a combination bulk and package freighter with hatches in her flanks as well as on her deck. Data from: Max Hanley, Joe Barr, Father Dowling Collection, Brian Bernard, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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St. Clair River ice still causing delays, Risley on the scene 2/8 - Sunday morning the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Samuel Risley escorted Canadian Transport downbound through the St. Clair River. This is Risley's first icebreaking mission of the winter, she spent the last month under going repairs in Sarnia. Around 12:30 p.m., Transport became stuck in ice in the lower St. Clair River below the Salt Dock Light. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bristol Bay joined the Risley in assisting the Transport through the area of heavy ice. The escort continued through the lower part of the river making slow progress. By 3 p.m. the icebreakers were working in the area of heavy ice just above Russell Island. By 4 p.m. the escort had cleared Russell Island and continued downbound with the Bristol Bay returning to her Detroit Base. Samuel Risley continued on and was escorting the Transport downbound at Detroit River Light about 9:30 p.m. The Transport is the last freighter operating on the lower lakes from the 2009/2010 season and is unloaded in ballast heading for Port Colborne and winter lay-up. |
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Restoring the river queen Columbia 2/8 - Albany, N.Y. – The most glorious hours of Donald Eberle's youth in the 1930s and '40s were spent aboard palatial Hudson River Day Line steamers. The watery whoosh of their giant sidewheels churned through his consciousness and the grandeur of gleaming brass and polished mahogany on the ship's five decks caused his jaw to drop. Seven decades later, the awe has not left him. "I think it would be wonderful to bring that all back," said Eberle, 79, of Voorheesville, who is vice chairman of the Hudson Valley chapter of the Steamship Historical Society of America. Eberle understands more than most the daunting challenge facing a group of New York City boosters who hope to resurrect the bygone era of steam by restoring the S.S. Columbia, a National Historic Landmark moldering away in Detroit. Built in 1902 to carry 3,200 passengers along the Detroit River, it is the oldest and grandest surviving passenger excursion ship in the country. It was designed by famed naval architect Frank Kirby. Along with a rare 1,200-horsepower triple expansion steam engine, the ship's stunning mahogany paneling, gilded moldings, art glass, grand staircase and ballroom are largely intact. It will take at least $14 million and more than two years of toil to get it running again and carrying tourists from New York City to Albany. So far, a state grant of $750,000, $45,000 from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and a $70,000 line of credit have been secured. Projections put the annual number of tourists aboard the Columbia at up to 85,000, plus 45,000 school children, generating a total of $22 million in economic activity and creating 224 jobs. "Communities along the river have expressed an eagerness to have the ship because we're providing the heritage tourists all want," said Richard Anderson, president of the S.S. Columbia Project. A former banker and art gallery owner, he's been working for eight years to save the ship, with support of some financial heavy-hitters in New York City, including philanthropists Joan Davidson and Fredrick Osborn III. Although fundraising for the renovation will be a heavy lift in these tough economic times, the S.S. Columbia would complement campaigns already under way to attract tourists to Albany, said Michele Vennard, president and CEO of the Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau. "This would allow us to tap into New York City tourists, the largest market for domestic and international travelers in the country," Vennard said. "It would be a great packaging opportunity for us if positioned right with overnight accommodations and things to do in Albany and perhaps a return trip on the Amtrak train." But dock space that could handle the 207-foot Columbia is at a premium in the upper portion of the river and the Troy city dock is the closest place in the immediate area for large tourist boats to dock and for passengers to disembark. Another obstacle is how to shuttle hundreds of tourists from Troy to downtown hotels. The tourism potential is great. In August, when 5,000 tourists came in 122 buses for a series of concerts over three days at the Times Union Center as part of a Pathway Tours package, 1,334 hotel rooms were booked and an estimated $1.4 million was generated. Anderson said the initial plan would be for the Columbia to make short day trips from New York north to Newburgh or Poughkeepsie, carrying about 1,000 passengers. The steamship also expects to make a handful of longer excursions each year up to Albany with groups of tourists and school children, perhaps more if demand calls for it. The ship should be able to reach a top cruising speed of 21 mph, making the 150-mile trip from New York to Albany between seven and eight hours without stops. "We have the perfect niche for the Columbia in the Hudson Valley," Anderson said. "The ship is like a work of art. This is an amazing opportunity for the people of New York to acquire this jewel, which is irreplaceable." Anderson and his supporters acquired the Columbia from a not-for-profit foundation headed by William Worden, a board member of the Steamship Historical Society and a friend of Eberle's. "Bill said the ship is in really rough condition and he eventually gave up the project," Eberle said. "I wish them luck, but I don't think it will be easy to pull it off." Anderson also harbors no illusions that the project will be easy. But he said nobody questions its value. "The Hudson River Valley was known the world over as the Rhine of America for generations," Anderson said. "We want to re-establish that reputation by showing visitors its amazing historic and scenic resources. We shouldn't let this opportunity slip through our fingers." For more information about the S. S. Columbia Project, go to www.sscolumbia.org Times Union |
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Lake St. Clair star of tourism effort 2/8 - Metropolitan Beach, the Grosse Pointe War Memorial and Belle Isle are three of more than 50 sites organizers of the Lake St. Clair Tourism Initiative hope residents and visitors will explore this summer through a newly created tour. The group is to launch its Lake St. Clair Circle the Lake Tour campaign Saturday at the Detroit Boat Show at Cobo Hall. A tour map will highlight attractions, restaurants and other destinations along the shoreline of the lake from the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit to the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron that are reachable by car or boat, in hopes that people will take the self-guided tour. "Our initiative isn't about attracting people from Chicago, but people from Oakland or Livingston and other counties to visit the lake because it's a great asset to the area," said Brad Simmons, executive director of the Lake St. Clair Tourism Initiative. Patterned after the state's circle tours highlighting the Great Lakes, organizers of the nonprofit Lake St. Clair Tourism Initiative want to bring the same attention to the smaller lake, which is within a one-hour drive for more than 8 million southeastern Michigan residents. The Macomb County Economic Development Office has been involved with the initiative since the group was formed in May 2008. "There are a lot of great destinations around the lake and not enough people know about them," said Justin Robinson, senior economic development specialist. "If we help educate others and increase the awareness, I think it will spur additional growth." For lifelong area residents, such as Leonard Hines, the tour presents an opportunity to discover new places without spending a lot of money. Detroit Free Press |
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Great Lake Maritime Center Annual Photo & Art Show 2/8 - An annual photo and art show will be held February 27 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Great Lakes Maritime Center in Port Huron. To reserve space call 810-985-4817. There is also an amateur maritime photo contest with prizes. Photos must have been taken in the last 12 months and not digitally enhanced. Drop off or mail your photo to GLMC, 51 Water St. Port Huron, Mich., by February 25. |
