Michigan History in the Making: The Legacy of the Great Lakes Maritime Industry in the Tri-Cities

Join us for a presentation on the Great Lakes Shipping Industry that explores local connections and contributions to the maritime industry, built upon the foundations of shipping in Michigan. This is an extra special presentation, as we have TWO speakers!

Jon Brosseit – Muskegon Community College History Professor, Jon Brosseit, will present examples of how shipping in the Great Lakes is integral to Michigan history, leading into modern-day shipping.

Samuel Hankinson – Port Development Coordinator at the Port of Monroe, Samuel Hankinson, will highlight past maritime activities in the Tri-Cities, pictures of the current era of Great Lakes shipping he profiles in the Grand Haven Tribune’s Ship’s Log column, and an industry perspective on the future of Great Lakes shipping.
Program will be held in Program Room A.

Registration encouraged but not required.

To learn more about this event, click this link: https://www.loutitlibrary.org/calendar/#/events/2PMaX0kJVQ/instances/7xK3PiNKsv/

Mark your calendars for Soo Boatnerd Picnic and Freighter-Chasing Cruise

Join us for the Annual Boatnerd Picnic and Freighter-Chasing Cruise on the St. Marys River during the annual Engineers’ Day weekend at Sault Ste. Marie June 29-30. Find details on both events here: https://www.boatnerd.com/boatnerd-soo-gathering-june-29-30-2023/

Coast Guard ends Operation Taconite

Coast Guard Sector Sault Sainte Marie concluded Operation Taconite this evening. What ice remains rapidly deteriorates, posing no hindrance to commercial navigation.

Operation Taconite is the Coast Guard’s largest domestic icebreaking operation, encompassing Lake
Superior, St. Mary’s River, the Straits of Mackinac, Lake Michigan and the northern portion of Lake Huron.

In the 114 days (16 Dec-09 Apr) of the 2023 domestic icebreaking season, the nine ice assets assigned to
Sector Sault Sainte Marie provided 999 hours of icebreaking assistance to the benefit of 235 vessel transits;
24 of these movements required direct icebreaking assistance to ensure commercial vessel safety. These same icebreaking assets delivered an additional 1,416 hours of preventative icebreaking support to establish and maintain tracks in the ice hampered waterways of western Lake Superior, the St Marys River, Green Bay, and the Straits of Mackinac. It is estimated more than 4.5 million tons of dry bulk and liquid cargoes were assisted during the 114-day operational period. This translates to roughly $165 million US dollars of cargo
critical to power generation, industrial productivity, and public safety, assisted during the winter months.

USCG

Mark your calendars for Soo Boatnerd Picnic and Freighter-Chasing Cruise

Join us for the Annual Boatnerd Picnic and Freighter-Chasing Cruise on the St. Marys River during the annual Engineers’ Day weekend at Sault Ste. Marie June 29-30. Find details on both events here: https://www.boatnerd.com/boatnerd-soo-gathering-june-29-30-2023/

First “salty” arrives at Port of Windsor

A ceremony steeped in old navy history marked the resumption of foreign trade in Canada’s shipping industry earlier this week in Windsor.

The M/V Egbert Wagenborg is the first foreign ship to arrive at the Port of Windsor this year.

To mark the occasion, Harbour Master Peter Berry and officials from ADM Agri Industries greeted the master of the vessel with a Port of Windsor Challenge Coin.

The “salty” is registered in the Netherlands and is classified as a general cargo ship. She is capable of carrying more than 20,000 metric tonnes of cargo. M/V Egbert Wagenberg arrived at ADM Agri Industries on Tuesday.

Captain Francis Bos admitted he was surprised his ship was the first foreign vessel to arrive at the port.

“We tried to be the first in the [St. Lawrence] Seaway, but we arrived, and there was already a ship in line for the opening,” he said. “We did not realize we are the first here. I am very proud that we were the first salty to the port.”

The St. Lawrence Seaway opened for the season on March 22.

The Port of Windsor is the third largest port in Ontario and receives more than 600 ships a season, delivering more than 5-million tonnes of aggregate, salt, steel, and grain to Windsor-Essex. It also has the largest ship fueling depot in the province.

Windsor News

Algoberta name painted on hull of Algoma Central tanker

SARNIA, ON – While the former saltwater tanker Chiberta was moored at Sarnia this week, she received her new name, Algoberta. The naming of the latest Algoma Central tanker fleet acquisition began on April 1 or 2. The name is a nod to Algoma’s largest customer in the segment which calls Calgary, Alberta, home. Algoberta (and her sister whip Chantaco, now Algotitan), were built in 2007 at RMK Marine Shipyard, Istanbul, Turkey.

Port of Cleveland welcomes first freighter to open the 2023 Great Lakes shipping season

CLEVELAND — The beginning of April marks the opening of the 2023 Great Lakes shipping season with the first freighter arriving Tuesday night at the Port of Cleveland — the Isadora, a 652-foot-long bulk carrier cargo ship carrying steel coils from the Netherlands. It was smooth sailing for the ship as the mild winter weather has left the Great Lakes mostly ice-free.

The opening of the shipping season though dictated more by the maintenance done each winter to the locks that connect the lake than the weather itself.

“That is dictated by the St. Lawrence Seaway system, so the locks opened March 22 this year,” said David Gutheil, Chief Commercial Officer for the Port of Cleveland. “So the locks are drained every year, every winter for maintenance and they’re refilled when the system is ready to open and these vessels start to arrive.”

The Port is looking to welcome more ships this season, building on the job they’ve done in the wake of the nation’s supply chain struggles and positioning Cleveland as a viable alternative.

