MacArthur Lock closing for seasonal repair, maintenance

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI. – The Soo Locks’ MacArthur Lock will close for the Navigation Season at 7 a.m. Dec. 17, 2023, through April 24, 2024, to perform dam safety inspections and routine maintenance.

The Poe Lock will remain open until Jan. 15, 2024, or until commercial traffic ceases, whichever occurs first. The Soo Locks operating season is fixed by federal regulation (33 CFR 207.440).

“The 800-foot-long MacArthur Lock, built in 1943, is 80 years old; the maintenance period is critical to keeping the lock in operation during the shipping season,” Maintenance Branch Chief Nicholas Pettit said

 

Lakes limestone trade up 22.8 percent in November

CLEVELAND, OH — Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.1 million tons in November, an increase of 22.8 percent compared to a year ago. Limestone cargos were 7.3 percent above the month’s 5-year average.

Loadings from U.S. quarries increased 23.6 percent from 2022 to 2.6 million tons. Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 536,912 tons, an increase of 19.2 percent. Year-to-date the limestone trade stands at nearly 26.6 million tons, a decrease of 3.3 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings from Michigan and Ohio quarries decreased by 2.2 percent to nearly 21.5 million tons, while shipments from Ontario quarries total 5.2 million tons, a decrease of 7.5 percent from 2022.

See the details in the image gallery.

Lake Carriers’ Association

 

Beaver Island gets $10M to add
new ‘green’ passenger ferry

BEAVER ISLAND, MI – Michigan’s effort to enhance its ferry service to and from Beaver Island is getting another financial boost. On Thursday, Nov. 30, the Federal Transit Administration announced a $10 million grant to help the Beaver Island Transportation Authority add a new ship and improve its dock at the northern Lake Michigan island.

This is the second such grant the Beaver Island project has received this year from the federal Ferry Service For Rural Communities Program. In January, the project was awarded a grant worth $6.6 million.

Officials said the goal of the grant program, funded through President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is to expand ferry service in rural communities by helping to fund electric boats that reduce carbon pollution, as well as provide upgrades to shore infrastructure.

The Beaver Island Transportation Authority is seeking a potential “green propulsion system” to power the new vessel. It received funding from the state earlier this year to study what type of non-diesel system it could utilize.

Getting a new ferry was estimated to cost $17.5 million when the project was announced in August 2022. Once the study is complete, the transportation authority said it would come up with a new estimate for the cost of the vessel, as well as yearly upkeep and the configuration of a new dock.

Beaver Island, which is about 32 miles west of Charlevoix, is the largest island in Lake Michigan. It’s home to about 600 year-round residents, plus it’s a popular summer destination with multiple lighthouses, two nature preserves, and a state forest campground.

The Beaver Island Boat Company is the only operator of passenger ferries to the island. It operates two ferries: The Beaver Islander, built in 1962; and the Emerald Isle, built in 1997. Emerald Isle is owned by the Beaver Island Transportation Authority and is operated through a public-private partnership.

Read more and view imahes here: https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2023/12/beaver-island-gets-10m-to-add-new-green-passenger-ferry.html

 

‘Christmas Tree Ship’ makes stop
to return recovered anchor

GRAND RAPIDS, MI ­­– The “Christmas Tree Ship” has taken a quick detour on its way to Chicago to return an item that was accidentally salvaged during a previous operation.

The U.S. Coast Guard says the Cutter Mackinaw stopped near Racine, Wisconsin, on Wednesday to return the anchor to the Kate Kelly.

“The Mackinaw and crew paused to return an anchor that had been recovered unintentionally when performing ‘Aids to Navigation Operations’ and pay respects for those who lost their lives on that day in 1895 aboard this anchor’s vessel,” the Facebook post read.

The anchor belonged to the Kate Kelly, a two-mast schooner that was built in 1867 in New York. The transport vessel spent nearly 30 years on the Great Lakes, delivering everything from grain and coal to iron ore.

According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, the Kate Kelly left Alpena with a load of hemlock railroad ties bound for Chicago. After a stop in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the ship was caught in a nasty storm and capsized off of the shore of Racine.

Investigators don’t know exactly what caused the ship to sink, but the Kate Kelly suffered heavy damage. The cabin, yawl boat and anchor were all torn away from the ship. All six people aboard the Kate Kelly were lost.

It won’t be the Mackinaw’s only stop to pay homage to lost sailors. The Mackinaw will also perform a wreath laying for the crew of the Rouse Simmons, one of the original “Christmas Tree Ships” that used to bring trees from northern Michigan to Chicago. The Mackinaw is scheduled to arrive in Chicago on Friday.

WOOD

View photos, video at this link: https://www.upmatters.com/news/christmas-tree-ship-makes-stop-to-return-recovered-anchor/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_medium=referral&fbclid=IwAR2fJYKIxNkozCbWCzXt4lIWOJir_rpczLf4hlyfSMdQwHOwE7VUGgu9ddY

 

Cason J. Callaway towed to Escanaba

North Shore Marine’s tugs Nickelena, Erika Kobasic and Krystal towed the Cason J. Callaway to Escanaba from Sturgeon Bay Friday for continued lay up. She is tied at the North Shore Marine dock where the L.E. Block sat for many years, See images in the photo gallery.