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Updates - February 8 |
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Today in Great Lakes History - February 8 While in lay-up on February 8, 1984, a fire broke out in the WILLIAM G. MATHER's after accommodations killing a vagrant from Salt Lake City, Utah, who had started the fire that caused considerable damage to the galley. On 8 February 1902, ETRURIA (steel propeller freighter, 414 foot, 4,653 gross tons) was launched at W. Bay City, Michigan by West Bay City Ship Building Co. (Hull#604). She was built for the Hawgood Transit Company of Cleveland but only lasted three years. She sank in 1905, after colliding with the steamer AMASA STONE in the fog off Presque Isle Light in Lake Huron. Data from: Max Hanley, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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New York court upholds state rules on ballast water 2/7 - A New York appeals court on Thursday upheld state regulations requiring ships to replace their ballast water at least 50 nautical miles offshore from its waterways to prevent bringing in dangerous, invasive species. The Appellate Division panel rejected challenges from shipping companies and port officials, saying the federal Clean Water Act permits a state to add conditions to federal vessel discharge permits. The four justices said the coalition of maritime trade interests "fail to allege anything other than economic harm to themselves or speculative ecological injury to the general public." The midlevel court concluded New York's regulations are neither unconstitutional nor arbitrary, that state conservation officials' scientific evidence supports their concern about protecting against invasive species and pathogens carried by ships from their native waters. Department of Environmental Conservation spokesman Yancey Roy said the regulations are in effect now. Others will require ballast treatment system upgrades on ships by 2012 and tougher standards for ships built starting in 2013. "More than a year ago, DEC took aggressive action on the issue of ballast discharges precisely to protect the state's waters against the further spread of invasive species," DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis said. "This decision will provide long-term benefits to New York's waters." Barry Hartman, a lawyer for the Lake Carriers' Association representing operators of U.S.-flag vessels on the Great Lakes, declined to immediately comment Thursday on whether they will appeal. Thom Cmar, a lawyer for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the ruling was consistent with a lower New York court and the decision by a federal appeals court in Cincinnati to uphold Michigan's ballast water rules against a similar shipping industry challenge. Marc Smith, policy manager with National Wildlife Federation, said they now need federal action to reinforce New York's leadership. The Coast Guard last year proposed national standards for regulating ships' release of ballast water in port, which would establish a limit on the number of invasive organisms that can be released. That limit would initially follow a formula used by the International Maritime Commission, a standard adopted by some states but considered weak by many environmentalists. Associated Press |
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Former Great Lakes Captain Kelso dies in fire 2/7 - Muskegon, Mich. – By the time he noticed neighbor Bob Kelso's house was on fire, off duty Muskegon firefighter Lt. Art Backstrom says it was already too late for a rescue. "It had such a head start," says Lt. Backstrom. "I ran down and tried to do something but there was no going into the building." The neighbors say Kelso was a retired Great Lakes freighter captain. He was aboard another ship on Lake Superior the night the Edmund Fitzgerald sank. "His claim to fame," remembers neighbor Ken Griswold. "Unfortunately he had a lot of historical pictures in the house that were lost as well." The location along the Muskegon Channel may have accelerated the fire. Once windows started to break investigators say strong winds blowing in from the lake quickly spread the flames through the house. WZZM |
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Aboard the Algosoo: The shipkeeper's long, lonely winter 2/7 - Hamilton, Ont. – For going on nine winters, Norbert McDonald has worked and lived as a shipkeeper -- a lonely job that requires an intrepid disposition. He is quite literally the ship's guardian during the longest, coldest and darkest months of the year. For part of that time, some of the crew is aboard, upgrading the ship's infrastructure. But at night, and often in the dead of winter when all the upgrades are complete, it's just McDonald. When everyone else gets to go home, it's the shipkeeper's job to remain. This winter, the Newfoundland native is working, eating, sleeping, passing the time and warding off Mother Nature -- and potential intruders -- aboard the Algosoo. Spanning nearly 55,000 square feet at a depth of 44 feet, the laker docked with the Hamilton Port Authority has a vast series of hallways, stairs and crowded machine rooms. Some areas bustle with machines and are well lit. Others, like the steep stairwell leading to the emergency fire pump, are dim and silently eerie. With a sure but careful foot, McDonald knows each nook well. He often has all the operational rooms checked before breakfast in a day that begins at 6 a.m. The self-unloading Algosoo is owned by the Algoma Central Corporation in Sault Ste. Marie and managed by Seaway Marine Transport, which has four other ships docked with the Hamilton Port Authority this winter. The 35-year-old ship mostly hauls coal around the Great Lakes. The Algosoo was the last ship through the Welland Canal on New Year's Eve before it closed for the season. Docked at Pier 26, it is one of eight lakers laid up in Hamilton this winter. McDonald's face is lined from hard work and the outdoors, his fingers are greasy and his thick southern Newfoundland accent is at times incomprehensible. But as he speaks and tours the ship, it becomes clear that he strikes the right balance between sarcasm and optimism needed to make it through the long winters with rarely more than an hour off the ship every few days. The sounds of howling winds and crashing ice are formidable companions for McDonald, particularly at night. "It's not for a weak heart," he said, sitting in a small lounge area next to the kitchen. "You can't be afraid of anything." But worse than sitting on the water, open to the elements, is the fear of potential vandals and intruders. That's why a large part of his job is making sure everything is locked. McDonald recalls one winter when he swears he heard someone pulling on the door to the ship. "I got up and nobody was there," he said. Had the door been left unlocked by mistake, the outcome could have been bad, he added. For the most part, trespassers are harmless, interested in vandalism or stealing tools, McDonald said. But there are horror stories of attacks. This year, McDonald's wife, Donna, has joined him to live onboard -- though he wonders how long she will last. The winds play tricks, sometimes making it sound like there is someone walking around the ship, McDonald said. Donna won't leave their room alone and won't leave it at all at night. During the day, he keeps busy cleaning out tanks, checking equipment and keeping the deck as clear as possible. At night there is television and books. He often jumps up to make sure a certain door is locked or a furnace is on. To keep up with Transport Canada guidelines, most ships require maintenance each winter. This year, engineering crews are performing nearly $2 million in upgrades on the Algosoo, said Tom Anderson, Seaway Marine Transport's director of operations. At least half of that is upgrading steel work. It takes a certain type of personality to be a shipkeeper, Anderson said. The pay is around $15 an hour, plus overtime and bonus pay. Free room and board is part of the job. Walking around the ship, McDonald helps out the crew. When they leave at night, they'll leave him