“Certainly, the congestion issues that have occurred over the last two years at coastal ports have helped us gain stature; we need to capitalize on that and continue to improve our infrastructure and give customers the opportunity to use the port more than ever,” he said. “We’re looking at another good year. We’re optimistic that [with] the steel that we bring in on an annual basis we’ll continue to stay strong.”

The port recently completed a $22 million project to overhaul one of its main docks and just received $27 million in part to modernize the warehouse. This is on top of improvements that will allow the port to begin handling, for the first-time, bulk liquids which will come into Cleveland this summer from Southeast Asia.

“So that will be our first direct partnership with the Southeast Asia origin cargo, so we’re excited about that,” Gutheil said.

Most of the cargo that comes through the port each year you never see but for one exception in recent years — the fast-growing area of cruise ship tourism. It turns out the port’s location at the doorstep of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Science Center and downtown as a whole is becoming a popular stop since the first ship stopped here in 2017. They had nine that summer; this year they’ll welcome 53.

“We’re really happy to welcome three new lines here this year, Viking, LeDumont and Pearl Seas, all will be in Cleveland for the first time and can’t wait to see those vessels start to arrive next month,” Gutheil said. The additional tourism dollars are dropped on top of the $3.5 billion in economic activity the Port generates through the 13 million tons of cargo that pass through it each year.

News 5 Cleveland

Ice conditions along St. Marys being monitored, board says

The International Lake Superior Board of Control says it is carefully monitoring ice conditions with the goal of raising gates at the Compensating Works on the St. Marys Rapids as soon as ice conditions permit.

In its monthly update, the board said it will issue another notice in advance of gate movements planned for later this month.

In the meantime, anglers and other users of the rapids are being reminded that a higher than customary gate setting continues to be maintained to minimize the impacts of ongoing maintenance at Evolugen’s Clergue hydropower facility on the Canadian side.

The gates of the Compensating Works at the head of the St. Marys Rapids will be maintained at an equivalent of two gates fully open for the start of April.

The board said that, at the beginning of April, the lake-wide water level of Lake Superior was 18 cm (7.1 in.) above the seasonal long-term average (1918-2021) and 24 cm (9.4 in.) above the level of a year ago.

The lake-wide level of Lake Michigan-Huron was 11 cm (4.3 in) above average and 14 cm (5.5 in.) below the level of a year ago.

Lake Superior declined by 4 cm (1.4 in.) last month, while the seasonal long-term average decline is 1 cm (0.4 in.) in March.

Lake Michigan-Huron rose by 4 cm (1.6 in) last month, which matches the seasonal long-term average rise in March.

What happens in Lake Superior will depend on weather and water supply conditions during the next month, the board said. Lake Superior may decline slightly in April, or it may rise by as much as 14 cm (5.5 in.).

Depending on the weather and water supply conditions, Lake Michigan-Huron is expected to continue its seasonal rise in April and may rise by as much as 20 cm (7.9 in), the board’s update states.

The International Lake Superior Board of Control is responsible for managing the control works on the St. Marys River and regulating the outflow from Lake Superior into Lake Michigan-Huron.

Under any outflow regulation plan, the ability to regulate the flow through the St. Marys River does not mean that full control of the water levels of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron is possible, the board noted.

This is because the major factors affecting water supply to the Great Lakes (i.e. precipitation, evaporation, and runoff) cannot be controlled, and are difficult to accurately predict.

Outflow management cannot eliminate the risk of extreme water levels from occurring during periods of severe weather and water supply conditions.

Additional information can be found at the board’s homepage.

Soo Leader

Detroit-Windsor truck ferry to close in 4 to 6 months, company says

After an unsuccessful plea for public funding, the Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry (DWTF) will be shutting down later this year, the operator of the service confirmed.

The move will leave the cities without a direct way to transport hazardous or oversize loads across the border amid two mega projects in Windsor: the construction of the Stellantis-LG EV battery plant and the building of the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

The president of the truck ferry, Gregg Ward, says he made a decision Friday not to make a long-term renewal of his lease agreement for the equipment to run the crossing.

“The government’s decision to not financially support the Truck Ferry operation means the service will wind down operations in the next 4-6 months and then close,” he said in an email to CBC News.

Ward said last week that it’s no longer financially viable to run the ferry following a decrease in traffic from trucks carrying hazardous materials, so he advocated for government funding.

Ward said he would need $160,000 US a month to keep operating, a cost he hoped could be split by governments on both sides of the border.

“If they would like it to stay open, I will need support to do that,” Ward said in an interview Thursday evening.

Ward said he believes it is a service that has significant public value.

The ferry has been in operation since 1990. It’s currently the only legal way for trucks to move hazardous materials across the border and it also can be used for overweight or large dimension trucks.

Ward wanted to receive funding to at least keep the service running until the Gordie Howe International Bridge — which will allow hazardous materials to cross — is open in 2025.

In a statement, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority says the company building the bridge uses the truck ferry, along with other crossings. But it doesn’t believe a closure of the truck ferry would affect the project’s timeline.

“Should the truck ferry become unavailable as a component of their transportation route, [Bridging North America] and their subcontractors will assess other available options. Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority does not anticipate a possible closure of the truck ferry as having an impact on construction or schedule,” said Heather Grondin, vice-president of corporate affairs and external relations.

A spokesperson for Stellantis said that the closure of the truck ferry “does not impact our battery plant construction.”

CBC

Sturgeon Bay shipbuilding company suspends VP/GM following criminal allegations

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding’s vice president/general manager has been suspended following criminal allegations from his time at another shipbuilder.

Fincantieri Marine Group decided to suspend Craig Perciavalle Wednesday after receiving word of the allegations at Austal USA.

FMG says none of the charges involve FBS, FMG or Fincantieri SpA. The company also says the Department of Justice charges and investor complaint are based on alleged wrongdoing by three Austal employees from 2013 to 2016.