piles of equipment to clean. McDonald, 49, came to his job somewhat inorganically. He has always lived and worked on the water, but never for shipping companies. He has three adult daughters back in various cities in Newfoundland. He and his wife still live in their small hometown. When work in fisheries grew sparse, he turned to shipkeeping. Along with the lakers overwintering in Hamilton, there are five vessels that dock in the port year-round, said Brent Kinnaird, Hamilton Port Authority spokesperson. The fee for layup is based on the size of the vessel, he said. Typically, for a laker such as the Algosoo, it's $3,000 for the season. This past year saw the port authority phase in the largest stage in its Transport Canada-required security upgrades. As of December, all piers are guarded by security gates that require electronic pass cards that also serve as identification. There are also security cameras. This is welcome news to McDonald, especially at night. While winter is a slow time of year for the shipping companies, Kinnaird said port authority staff remain and are very busy planning the next season. This year, the port authority is also adding "significant new development," he said. This includes grain company Parish and Heimbecker Ltd. moving into Pier 10 and ArcelorMittal Dofasco starting its third blast furnace. The Hamilton Spectator |
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Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival Feb. 27 in Ann Arbor 2/7 - The Ford Seahorses Scuba Diving Club, in conjunction with the Detroit Historical Society’s Dossin Maritime Group and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum, presents the 29th Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival on Saturday, Feb. 27 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Washtenaw Community College’s Morris Lawrence Building, 4800 E. Huron River Drive, in Ann Arbor. This year’s program features two historic Civil War wrecks -- the Confederate Navy submarine C.S.S. Hunley, presented by Ralph Wilbanks, and the ironclad, U.S.S. Monitor, presented by Sue Smith. The Hunley was the first submarine to sink a ship in combat in 1864, but never returned to port. The Monitor battled the C.S.S. Virginia (formerly known as the Merrimac) in March of 1862 in the first ever combat between ironclad ships. Daytime programs between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. feature a wide variety of sessions on Great Lakes shipwrecks, international dives and technical diving and equipment, as well as a variety of book signings and exhibits from local maritime artists, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum and local dive shops. The evening concludes with a Cayman Island Beach Break party at 6 p.m. For ticket information or program details, visit www.shipwreckfestival.org |
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“The Wheelsmen” book release March 4 in Midland 2/7 - Midland, Mich. – “The Wheelsmen,” is a 200 page paperback based on harrowing true shipwreck stories. Author/historian Ric Mixter has spent over 17 years gathering information for his manuscript, including eyewitness interviews and underwater exploration of eight featured shipwrecks. “The Wheelsmen” chronicles four men who were at the wheel when their ships were lost. Two men survived massive storms (1913 and 1940), another was aboard a Michigan-built Coast Guard cutter that mysteriously exploded near Greenland. The final chapter entails a deadly collision at the Mackinac Bridge in 1965. Mixter is versed on the great gales that have ravaged the lakes since 1905. He has appeared on the History and Discovery channels as an expert and has also produced over 30 documentaries airing on PBS stations in Minnesota, Wisconsin and his home-state of Michigan. Mixter is also a former news reporter who created the first TV documentary on the Great Storm in 1993. |
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Updates - February 7
News Photo Gallery |
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Today in Great Lakes History - February 7 The HURON (Hull#132) was launched February 7, 1914, at Ecorse, Michigan by Great Lakes Engineering Works for Wyandotte Transportation Co. She was scrapped at Santander, Spain in 1973. In 1973, the ENDERS M. VOORHEES closed the Soo Locks downbound. In 1974, the ROGER BLOUGH closed the Poe Lock after locking down bound for Gary, Indiana. Data from: Joe Barr, Brian Bernard, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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New Upper Lakes Shipping vessel to be named Canadian Mariner 2/6 - Upper Lakes Shipping has announced that it and its unrelated partner in Seaway Marine Transport have entered into an agreement with Chengxi Shipyard in China for the construction of an aft end that will be joined with the completed second coastal forebody built and presently positioned at the same shipyard. The contracted delivery date of the vessel is January 31, 2011. The vessel will be crewed by Upper Lakes and bareboat chartered to Seaway Marine Transport for service beginning in the 2011 shipping season. The completed self-unloader will be named Canadian Mariner in honor of all the sailors who have contributed to Upper Lakes Shipping’s success on the waters of the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Seaway and Eastern Seaboard. The company’s former gearless bulker of the same name served the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway first as the Newbrunswicker when built in 1963 and then as Canadian Mariner when purchased by Upper Lakes in 1972 until her retirement in 2007. Along with its recently delivered coastal fleet mate Algobay, the new Canadian Mariner will lead the way to the renewal of Seaway Marine Transport’s dry bulk fleet. The vessel will be fitted with a 7,200 kW MAN B&W Tier 1 emissions-compliant engine and built to full Seaway size. The vessel will also accommodate other equipment and systems that will enable her to be the most environmentally- friendly vessel on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway and, with the help of design partners, Deltamarin, the vessel will represent one of the most modern, safe and efficient vessels operating under Canadian registry. ULS |
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U.S.C.G. to get bigger, faster helicopters at Traverse City 2/6 - Traverse City, Mich. - The U.S. Coast Guard stands to get bigger, quicker and stronger in Traverse City. Air Station Traverse City is in line to receive four used MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters under President Barack Obama's recently released budget for fiscal year 2011, pending approval from Congress. Larger helicopters would replace the station's current HH-65 Dolphin helicopters that would be removed from service, said Cmdr. Jonathan Spaner, the station's commanding officer. "It's an unbelievable enhancement to our capabilities, especially with the winter weather we have here," Spaner said. Jayhawk helicopters are far larger than the Dolphins -- able to carry more than two times the weight -- and can fly faster, carry four times the number of passengers and isn't bothered by icy and snowy weather conditions around the Great Lakes. Coast Guard crew members with the station's current helicopter fleet must stop to re-fuel before completing rescue operations in the Chicago area after flying around bad weather, an extra step needed to avoid ice buildup on the aircraft. Jayhawk helicopters carry plenty of fuel and have de-icing abilities that allow responders to fly straight to a scene, hover longer during rescue efforts and move faster to and from missions, Spaner said. "We won't be dodging weather. We'll fly right through it," he said. The bigger helicopters also will improve abilities to monitor the northern border along Lakes Superior and Huron and enhance cooperation with Canadian authorities, Spaner said. The Traverse City station was equipped with Jayhawk helicopters from 1991 through 1995, before the Dolphins were put into service here. "We've all realized you need this air frame in this Great Lakes environment," Spaner said. Some of the station's pilots will be trained to fly Jayhawk helicopters, while others will transfer to other bases across the country and continue to pilot Dolphins. Lt. Cmdr. Scott Jones, a Dolphin helicopter pilot in Traverse City, said he's going to graduate school soon and won't learn to fly a Jayhawk, though he'd like to do so. "It would be exciting to experience another air frame. It has different capabilities and opportunities," Jones said. "These capabilities really pay off on a rescue mission." Spaner said there is no time frame for Jayhawk helicopters' arrival in Traverse City, though it will be in the 2011 fiscal year, if Congress signs off on the budget. Traverse City Record-Eagle |
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Updates - February 6
Lay-up list
updated - please send updates to
news@boatnerd.net |
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Today in Great Lakes History - February 6 On 06 February 1952, the LIMESTONE (steel propeller tug, 87 foot 10 inches) was launched at Bay City, Michigan by the Defoe Shipyard (Hull #423) for the Michigan Limestone and Chemical Company. Later she was sold to U.S. Steel and in 1983, to Gaelic Tug Company who renamed her b.) WICKLOW. She is currently owned by the Great Lakes Towing Company and is named c.) NORTH CAROLINA. The LORNA P, a.) CACOUNA was damaged by fire at Sorel, Quebec which was ignited by a welder's torch on February 6, 1974. ALVA C. DINKEY (Hull#365) was launched February 6, 1909, at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. HALLFAX (Hull#526) was launched February 6, 1962, at Port Glasgow, Scotland by William Hamilton & Co. Ltd. On February 6, 1904, the PERE MARQUETTE 19 went aground on Fox Point, Wisconsin approaching Milwaukee in fog. Engulfed in ice and fog, she quickly filled with water. On 06 February 1885, Capt. William Bridges of Bay City and A. C. Mc Lean of East Saginaw purchased the steamer D.W. POWERS (wooden propeller freighter, 140 foot, 303 gross tons, built in 1871, at Marine City, Michigan) for the lumber trade. This vessel had an interesting rebuild history. In 1895, she was rebuilt as a schooner-barge in Detroit, then in 1898, she was again rebuilt as a propeller driven steamer. She lasted until 1910, when she was abandoned. Data from: Max Hanley, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Lack of snow could cause lower lake levels 2/5 - Detroit, Mich – Several months of sporadic snowfall may cause Great Lakes water levels during the summer boating season to be a bit lower than last year, according to meteorologists with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The first decade of the 21st century provided many moments of concern among those who live and play on the lakes. For the first seven years, levels slowly declined in each of the lakes until the summer of 2007, when Lake Superior reached its lowest point on record. But in the past two years, levels crept upward until all of the lakes were at or within a few inches of their historical averages. The latest forecast for the coming summer, released this week, would appear to be a step backward, but meteorologists said it is too early to tell whether it is simply the result of a less-snowy winter so far. In January the basin saw half of the precipitation it normally does. And with the exception of a few major storms here and there, the region hasn't seen consistent snow for most of the winter. "The active storm systems have stayed to the south of us for most the part," said Keith Kompoltowicz, a meteorologist with the Army Corps. "We saw a huge storm sweep through Wisconsin and western Michigan in early January, as well as some smaller storms here and there. But we haven't seen the consistency we're used to." Light snowfall in the winters means a thin snowpack and less water during the spring and early summer from melting. Less water melting into the region's streams and rivers means less water feeding the lakes. For the summer, only Lake Superior will likely be above last year's water level and only by a few inches at most. The Lake Michigan/Huron system, Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario will all likely be under last year's levels barring a particularly wet end of winter. According to Bill Deedler, a forecaster for the National Weather Service, it's too early to tell. "I don't want to say we won't be near normal the rest of the way, or that we won't get a big storm yet," he said. "All it takes is one big bomb and we could end up with a foot of snow. Then the projections would be right back on track." An inch or two in lake level can make a large difference to a large number of people living and working in the basin. Someone who owns lakefront property can find themselves several additional feet away from the water with the loss of a few inches. To the shipping industry, a loss of depth can add up to lost dollars. One less inch of depth means a loss of up to 8,000 tons of cargo to a freighter. And shipping companies are already facing a tough economy and ports in dire need of dredging. So the loss of an inch or two just makes a bad situation worse. "Every little bit helps," said Mark Barker, president of Ohio-based president of the Interlake Steamship Co. "It's like having a weight restriction on a road. Not being able to carry as much makes each trip less cost effective." The Detroit News |
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Port Reports - February 5
Detroit, Mich. - Wayne Miller Once the convoy reached Detroit, Bristol Bay returned to the Group Detroit moorings while the other vessels continued downbound. Griffon stopped for a few minutes at Windsor then quickly departed to take up the lead position. Canadian Progress was expected to take on another load of salt for Chicago in Windsor, but that trip was cancelled and she continued on, heading for a late winter lay-up in Port Colborne. |
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Bay Shipbuilding to lay off 116 2/5 - Sturgeon Bay, Wisc. – Door County is losing more than 100 manufacturing jobs. It's just the latest round of layoffs for a major employer. The company is Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay. The Department of Workforce Development announced today that Bay will let go 116 more workers beginning April 3. Those layoffs come on the heels of 400 layoffs that were announced about five months ago. Some of those employees have already received notice they will soon be out of a job. The company has told the state it plans to lay off about 116 workers, effective this April. FOX 11 could not reach anyone from Bay Shipbuilding for comment Thursday night, but the company's notice to the state says it is trying to avoid these layoffs by aggressively seeking new business. Bay Shipbuilding is one of Sturgeon Bay's largest employers, specializing in building cargo vessels and tugs. FOX 11 spoke with one employee who doesn't know exactly what his future holds, but says this news is better than the news a few months ago, 116 layoffs is better than 400 layoffs, but the situation is still less than ideal. "I'm hopeful, but yet scared, that's exactly what it is," said Jeremy Walls, a Bay Shipbuilding employee. "I think the majority of the workers, guys (who have) been here since the '70s, '80s fearing they're going to be laid off over the summer, and that's something that's not usual around here." "Based on what I've heard from past releases, it looks like this is probably a seasonal layoff," said Sturgeon Bay city council member Thad Birmingham. "We've been lucky. Things have been pretty good down there. They've had new work to supplement their seasonal stuff and I think some of that now is coming to an end. So hopefully that'll change soon." The letter some employees have received says the layoff will be for longer than six months. The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development is planning to respond to the situation through its dislocated worker program. Fox 11 News |
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Great Lakes maps topic of Port Huron speaker on Sunday 2/5 - On Sunday, The Great Lakes Maritime Center in Port Huron and Brian Cylkowski will present "Three Essential Maps of the Great Lakes," about the three maps/charts that have, in his opinion, had the most significant impact on the forming and documentation of the Great Lakes. The 2 p.m. program is free and open to the public. |
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Updates - February 5 |