“We are aware of the criminal indictment and civil complaint filed against Craig [Perciavalle] related to his previous employment before coming to FBS,” said Marco Galbiati, CEO of FMG. “We have chosen to suspend him from his current duties until these matters are resolved.”

Perciavalle became the vice president/general manager of FBS in November of 2021.

FMG Senior Vice President for Public Affairs and Community Relations Jan Allman will serve as FBS’ interim general manager.

Fox 11 News

Gov. Whitmer tours Port of Monroe following multimillion grant award

Paul LaMarre couldn’t help himself.

For years, the Port of Monroe director has worked to bring to life his vision of the port as the quintessential maritime gateway to the state of Michigan and has championed the state and federal leaders that have helped push that dream forward.

On Monday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer visited the Port of Monroe on the heels of another grant approval, and LaMarre took the opportunity to give her a warm greeting.

“I have to give you a hug,” LaMarre said to Whitmer as they toured the port on a bus provided by Lake Erie Transit. “I am so thankful.”

Whitmer came to the Port of Monroe bearing gifts, namely the award of state and federal grants that will help the port become the first in Michigan to build an essential container terminal. That comes on the heels of an over $11 million federal grant awarded to the port last year through the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD).

“Today, we’re celebrating the state of Michigan’s $13 million investment in the Port of Monroe from the bipartisan budget that I signed last year,” Whitmer said. “These funds go toward construction of a cargo scanning facility and fund improvements and programming at the Opportunity Center. This work is critical. A lot of the facilities here were built in the 1930s and have not been significantly upgraded until now.”

The port will receive $5 million from the state for the fiscal year 2023. Last summer, the city of Monroe invested $1.7 million and the port also appropriated funds from the Marine Highway grant program to install a new Manitowoc crawler crane. The port has received a steady stream of city, state and federal funding over the years that has helped build the port into what it is today.

“Now I’m here to put my foot on the accelerator,” Whitmer said. “This is an effort that transcends any one administration. It’s got to be bipartisan because this is about industry, this is about Michigan, this is about our economy, and this is about all the men and women that make Michigan go.”

Whitmer also quoted state Sen. Joe Bellino Jr., R-Monroe, championing his words that “this much-needed funding will help Monroe continue to hire skilled employees while improving and enhancing the port for years to come.”

LaMarre worked for years to get the port to the point where it could handle containerized cargo. In the past, he had secured deals with the Ford Motor Co. and Arauco North America that were struck down by Customs and Border Patrol. Officials from CBP said the port would need proper security screening equipment to handle such cargo.

A study conducted by the University of Michigan found that CBP’s policies had cost the Monroe region substantial revenue and jobs. LaMarre worked with those officials and state and federal politicians to make the port compliant and secure funding to realize his vision.

Monday’s visit from Whitmer marked a significant milestone in that journey.

“There are but few moments in life when you put the finishing touches on one canvas and begin the next masterpiece. This is that moment today,” LaMarre said. “It has taken a decade to get us where we are at. Governor, your presence here is that moment for the Port of Monroe and for the Great Lakes maritime industry. … You are our champion.”

Established in 1932, the Port of Monroe is Michigan’s only port on Lake Erie. The marine terminal provides access to the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway and it serves 17 states. A total of 2,513,890 tons were received at the port’s facilities and docks during in 2022, representing a 10% increase in tonnage compared to the previous season.

Last season, the port partnered with tenant Ventower Industries to create new supply chain opportunities in Monroe. Ventower is the country’s only active wind turbine tower manufacturer at a port. Ventower and the Port of Monroe manufactured and exported 90 wind tower sections last summer to Oswego, New York. Turbine sections have been shipped as far away as South America.

Upgrades will allow both the port and Ventower to reach even further into the global trade market.

In addition to the container terminal and security upgrades, grant funds will help the port rehabilitate both aging infrastructure and the existing riverfront wharf. Also, a new identical wharf will be constructed to help transfer more wind energy components.

“This port is really vital to our state’s economy,” Whitmer said. “The goods that flow here represent some of our most profitable and important industry, like mining and energy, and soon agriculture. The diversified economic activity spurred by this port supports thousands of jobs through its supply chain and drives tens of millions of dollars in commerce. Over the last decade, the port has had the most tonnage growth in the seaway system and has become a national model for revival and sustainability. So we are all invested in this port’s success.”

Monroe News

Mark your calendars for Soo Boatnerd Picnic and Freighter-Chasing Cruise

Join us for the Annual Boatnerd Picnic and Freighter-Chasing Cruise on the St. Marys River during the annual Engineers’ Day weekend at Sault Ste. Marie June 29-30. Find details on both events here: https://www.boatnerd.com/boatnerd-soo-gathering-june-29-30-2023/

Monroe container port poised to move best of Michigan autos, agriculture

MONROE, Mich. — Michigan’s first container terminal is rising here, potentially positioning the state to grow its supply chain, support auto manufacturing and move the state’s agricultural goods to faraway markets.

The Port of Monroe recently received $16 million in state and federal grants to build a terminal that will allow the port to handle container shipments, the most common and efficient shipment method for goods. The port is located on River Raisin, connecting to the west end of Lake Erie.

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters announced in October that the Port of Monroe would receive roughly $11 million through the Port Infrastructure Development Program. The grant was awarded by the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD), an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It also received $5 million in state funds in November. As a part of Michigan Maritime Gateway, it will be the first maritime container terminal in the state and the most modern such facility on the Great Lakes.

“This port has been working for more than seven years to be able to handle containerized cargo, and now with the new container terminal, Michigan automakers can export cars and trucks they make to Europe via the St. Lawrence Seaway,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said during a tour of the port Monday, adding that the state is in the process of building five electric vehicle battery plants, semiconductor chip facilities, solar panels, and wind turbines in Michigan. “By supporting facilities like the Port of Monroe on a state, federal, and local level, we can work together to bolster Michigan’s supply chain.”