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Today in Great Lakes History - February 5 The ASHLAND in a critically leaking condition barely made Mamonel, Colombia on February 5, 1988, where she was scrapped. February 5, 1870 - Captain William H. Le Fleur of the Pere Marquette carferry fleet, known as "the Bear" was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. On February 5, 1976, the carferry WOLFE ISLANDER III was inaugurated into service between Kingston and Wolfe Island Ontario. Later that night, two blocks over, a Kingston resident noticed the captain turning off the running lights of the 'ol WOLFE ISLANDER as she joined her already winterized sister, the UPPER CANADA. Data from: Max Hanley, Brian Johnson, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Vessels put into ship shape during off season 2/4 - Port Colborne, Ont. — While ships are docked in the Welland Canal for the winter, hundreds of welders, fitters, millwrights, machinists and laborers are hard at work. They come from across Niagara and as far away as Newfoundland year after year to work on ships for three months, work up to 60 hours a week to ensure the vessels are in top shape for the next shipping season. Dave Marsland, general manager at Allied Marine, said his company is coordinating work for four ships in Toronto, three in Hamilton, one in Windsor and two in the Welland Canal with two more on the way. At the beginning of the winter months, Allied staff sit down with shore engineers who outline a number of jobs that are to be completed between January and March. Ships can undergo a couple hundred thousand dollars worth of work to millions of dollars. For the Canadian Enterprise a 30-year-old, 219-metre-long, 22.5-metre-wide ship from Toronto, its winter work includes repairs to engines and pumps and the installation of new equipment that includes a sewage treatment system, generators and an oil/water separator to pump clean water out of the ship. The Enterprise is powered by two diesel engines which generate 8,750 horsepower combined. "The new sewage treatment system is part of new environmental regulations to treat black and gray water," said Colin Voyer, chief engineer. To remove the ship's alternator and sewage tank, a large hole had to be cut in the side. Equipment is then shipped away or repaired at Allied's West Street location. This year's jobs don't compare to the large amount of work that was completed on older ships last year. General foreman Les Day said those ships are tied up and undergoing fewer repairs. He estimates work is down about 30 percent. "We are working on these ships, but it's the bare minimum." Some Allied staff work year-round, while others come for the winter months. Ross Skinner of Newfoundland makes the trek with four other men to work on the ships. He is now repairing steel hoppers which funnel grain, iron ore, coal and other cargo to a moving belt. The cargo hold can hold 28,000 tonnes of product. For the past 14 years he has left his wife and grown children to work in Port Colborne because work can't be done in Newfoundland during the winter. He stays in the ship's cabins and has his own washroom. "It's as good as you're gonna get," he said. Working on a ship isn't exactly glamorous, with small tunnels, large machinery and, depending on where you are, cold working conditions. On some mornings, crews can make their way down to the cargo hold to find walls covered in frost. "You've got to be watching what you do at all times," Marsland said. The Welland Tribune |
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Port Reports - February 4
Twin Ports – Al Miller
Straits of Mackinac – Fred Stone |
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City supports efforts to have Welland Canals named heritage site 2/4 - St. Catharines, Ont. – After four years, Bruce Timms thought his dream for the Welland Canal was closer than ever to reality. The regional councillor for St. Catharines longed for the day when the canal corridor was given the same status as the rest of the country's national treasures. Timms had grown up alongside the canal and was dismayed to see it slowly falling apart as the years went by. He wanted to see the entire system preserved for later generations to marvel, but realized that doing so would require federal funding. In 2006, Timms, an engineer by trade, began the process of petitioning the federal board in charge of bestowing heritage status. Timms was as close as he had ever been to his goal in November, when the management corporation for the Welland Canal objected to plans to include all four canals for designation. While the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. maintained it supported the idea of designating three of the four canals as historic, it could not support the same for the fourth canal, which is the only canal in commercial operation today. In a presentation to St. Catharines city council on Monday, Timms said he received a letter from the Seaway notifying him that the federal body would not support his application until concerns could be resolved regarding how heritage status would effect the day-to-day operations of the fourt canal. Timms said the objection from the Seaway was raised right before a planned meeting with Parks Canada would have decided whether the canals would receive national monument status. "We were within footsteps of the heritage board meeting to get the designation," Timms said. St. Catharines Mayor Brian McMullan said he hopes an impasse between municipalities along the canal and the Seaway ends when the sides meet later this month. This follows a unanimous vote by city council to accept Timms' request for city staff to meet with the Seaway as soon as possible. McMullan said it is essential to hammer out an understanding with the Seaway because of the tourism benefits from having the canals declared a heritage site. There's so much potential with the canal," McMullan said. "Other tourist destinations have received millions of dollars in federal funding and in order to get it they need the designations." Although he admitted the city was unlikely to get the Seaway to agree to a plan from Parks Canada to designate all four canals as historic sites, McMullan maintained there was room to negotiate a "partial designation" that would see the three historic and non-operational canals receive a designation while the fourth canal gets excluded from the discussion. "The city is willing to step through the door that's opened," McMullan said. "It's a reasonable position to take. Let's talk about what a partial designation means." Timms said he wasn't entirely surprised by the Seaway's concerns that a historical designation could create "extra headaches" for the day-to-day operation of the fourth canal, especially since such a designation could lead to increased legal obligations in preserving heritage buildings. "Whether it comes to replacing roofs or eliminating heritage buildings they're worried that the public will want them saved," Timms said. "I understand their legitimate concern." The Seaway's Bruce Hodgson emphasized that no decision would be made until all sides fully understand the implications of a historical designation. "A heritage designation brings with it a number of possible impacts and we need to be aware of those," said Hodgson, the Seaway's director of marketing and development. However, he maintained that his organization is still willing to come to some sort of understanding. "We're prepared to meet," Hodgson said. "We've been a part of the process and will continue to be a part of it." With the Seaway's support, Timms said a proposal could still be sent to Parks Canada's National Historic Sites and Monuments Board in time for an autumn vote. "We were pretty pleased that it was going to be decided last fall," Timms said. "But now we have to hit it again for this fall." The St. Catharines Standard |
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New stamp commemorating Mighty Mac to be unveiled 2/4 - Port Huron, Mich. – The Mackinac Bridge Authority and the Michigan Department of Transportation unveiled a Priority Mail stamp commemorating the bridge at a Wednesday morning ceremony at Bridge View Park in St. Ignace, Mich. The new stamp costs $4.90. Artist Dan Cosgrove used panoramic photographs to create the stamp artwork featuring seagulls flying around the bridge’s two towers and a large ship passing underneath. According to the www.mightymac.org Web site, the first U.S. postage stamp devoted to the Mackinac Bridge was a 3-cent stamp issued June 25, 1958 to celebrate the November 1957 opening of the five-mile-long bridge. Port Huron Times Herald |