She added: “This port is really vital to our state’s economy. The goods that flow here represent some of our most profitable and important industries like mining, energy, and soon, agriculture. The diversified economy activity spurred by the port supports thousands of jobs through the supply chain and drives tens of millions of dollars of profit. It’s a big deal.

“If you look at a map and see all of the commerce that comes through this part of the Great Lakes system, you’d recognize that this is a really important place for us to be,” Whitmer said. “This is critical. A lot of facilities here were born in the 1930s and have not been significantly upgraded until now.”

The monies will go towards updating the port’s riverfront, turning basin, maritime readiness slip construction and shore power infrastructure, according to its site. Also on tap would be a cargo scanning facility, the governor said.

Riverfront work will include replacing the surface of the existing wharf, constructing a second riverfront wharf to be used exclusively for vessel transfer of wind energy cargos, and reinforcing shoreline stabilization. Turning basin work will include rehabilitating the concrete dock cap, bollard and fender installation, and replacing roughly 390 feet of failed sheet pile.

The small boat readiness slip construction will include demolishing and rehabilitating an existing small boat slip to be used by harbor assist vessels. And shore power infrastructure will include removing existing overhead lines and providing shore power to the riverfront wharves.

Coal for DTE Energy Co.’s power plant in Monroe accounts for most of the cargo received at the Monroe port, which received about 2.5 million tons of cargo in 2022. It moves other major freight via ships, trains, and trucks. The Monroe port, the only one on Lake Erie, will be the first container facility in the country to scan, by radiation and X-ray, 100% of the containers that come through the facility, said Paul LaMarre, the port’s director.

“Now, Michigan will be in that business to ensure that goods can travel to and from our region as expeditiously as possible and as economically as possible,” LaMarre said. “We won’t be moving record numbers of containers. We will be moving value containers that are adding value to our regional manufacturing.”

Over 10 years ago, the port was a field “overgrown with trees and an underutilized piece of property that wasn’t creating jobs or commerce,” LaMarre said. “We’ve gotten to a point where we are being regarded as a national example of how you put a port and intermodal facility in a small community like Monroe back on the map.”

“We’ve been making ongoing investments in the port since 2012,” he said. “We’ve had the most exponential tonnage growth of any port in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway system during that time. … We’re the biggest little port on the Great Lakes,” he said.

The port is expected to finish its updates for its full-service container business by the Spring 2024.

Detroit News

Shipping season starts with top hat ceremony in Goderich, Ont.

Captain John Lavery had the honour of wearing a ceremonial top hat after being the first ship to arrive in the Goderich, Ont. port this shipping season.

“My first time, being first. I’ve been here plenty of times over the years, but this is the first time I’ve been first,” said Lavery.

The ceremonial top hat has been awarded in Goderich every year since 1932.

Historically, it used to be a race to get to port after the Great Lakes ice breaks up, but ice cover wasn’t a problem this year. In fact, there’s been a 75 per cent decline in ice cover on the Great Lakes over the past 50 years.

“Usually, you get some ice near the Mackinaw Bridge. This year, there was some, but not much. Usually, we need the Coast Guard to cut us through there, but this year there might have been one or two days they needed assistance,” said Lavery.

Lake ice is a huge impediment to shipping, said Lavery, especially back in 2014 when the ice cover surpassed 80 per cent. It only reached 20 per cent this winter.

“That year we had all the ice, we left Port Colborne for Thunder Bay. That’s usually a three day trip. Took us three weeks, because of the ice,” said Lavery.

So this winter, with no lake ice, shipping only stopped for a couple weeks for ship maintenance and mine maintenance in Goderich, making the top hat ceremony more about tradition than actually kick-starting the shipping season.

“We’ve been doing this since 1932. Even during COVID, we were able to hand out the top hat. It’s an important part of our community,” said Goderich Deputy Mayor Trevor Bazinet.

London CTV News

Well-known but ‘humble’ Port Huron philanthropist Jim Acheson dies at 86

PORT HURON, Mich. – During one Southside Summer Festival in the early 2000s, Donna Niester remembers being stopped by local residents who had positive feedback on the event – unaware its benefactor sat beside her.

The festival was among the many acts of goodwill for the businessman, Jim Acheson. But on that occasion, Niester, now president and CEO of Acheson Ventures, said Acheson remained silent, listening, even though the compliment was his. “He would not speak up. He wouldn’t acknowledge that he was right next to me and tell them, ‘You’re welcome,” she said Monday. “He would just smile, not looking for credit at all. So, to me, that truly speaks volumes.”

Acheson Ventures confirmed early Monday that Jim Acheson, the longtime philanthropist died Sunday. He was 86.

Neil Schultheiss, founder of the boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/ web site, remembers Acheson as a down-to-earth kind of guy. “He was a fan of the site and gave us all the resources of Acheson Ventures to establish Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping as a 501(c)(3). He was a very kind man and avid boater, he would stop and talk about the freighters and you would think he was just a regular guy.”

Acheson was also the guiding light of the Great Lakes Maritime Center, now a staple of the Port Huron waterfront and for many years host to a Boatnerd research center.

Following the sale of his family’s business, Acheson founded Acheson Ventures in the late 1990s and other charity programs, particularly through the Community Foundation of St. Clair County. He was also known for using his fortune to buy roughly 30 waterfront acres off of Fourth Street, where he had wider dreams to redevelop and improve the area.