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Updates - February 4 |
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Today in Great Lakes History - February 4 The two sections of the a.) WILLIAM J. DE LANCEY, b.) PAUL R. TREGURTHA) were joined at Lorain, Ohio by American Ship Building Co. and floatlaunched on February 4, 1981, (Hull #909). In 1977, the ROGER BLOUGH arrived at the American Shipbuilding Company in Lorain, Ohio for winter lay up and a 5-year hull inspection. She had departed South Chicago after unloading on Jan 25th and the trip took 10 days due to weather and heavy ice. February 4, 1904 - Captain Russell of the PERE MARQUETTE 17 reported that Lake Michigan was frozen all the way to Manitowoc. In 1870, The Port Huron Weekly Times reported that “a Montreal company has purchased all the standing timber on Walpole Island Indian Reservation [on the St. Clair River…] A large force of men are employed in hewing, cutting and delivering the same on the banks of the river in readiness for shipment… The proceeds of the sale of timber on Walpole Island will probably amount to $18,000 to $20,000, to be distributed among the Indians of the island to improve their farms. Data from: Max Hanley, Brian Bernard, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Algoma Central acquires bunkering tanker Algoma Dartmouth 2/3 - Toronto, Ont. - Algoma Tankers Limited has acquired ownership of the product tanker Algoma Dartmouth for a purchase price of US $9 million. Prior to this purchase, the Algoma Dartmouth was operated by Algoma Tankers Limited under a long-term bareboat charter arrangement. The vessel provides fuel delivery and vessel bunkering services within the Halifax Harbour. Algoma Dartmouth was built in Turkey in 2007. It is a high specification double-hull IMO II oil and chemical tanker. Its overall length is 90.5 metres, breadth is 14.6 metres. It has a cargo capacity of 3,569 tonnes and a cubic capacity of 4,324.26 cu. metres. It has twin engines and propellers (total bhp - 2,548) with a powerful bow thruster. The Algoma Tankers fleet now consists of seven vessels, including the new product tankers, Algonova and Algocanada which joined the fleet in late 2008 and early 2009. This fleet is the newest and most technologically advanced product tanker fleet operating within the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River system and on the Canadian east coast. This double-hulled tanker fleet operates to the highest standards required under fully-compliant ISO 14001 Environmental Management and ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems and the International Safety Management Code. The corporation has also recently reached an agreement with our domestic dry-bulk joint venture, Seaway Marine Transport (SMT), to time charter three bulk carriers to them for a five- year term commencing upon their arrival in Canada later this year. These vessels, Algoma Spirit, Algoma Guardian and Algoma Discovery, are currently owned by Algoma Shipping Inc., a wholly-owned foreign subsidiary of the corporation. They are all maximum Seaway size bulkers and were built in 1986 (Spirit) and 1987 (Guardian and Discovery). The vessels will arrive in Canada later this year. Upon their arrival, the corporation will provide operating management and crewing services for the vessels. The vessels are expected to be deployed by SMT primarily in the grain and iron ore trades. SMT is the largest operator of dry-bulk vessels on the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Waterway. The corporation, through a wholly-owned subsidiary, has five product tankers under construction. When completed over the next two years these vessels will join an existing owned product tanker plus 18 other product tankers that are owned or are under construction by unrelated parties in the Hanseatic Tankers fleet. The corporation, also through subsidiaries, is part of a 26 vessel ocean-going self-unloading dry bulk fleet. Within this fleet, the corporation jointly owns five vessels and wholly owns two vessels. The corporation provides diversified ship repair, diesel engine repair services and fabrication services to ship-owners and industrial customers throughout the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Waterway. The corporation also has a mix of commercial real estate properties in Sault Ste. Marie, Waterloo and St. Catharines, Ont. Algoma Central Corporation |
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Port Reports - February 3
St. Clair River -
Toledo, Ohio - Bob Vincent
Halifax, N.S. - Mac Mackay |
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Port of Hamilton casting its net for non-steel cargo 2/3 - Hamilton, Ont. – After nearly a century of relying on the steel industry, the Hamilton Port Authority is launching an ambitious plan to change the nature of its business. The plan, sketched out Monday, will see $500 million invested in new facilities over the next decade to expand the kinds of cargo passing over its piers. "We have been dependent on steel for a considerable period and we have to change that," port authority CEO Bruce Wood said. "The steel companies are still very important to us and we service them like crazy, but we can't be as dependent on them as we have been." One part of that plan is a barge service launched last summer. Twice a week, the Niagara Spirit moves as much as 7,280 tonnes of freight down the St. Lawrence River and across the lake from Montreal to Hamilton. Grain and other commodities move the other way on the return trip by the barge, which is operated by Hamilton-based McKeil Marine. The service is designed to take trucks off the highways and train cars off the rails. "We think this is the most socially responsible way we have of moving cargo," Wood said. "We had a very successful startup season last year." The service has two downsides: it's not as fast as moving by truck and can only operate during the March-December seaway season. While cargo-hauling barges are a common sight in Europe, transportation by water has been hampered in North America by a heavy reliance on road and rail transportation and high tolls on the St. Lawrence Seaway. "We very much need an attitude shift here," said authority vice-chair Darrel Skidmore. As that service and the authority's effort to draw other kinds of cargo into Hamilton Harbour take hold, Wood said heavy investment will be needed in the port's infrastructure of piers, warehouses, roads and other services. About $150 million of the total will come from the authority -- it's entirely self-funding without government grants. "Everything we put into this we are going to have to earn through cargo over our piers," he said, adding the balance will come from investment partners. The effort is part of the authority’s desire to open itself to more involvement with the community as it tries to sell itself as an economic driver for the area. "We have an emerging and very good story to tell and we'd better tell it," Skidmore said. "This is a first step toward moving that agenda forward." The Hamilton Spectator |
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Ambitious plans, cold reality settle in at Montreal 2/3 - Montreal, Que. – The Port of Montreal's giant dockside cranes are once again picking up the pace as the outlook for global shipping begins to brighten. But ambitious plans for a major capacity expansion at the sprawling facility will have to be scaled back as a result of the impact of the global economic slowdown, says president and chief executive officer Sylvie Vachon. In 2008, during what turned out to be one of its best years and before the effects of the meltdown began to be felt, the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) grandly announced an ambitious $2.5-billion project – called Vision 2020 – to upgrade and expand handling and terminal operations. The multiyear program was billed as the first major expansion of the port, a key gateway for cargo shipments for Eastern Canada and the U.S. Midwest, in two decades. In the cold hard light of the still fragile economic recovery, however, the MPA will have to settle for a reduced version of Vision 2020, said Ms. Vachon, who took over as CEO last August after becoming the interim chief in March in the wake of the sudden departure of her predecessor, Patrice Pelletier. “This is going to be a slow recovery,” she said in an interview. “It's going to take two to three years just to get back to 2008 levels, which was after all a record year.” “Now, with traffic closer to 2005 and 2006 levels, we have to revisit our development programs. It's an opportunity to perform a deeper analysis of what we need and make some good choices,” she said about the project. It's too early to provide details, but one thing is clear: the goal is no longer to triple container capacity to 4.3 million 20-foot equivalent units, she said. Equivalent units is a measure the shipping industry uses to compare volumes. Last year, the port's handling of equivalent units fell 15.3 per cent to 1.24 million. The total for cargo of all types handled in 2009 was 24.5 million tonnes, a 12-per-cent drop from 2008 that reflected the steep downturn in global traffic as exports and imports fell dramatically. Ms. Vachon sees a “slow recovery” as signs of life in international trading begin to emerge. Recent growth in some categories of dry bulk cargo traffic, such as iron ore, could be a sign that a solid revival is under way, she said. A key to the port's ability to bounce back is its growing diversification of markets, with less dependence on the North Atlantic routes to Europe and expansion of new routes in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Latin America and Asia, she said. Market diversification helped offset the impact of the downturn, Ms. Vachon said. Container traffic to and from the Mediterranean actually grew in 2009, by 5.5 per cent over the previous year in the number of 20-foot equivalent units. Another bright note was the rise in marine grain shipping traffic, up 14.7 per cent over 2008. The fall in shipping rates during the recession had a positive effect on shipments of Canadian wheat headed to Asia because it became more competitive with grain from Australia. Ms. Vachon said the MPA is also looking to lure more cruise ships to its passenger terminal in Old Montreal. Among the ideas being looked at are a refurbishment of the Alexandra Pier passenger terminal, as well as building a tourism and entertainment complex accessible to passengers and local residents alike. The St. Lawrence River is an increasingly popular cruise-ship destination and the Port of Montreal wants to get a bigger piece of that business, Ms. Vachon said. The Globe and Mail |
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Updates - February 3
Lay-up list
updated - please send updates to
news@boatnerd.net |
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Today in Great Lakes History - February 3 In 1960, The Ludington Daily News reported that the S.S. AVALON, formerly the S.S. VIRGINIA, had been sold to Everett J. Stotts of Artesia, California. On 03 February 1899, the steamer GEORGE FARWELL (wooden propeller freighter, 182 foot, 977 gross tons, built in 1895, at Marine City, Michigan) burned while laid up near Montreal, Quebec. She had just been taken from the Great Lakes by her new owners, the Manhattan Transportation Company, for the Atlantic coastal coal trade, The loss was valued at $50,000 and was fully covered by insurance. The vessel was repaired and lasted until 1906 when she was lost near Cape Henry, Virginia. Data from: Max Hanley, Joe Barr, Father Dowling Collection and the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes. |
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Ice causing minor delays in lower St. Clair River 2/2 - Algonac, Mich. – About 11:20 Monday morning, Canadian Transport was stuck in the ice at Algonac opposite Canadian light A34. Downbound in ballast, she was freed about 30 minutes later by the Canadian Coast Guard ship Griffon. Both vessels docked in Windsor, the Griffion at Dieppe Park and the Transport at Ojibway Salt to load for South Chicago. |
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Rand Logistics announce strong earnings 2/2 - New York, N.Y. - Rand Logistics Inc., parent company of Lower Lakes Towing Ltd., announced Monday that it expects its operating income before depreciation, amortization and a one-time charge for a loan amendment fee, for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010, to be in the range of $20.5 to $21.0 million based on current exchange rates, which will be the highest in the company’s history. Total sailing days for the nine months ended December 31, 2009 equaled 2,977 or 90.2 percent of the theoretical maximum, versus 3,066 for the same year-ago period. The company anticipates that, based on current exchange rates, capital and dry-dock expenditures for the 2010 winter season ending March 31, 2010 will be in the range of $7.5 to $8.0 million. The company said that the increase in its earnings guidance is a result of a modest improvement in demand from certain of its customers, a continued focus on expense control, relatively benign weather conditions in the fiscal third quarter and effective vessel scheduling and utilization. “We are very pleased that we expect to exceed our previously provided fiscal year 2010 earnings guidance,” Laurence Levy, Chairman and CEO of Rand, said. “Our financial results will have been achieved in an economic environment where tonnage volumes were down 30 to 40 percent for certain of the commodities that we carry, versus last year. “We believe that our strong operating performance will be achieved despite adverse market conditions due to the diversity of our customer base, the size and configuration of our fleet and the scheduling flexibility it affords us, coupled with our cost efficient operating model. For our upcoming sailing season, we are expecting the economic recovery to be gradual, muted and uneven and believe that barring a further downturn in the economy or changes in the exchange rates, our fiscal year 2010 results reflect the floor of the company’s earnings.” Rand will issue financial results for its fiscal 2010 third quarter ended December 31, 2009 on Tuesday, February 9, 2010, before the market opens. Through its subsidiaries, the Rand operates a fleet of 10 self-unloading bulk carriers, including eight river-class vessels and one river-class integrated tug/barge unit, and three conventional bulk carriers, of which one is operated under a contract of affreightment. Headquartered in New York, N.Y., Rand Logistics was formed in 2006 through the acquisition of the outstanding shares of capital stock of Lower Lakes Towing Ltd. Rand Logistics |
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Lake Superior saw normal drop in January 2/2 - Duluth, Minn. – Lake Superior sits four inches below its long-term average for this time of year and four inches higher than the Feb. 1, 2009, level. The level of Lake Superior dropped three inches in January, according to the International Lake Superior Board of Control. The level of Lake Superior dropped three inches in January, the usual decline for the month, according to the International Lake Superior Board of Control. The lake sits four inches below its long-term average for this time of year and four inches higher than the Feb. 1, 2009, level. The level of Lakes Michigan-Huron dropped two inches in January, more than the usual one-inch drop, and is six inches below long-term average and six inches above the level at this time last year. Duluth News Tribune |
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Lake Erie mostly ice-free 2/2 - Cleveland, Ohio – Lake Erie remains unfrozen. At the beginning of January Lake Erie was mostly ice-free. A small line of ice can be seen along the south shore and a large area of ice is visible in the western basin. The Lake Erie water temperature off Cleveland Harbor is 33 degrees. That's very close to the freezing mark. Last week's milder weather kept the lake temperature from falling further and forming the coating of ice that would seriously limit future snowfall across the snow belts of northern Ohio. Much of Lake Erie is open water. The western basin near Toledo is the only area to show a decent ice cover. The water depth there averages only 25 feet deep, so this area is usually the first to freeze. The central basin from Lorain to Ashtabula is deeper. Its depth averages about 65 feet. It will take another two weeks of frigid, sub-freezing temperatures to get this area to freeze over. Lake-effect snow is a unique phenomena that occurs downwind of all of the Great Lakes. It occurs when cold arctic air moves over the relatively warm, unfrozen waters of the Lake. The cold air picks up moisture and then is lifted up over the higher terrain downwind of the lakeshore. That lifting causes the air to cool further and drop the moisture it had stolen from the lake surface. The moisture falls out of the air in the form of snow. News Channel 5 |