Niester, who’s worked with Acheson since his foundations’ inception, said his friends and loved ones were “flooded” by memories of him this week. “We would truly have to argue with Jim to put his name on something,” Niester said. “He just always wanted to do it quietly and sometimes he did it in somebody else’s name. He truly was a humble man.”

Randy Maiers, president and CEO of the Community Foundation, said something similar about Acheson, who, despite the range of support the multimillionaire could afford, kept himself out of the limelight.

More recently, he was often at his home in Florida, Maiers said, trusting his philanthropic activities to be overseen by Niester and a close set of advisors. “He trusted his team completely to carry on his legacy,” Maiers said. “Jim was most comfortable just at his house or on his boat with friends.”

Acheson was 'a visionary of what Port Huron could look like.'

He was the grandson of inventor and Thomas Edison protégé, Dr. Edward Acheson, who founded Acheson Colloids Co. The company would become the massive and international Acheson Industries before the family company was sold in 1998.

Originally uninterested in the family business, Acheson went to the University of Michigan, leaving after three years and joining the U.S. Army. It wasn’t until later that he joined the company, manning the helm after his brother and father each died within months in 1975.

Acheson Ventures laid the groundwork for decades of philanthropic work. By the early 2000s, Acheson was already having a widely-recognized impact on the community despite his often-noted unassuming nature and casual approach in dress and demeanor.

In 2001, the multimillionaire philanthropist and businessman topped the list of a Times Herald survey, asking readers who “runs Port Huron.” At the time, he told the newspaper he and his family were well taken care of, only needing so much support financially and joking he was "just throwing money at things” he believed in.

Over time, Niester admitted that the list became difficult to measure. “It is so immense that it’ll take a while to talk about that,” Niester said. “But the other piece is his vision, or specifically, Jim grew up on the southside of Port Huron, which is why it has been the focus of so much of what he’s donated. He’s done things to help the schools and (in) health care. He truly was a visionary of what Port Huron could look like.”

Acheson has supported the city of Port Huron and its parks and recreation and police departments, Port Huron’s largest hospital, the YMCA, St. Clair County Community College, SONS Outreach, and more.

"(Jim) Acheson was a champion for our city and our residents," City Manager James Freed said in a message. "His deeply held belief in what our city could become instilled confidence and hope in others. So many community goals were achieved, so many lives (were) touched because of his philanthropy. … He was a good friend and a decent man, a true gentleman."

Early on, in addition to the Southside Summer Festival, Acheson used his entities to pay for other community features and improvements, sponsoring a tall ship event at the Seaway Terminal and a host of other smaller projects with the Community Foundation, including a youth home for homeless teens and the establishment of Studio 1219, a former art gallery space that’s since been sold and operates as the Foundry.

Maiers said the most visible of his philanthropy might be the Blue Water River Walk, the mile-long stretch on the St. Clair River shoreline he gifted the Community Foundation in 2010.

“Jim’s dad actually helped create this foundation here in 1944. So, I know Jim was real proud to carry on the legacy that his dad and grandfather started. But it’s hard to overstate what the Acheson family has meant to Port Huron, in this region, and certainly, the Community Foundation,” Maiers said. “He loved Port Huron. He loved the southside. It’s not a coincidence that our offices are on the southside just down the street from Jim Acheson’s office.”

Funeral arrangements hadn't been announced as of Monday afternoon.

Times-Herald

Historian and author Joel Stone is Detroit group’s Historian of the Year

DETROIT –  Joel Stone, a public historian and curator emeritus at the Detroit Historical Society, has been named Historian of the Year by the Marine Historical Society of Detroit.

He was presented with a plaque Saturday at the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, OH, by MHSD President Roger LeLievre. The award is conferred annually.

Raised in the Detroit area, Stone learned the love of boats from his parents, and by extension his grandfathers – one a sailboat enthusiast, the other a professional photographer who captured the passing parade on the Detroit and St. Clair rivers. Joel began sailing competitively after college and worked foredeck on more than a dozen Bayview-Mackinac competitors. For the last 20 years, he has crewed on a Capri 25 out of the Grosse Pointe Boat Club.

He holds degrees and certificates in journalism, history, archaeology, and archival management from the University of Detroit, Wayne State University, and the University College Cork, Ireland. During his time at UofD, he sought out MHSD charter member Fr. Edward Dowling – like so many others – for studies in Great Lakes research. He spent a summer spinning records on the Bob-Lo boats, and while in Ireland became interested in the culture of coastal trading.

Following his undergraduate years, Stone enjoyed a rewarding stint in music retail before moving into his first career as a graphic artist, designer, and fabricator. Clients included Detroit’s automotive Big 3, as well as cultural institutions, national healthcare organizations and numerous marketing firms.

Stone was hired by the Detroit Historical Society (DHS) initially as a maritime docent in 2006. A year later, he became curator for the Detroit Historical Museum, Dossin Great Lakes Museum, and the Collections Resource Center. In 2012, he was named Senior Curator, and in 2013 participated in a full renovation of both museums. He later helped develop an internationally recognized community history project related to Detroit’s 1967 racial uprising.

Stone is a past president of the Association for Great Lakes Maritime History and co-editor of its Great Lakes Art Database. He currently edits Telescope magazine as a member of the Great Lakes Maritime Institute. Joel belongs to the International Ship Masters’ Association Lodge #7 and the Prismatic Club of Detroit and has been a volunteer reader at the Detroit Radio Information Service, an audio news carrier for the print-impaired, since 1986.

He authored “Floating Palaces of the Great Lakes: a History of Passenger Steamships on the Inland Seas” (University of Michigan Press, 2015), and more recently “100 Years of the Detroit Historical Society” (Wayne State University Press, 2021). He also wrote and illustrated “Grandpa’s Big Book of Boats” (Bishop’s Gate Publishing, 1993). Edited works include “Detroit1967: Origins, Impacts, Legacies” (Wayne State University Press, 2017), “Interpreting Maritime History at Museums and Historic Sites” (AASLH/Rowman & Littlefield, 2017), “Border Crossings: The Detroit River Region in the War of 1812” (Detroit Historical Society, 2012), and “Revolutionary Detroit: Portraits in Political and Cultural Change, 1760-1805” (Detroit Historical Society, 2009).

Joel lives with his wife, Linda Mast Stone, in Bloomfield Township near Detroit, and has been known to get paid to sing chanties and sea songs in public.

Group says Kingston is SS Keewatin’s best option for survival

Moving the SS Keewatin to Kingston is the best way to save the ship from the scrapyard, the man who led the effort to bring the ship to Port McNicoll and restore it over the past decade said.

“It is the only option and, trust me, we tried them all,” said Eric Conroy, founder of Friends of the Keewatin and part of the group that brought the ship back to Canada from Michigan in 2011.

“The problem is everybody these days is protecting their waterfront,” Conroy said. “Nobody wants, you know, a 118-year-old ship on their waterfront.”

Nobody, except for the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston, that is. It made attaining the ship as a tourist attraction a key part of its renewal plan after returning to the Ontario Street location.

The land surrounding the Keewatin’s current location has been sold for residential development, so even if the ship were to stay in Port McNicoll, there would be no site available to accommodate it.

It’s a similar story in nearby communities that have been offered the chance to accept the ship but declined, Conroy said.

While Conroy admitted many in Port McNicoll are sad to see the ship go, the volunteers who helped restore the Keewatin in recent years are helping prepare it for the move and are training marine museum volunteers.

In late May, the ship is to be towed to a shipyard near the Welland Canal to undergo about $2 million worth of cosmetic refurbishment before being moved to Kingston in the late summer.

Among the work to be done on the ship is replacing the promenade decking, reinforcing the funnel, painting the ship’s two masts and rebuilding the wheelhouse.

“The ship itself inside is absolutely immaculate, including the engine, which is similar to the two that were on Titanic. It works,” he said. “The Smithsonian Institute is prepared to buy the engine, which would mean we’d have to scrap the ship to sell them the engine, which is worth $4 or $5 million on its own.”

Conroy said the plan to have the ship on display in Kingston is fitting, given its connection to Sir John A. Macdonald, who was instrumental in the creation of both the dry dock adjacent to the marine museum and the construction of the Keewatin and its sister ships.

Having the ship in Kingston will also mean many more people will see it compared to how many visited it in Port McNicoll.

“Even the best summer we ever had, which was the last one (2019), we got 10,000 visitors, so 10,000 visitors won’t pay the bills. It’s an expensive thing to keep,” he said. “If you live in an old house, you know you’re always fixing something. You get a great big ship like this and, boy, it’s expensive to operate.”

Conroy said he is confident the marine museum will be able to attract many more tourists to the ship.

In the next few weeks, volunteers in Port McNicoll, with the help of some from Kingston, are packing up the artifacts on board the ship for its trip down the lakes.

Conroy said donors have been offered the opportunity to have items returned prior to its departure, but the vast majority of the artifacts are staying with the ship.

Ottawa Citizen

Great Lakes Maritime Academy open ship details

TRAVERSE CITY — The community is invited to the Great Lakes Maritime Academy’s “Open Ship” showcasing the training ship State of Michigan from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 22.

The day will include:
· Self-guided tours of the T/S State of Michigan
· Interaction with current Maritime cadets
· An opportunity to learn more about the Maritime Academy, Maritime careers, how to become a chef on a ship and Navy commissioning options.

Tours will begin at the pier security gate entrance on the north side of NMC’s Great Lakes campus, 715 E. Front St. Low-heel, closed-toe, soft-soled shoes are highly recommended. The event will occur rain or shine.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Great Lakes Maritime Academy
maritime@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1200

GLMA

New icebreaker plans scaled down. Waaaaaaaaay down

WORSHINGTON, AC/DC – The recently-approved $858 bazillion defense bill included funding for a new ice breaker on the Great Lakes at least “as capable” as the current ice breaker S’mackinaw – which may or not be a good thing, according to Ollie O’Pinionated, certified amateur professional waterfront smack-talker.

“All that thing does is go around in circles,” opined O’Pinionated, from his lofty perch in Never-Neverland. “They should really bring back the original S’mack,” he harrumphed.

With the new breaker at least 11 years away, however, the USCG has expressed an interest in a simpler, less expensive vessel to help fill the gap. She is expected to be labelled WLBB-30.5 (or 30 1/2) and will likely be dubbed “Really Really Little S’mack” for the time being.

The word on the waterfront is that several northern Michigan helpful hardware places have expressed an interest in building the vessel for the coast guard. “We’re aces at that kind of thing,” said self-proclaimed nuts-and-bolts king Jack Hammer, based at Salt Saint Mary. He added his team has years (and years and years) of construction experience building spare keys for the adjacent Sioux Lox.

Is she coming or going? Even the company doesn’t know

EEEEEERIE, New Pensylhiork – With the acquisition of the former ASC by Bland Ill-logistics, it was announced today that the forebody of LLT’s Saginaw, formerly ASC’s John J. Boland, has been joined with the stern of the former ASC’s John J. Boland, along with a clone of the stern of the former ASC’s John J. Boland which was created in a shipyard accident involving an office copier and a time machine.

The new ship, christened the John John Jay Bollllllland, will position the combined fleet for greater efficiency, said Randy L. O’gistics, chief chief offfficer.

“It can load and unload at the same time,” O’gistics said. “Even better, it can unload the cargo from one hold into the other hold, and vice versa, continually loading and unloading the same cargo. We figure we can get 1,701 trips out of one load.” As of press time, company officials were studying. whether the ship needed to actually sail.”