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Buoy technology reveals workings of Great Lakes 2/2 - South Bend, Ind. – The map is a Battleship board without grid lines. Red, yellow and blue squares on online maps mark where research scientists Steven Ruberg and Guy Meadows deploy techno-savvy buoys to measure near-shore conditions in the Great Lakes. "The government buoys that are out in the center of the lake are wonderful, but they don't tell what's happening in the coastal zone, and most of the people live and play and work in the coastal zones," said Meadows, a professor and director of the Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratories at the University of Michigan. Ruberg is an observing systems researcher at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor. Buoys are these scientists' toy soldiers, strategically positioned to relay near-shore conditions to Web sites. The race to provide real-time data about Great Lakes near-shore weather and water conditions is one both scientists have worked on for five years. The goal, Meadows said, is to compile a long-term data set. By characterizing typical conditions, the scientists will be better equipped to predict changes to the ecosystem and water quality. The scientists' buoys differ in form more than function. Their equipment measures anything from wave direction and height, air temperature and pressure, wind speed, humidity, water temperature and algae. "We're essentially providing observations from the surface of the water to the bottom," Ruberg said. While Meadow's buoys are primarily in Grand Traverse Bay and Little Traverse Bay, Ruberg's fleet spreads across lakes Michigan, Huron and Erie. Most are powered by solar panels and chained to a weight. Meadows' buoys use cell phones to report information to his Web site every six minutes and to the U.S. Government's National Data Buoy Center, which provides information from buoys around the world. But buoy wars don't come without risk of casualties. Ice and winter storms prevent the teams from leaving their buoys out to study lake conditions during the cold months. "The winter season is when the most severe storms are and some of the greatest changes that the lake undergoes are during winter when all that heat that's been stored up all summer long has dissipated," Meadows said. Ice sheets could also move buoys, causing them to take on water. "Biofouling" — the buildup of algae or microbial organisms on buoys and sensors, lightning storms and boat traffic also threaten the technology. Risks aside, a shot at good data drives scientists to join the buoy arms race. "You can get long-term continuous day and night data sets which are pretty much impossible to obtain by conventional means of humans going out into the lake on a boat," said Tom Consi, an associate scientist at the Great Lakes Water Institute in Milwaukee. "You just don't have access to a boat 24 hours a day and a person able to do that kind of sampling or measuring." Consi has seven buoys in his Great Lakes Urban Coastal Observing System fleet. Two of the buoys can study chemical, biological and physical lake processes for up to a year while the rest monitor nearshore conditions for weeks at a time. South Bend Tribune |
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Today in Great Lakes History - February 2 On February 2, 1981, the ARTHUR SIMARD grounded in the St. Lawrence River on her way from Montreal to Sept Iles, Quebec,with a cargo of diesel oil and suffered extensive bottom damage. The SAMUEL MATHER, a.) PILOT KNOB (Hull#522) had her keel laid February 2, 1942, at Ashtabula, Ohio, by Great Lakes Engineering Works. February 2, 1939 - The CHIEF WAWATAM went to the shipyard to have a new forward shaft and propeller placed. Data from: Max Hanley, Joe Barr, Father Dowling Collection, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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Port Reports - February 1
Straits of Mackinac – Fred Stone
Goderich, Ont. - Roger Wyatt |
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Coast Guard rescues five in Saginaw Bay 2/1 - Cleveland, Ohio - U.S. Coast Guard Station Saginaw River rescued five people in Saginaw Bay, Mich., Sunday at approximately 7 p.m. Three females and two males were rescued after two all-terrain vehicles they had been riding fell through the ice. The victims were able to get out of the water, back onto the ice and call 911. An SPC-Air airboat from Station Saginaw River and an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Detroit were dispatched to the scene. “We got out there and picked up all five people,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Greg Torrey, coxswain of Saginaw River’s airboat. “They all seemed okay, not hypothermic, just wet and really cold.” The airboat transported the five to Thomas Marina, where they were met by local EMS and checked for injuries. “We dropped them off at the marina and they all got checked out by the ambulance,” added Torrey. “They didn’t need to go to the hospital.” |
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Annual Shipmasters Association scholarships awarded 2/1 - Each year, the International Shipmasters Association Grand Lodge donates three $500 scholarships. One, known as the Hawsepipe scholarship, is open to any Canadian or American unlicensed rating in the Great Lakes basin. The second and third scholarships are for marine officer cadet scholarships with the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City, Mich., and at the Great Lakes International Marine Training Centre in Owen Sound, Ont.
The following 2010 winners were selected by vote by the Scholarship Committee: |
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May 2010 lighthouse and freighter cruise 2/1 - BoatNerd and the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association have joined with Keweenaw Excursions to organize the first lighthouse/freighter chasing event of 2010. This unusual trip will take place from May 19 to May 21. The fun will begin and end in Sault Ste. Marie, and features a two-day cruise aboard the Keweenaw Star which will travel from Marquette across Lake Superior, down the St. Marys River, overnight in the Soo, continue down thru the Rock Cut, DeTour, and across the top of Lake Huron. The cruise will pass under the Mackinac Bridge and sail down Lake Michigan to Charlevoix. The boat will provide photo opportunities at 20 lighthouses and all the vessels in the busy shipping lanes along the way. Due to bus availability, this event is limited to the first 46 people who make reservations. Make yours today. Click here for details. |
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Updates - February 1 |
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Today in Great Lakes History - February 1 On 01 February 1871, the SKYLARK (wooden propeller steamer, 90 tons, built in 1857) was purchased by the Goodrich Transportation Company from Thomas L. Parker for $6,000. On February 1, 1990, the U.S.C.G.C. MESQUITE was officially decommissioned. The steamer R. J. GORDON was sold to M. K. Muir of Detroit on 1 February 1883. In 1904, the ANN ARBOR NO. 1 found the rest of the fleet stuck in the ice outside Manitowoc. She made several attempts to break them loose, she became stuck there herself with the others for 29 days. In 1917, the ANN ARBOR NO 6 (later ARTHUR K. ATKINSON) arrived Frankfort, Michigan, on her maiden voyage. On 1 February 1886, Captain Henry Hackett died in Amherstburg, Ontario, at the age of 65. He and his brother, J. H. Hackett, organized the Northwestern Transportation Company in 1869. In 1972, the ENDERS M. VOORHEES locked through the Poe Lock downbound, closing the Soo Locks for the season. Data from: Max Hanley, Joe Barr, Father Dowling Collection, Brian Bernard, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series. |
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