Barkerbark belches record cargo of ping-pong balls

GREENJEANS, Wisnesotagan – A port record was set today when Interflake’s “Big Jim” Barkerbark unloaded a cargo of 1,771,561 Ping-Pong (insert registered trademark symbol here) balls in approximately 30 minutes.

“This achievement represents Interflake’s commitment to finding ever more diverse cargoes,” said “Big Jim” Barkerbark, namesake of the boat. Barkerbark credited relief crewman/utility infielder M.I. Moosey with the idea. “He said he got it from the place he used to work,” Barkerbark said. “Some TV show, I think.”

The cargo presented a unique challenge in navigation. “Stuffed the holds full-to-bursting and hardly got the load lines wet,” said Barkerbark’s relief skipper, Captain Ken Garew. “Wound up ballasting all the way to the top of the tanks and parked a few trucks on the deck just to keep the props and rudders in the water.”

The cargo presented few challenges in unloading. “They should be coming off the tip of the boom any minute now,” said Garew, moments before he was buried under an avalanche of small white plastic spheres.

CRAB-TUGs save time by being built, scrapped in same year

PORT ABULL, Michneconsin – The United States Navy today announced a new partnership with Tincanfactory Shipyards of Port Abull to produce the Navy’s new class of Combat Remote Articulated Barges. “These new, state-of-the-art, cutting-edge surface combatant assets will leverage the flexibility of multiple propulsion options with the cost-cutting measures of separately contained motive power and – what the hell was I talking about?” said Admiral Culler Teevy, chief of the Navy’s Warfare Application Visual Electronics Systems.

Each CRAB will be accompanied by an auxiliary command and propulsion system called a Terminal Unit Guidance. The CRAB-TUGs will replace the Littoral Combat Ships being built, and almost just as quickly slated for decommissioning, at shipyards on the Great Lakes and Gulf Coast.

“Those things couldn’t maneuver worth a damn in tight spots without the help of a tug, so we figured, what the hell, why not just have each unit come with its own TUG?” said Commander Hayle Merrypass, chief of the Navy’s Partitioned Limited Alternative Networking Bureau. “So we just decided to take the concept up a notch, so to speak.”

The CRAB-TUG concept evolved, in a manner similar to, but not quite like, the Skunk Works program that resulted in the Stealth fighter, with a suggestion from the Tincanfactory Ancillary Research and Development Internal Systems Division. “We had proposed to the Navy simply notching and converting the LCS’s slated for decommissioning, including some that were sitting in the building dock at the time,” said “Doc” Torhoo, at the time lord of TARDIS.

“That would have made too much sense – I mean, that would have resulted in a suboptimal implementation of specifically designed technologies,” said Commodore Sykes DeFore, chief of the Navy’s Gadget Utilization Electronic Seagoing Systems. “So we decided to build new.”

The first CRAB-TUGs are expected to enter service in 2026, with decommissioning later that year.

Edward L. Ryerson tunes up for new career in the music biz

CROOKED REEEVR, Oh-High-Oh! – Get your tickets now! The Cuyahoga Cliffs Co. ended months of rumors, speculation and uninformed opinions today by announcing they will be converting the much fawned-over Great Lakes freighter Edward L. Ryerson into a traveling steamboat/concert venue.  The rapturously-adored vessel will be entering a shipyard soon for the addition of massive loudspeakers, a stage, mosh pit and deluxe seating in the cargo holds.  The vessel’s hatch crane will be used to convert the indoor facility into an outdoor amphitheater on nice summer days and the ballast pumps will be used to turn the mosh pit into a wading pool.

Company spokesperson Mag Netite said the conversion is a wise use of an under-utilized asset.  “Once we witnessed the chaos surrounding the November 2022 sale of Taylor Swift tickets, we realized there is more money to be made in entertainment than in iron mining and steel making.” During the peak months of the shipping season, the vessel will visit ports from Duluth to Montreal, providing afternoon and evening concerts. In the off season, the ship will be tied up next to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to offer an even more hands-on experience to visitors.

Fast Eddie will provide a spacious and acoustically-pure venue for all sorts of musical acts from county music to symphony orchestras.  The owners are currently in negotiation with Spruce Bringsteen to provide concerts on frequent repositioning cruises from port to port. “The Boss is famous for his land-based concerts that can last four hours or more“ said Ms. Netite.  “So filling a 8-12 hour cruise from say Cleveland to Detroit should be no problem for the E-Street Band.”

Also under negotiation is a 54th anniversary tour for the Beatles Yellow Submarine album and film.  If Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr can be convinced to re-unite, the vessel’s side ballast tanks will be converted into glass-fronted freshwater aquariums.

At least one popular musical act has already been blacklisted from performing on the vessel. Florence and the Machine, which is currently on world tour, have been asked not to perform at the new venue.  Nautical engineers expressed concern that lead singer Florence Welch’s thunderous voice and iconic vibrato could literally “shake rivets loose throughout the vessel.”  And the owners also expressed concern that Ms. Welch’s preference for performing barefoot might not end well, given the vessels steel decks can reach 140 degrees in the hot summer sun.

Be sure to watch Ticketblaster and the BoatWeird classified pages for future ticket sales.

Kale and kombucha on the menu may help recruit younger sailors

Upper Cholesterol, OH – Trimming the fat, and looking to spice up the appeal of sailing the Great Lakes, the long-standing Saturday night steak dinner on lakers may become a thing of the past.

In a recent interview, crew recruiting specialist Will U. Joinus observed that as older and too-much-salt-using veteran sailors retire, they’re taking the meat and potatoes diets with them. Newer, younger people have demanded healthier, more balanced meals, he said, adding that the industry is going to ridiculous lengths to crew the freighters.

“New alternatives could evolve into new traditions,” enthused Joinus. “For example, who doesn’t like grilled kale, served alongside a nutritious umani soup? Couple that with a fresh smoothie bar and bottomless kombucha and we’re sure to offer an irresistible working environment new recruits will line up to sign on to.”

Bacon at breakfast is also on the chopping block, he added. “Think of all the poor pigs being senselessly slaughtered just because bacon is the perfect pairing with eggs! Oink! The humanity!”

Crew of one the ultimate cost-cutting measure

ANOTHER CLEVERLY-NAMED CITY, Minnie-soda: In-Between-Lakes Steamship Co. has announced what is believed to be the second new boat built on the Great Lakes in 35 years. We’ve obtained a sneak preview of the design concept drawings. Built for maximum efficiency and lowest cost possible operation the vessel will feature a crew of one – a multi-talented multi-licensed, multi-tasking combination captain/mate/ chief steward/engineer/wiper/deckhand.

“We are going to save soooooo much money!” chortled J.C. “Cash” Penny-pincher, fleet See-E-Oh.

The vessel incorporates a one-time-only “paint product” and will be built for simple conversion to a museum upon retirement, a one-vessel-fits-all needs design.

Corpse forges ahead with lock connecting Duluth to Lake Agassiz

WISHWASHINGTON – The Corpse of Engine Ears today announced it was ready to award contracts for a new lock connecting Duluth to the sixth, and largest Great Lake, Lake Agassiz.

“Maintaining this vital waterborne commerce link to the largest of our freshwater assets is crucial to the economy and environment of the region, and to the nation and world as a whole,” said Gen. Storrs, commandant of the Corpse.

“Furthermore, it maintains the link between us and our Canadian cousins, and their numerous port cities along the shores of this 170,000-square-mile body of water,” Storrs said.

The awarding of contracts comes after decades of studies, requests-for-proposals, bid and rejected bids, not to mention the shifting attitudes toward the project, hailed as a boon or a boondoggle depending on who was in office.

“But now we’re ready to dig,” said Storrs. “We’ve bought the land, condemned the properties, moved the equipment into place and we’re ready to dig.”

Responding to a reporter’s question about whether the new lock, or even a canal, was necessary because Lake Agassiz dried up thousands of years before the Great Lakes even existed, Storrs said that should not affect the project much at all. “We’ll continue to reevaluate the needs of the project as more information becomes available,” he said.

Saavik. Savic? Cliffs Victory? If you get it, you get it. Live long and prosper

“CETI ALPHA SIX, OR MAYBE FIVE – During a lonely, rainy Friday night with nowhere to go and nothing good on the tube, Cliff Cleveland, assistant to the chief assistant designer at Cleveland-Cliffs, undertook a design feasibility efficacy study to investigate the possibility of reconstituting converting the long-ago scrapped Cliffs Victory into a self-unloader.

“Nah,” he said, and headed out to the theater where the latest Star Trek movie was playing. The one with Montalban in it. “Saavik,” he mused, later, in the darkened theater. “Saavik. Savic? What an interesting name.”

Yesterday in Great Lakes History

The success of converting excursion boats such as the famous Seeandbee to aircraft carriers to train World War II U.S. Navy pilots led to unexpected confusion after the war ended. The practice of building extra decks on lakes steamers to transport cars offered much flexibility to shipping lines, but the practice of calling the new expanses of relatively unobstructed space “flight decks” caused confusion to post-war pilots.

It has not been confirmed that the advent of tail fins on 1950s cars was simply the result of airplanes attempting to land on the “flight decks” of lakers carrying cars and crews trying to make the best of the resulting mess.

“Fortunately, this was while they were still using propeller planes,” said Otto Karrier, captain of the Parker Lott, one of the ships modified to carry automobiles. “Think of the mess if they’d been using jets. We’d have had to invent the thousand-footer at least 20 years early.”

April Foolishness brought to you by Roger LeLievre, Tom Hynes, Dave Nobbe and Don Lee. The real news continues below.

Michigan maritime: Ports set to grow economy throughout the state

MONROE, MI – A new law that gives the state’s 32 ports tools to expand and grow the maritime economy started out as a community project for a handful of University of Michigan students.

U-M students first worked with the Port of Monroe in 2012 and over the next decade would make the case for investing in ports around the state to increase container and industrial shipments, which is expected to lead to job creation.

The Maritime and Port Facility Assistance Grant Program Act, which Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed in July, sets up an office in the Michigan Department of Transportation to oversee the grants. It puts the Great Lakes state ports in line for federal grant dollars that neighboring states have enjoyed for years.

The Port of Monroe, Michigan’s only Lake Erie port, received $5 million in state funding this summer, which helped it to leverage an $11 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation in November. The funding will help it build a container cargo scanning facility and a riverfront wharf for vessel transfer of wind energy cargos and other improvements.

Paul LaMarre III, port director for the Port of Monroe and chairman of Whitmer’s Port Advisory Committee, said the work of U-M students was foundational in the port’s growth strategies.

“The University of Michigan has been involved with the Port’s rebirth,” LaMarre said. “Our introduction to Liz Gerber in the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan is likely one of the most fruitful relationships that I have had since being at the Port of Monroe for roughly a decade.”

Gerber, the Jack L. Walker Jr. Collegiate Professor of Public Policy and director of the Program in Practical Policy Engagement at the Ford School, said that studying policy alternatives is an important part of the coursework.

“The port is now bringing in a lot more money serving more customers and providing an environmentally friendly transportation alternative to heavy materials relative to trucks, which is how most heavy materials get moved around,” she said. “Also, by changing policy, there are potential long-term benefits for the state as well. It’s setting up a mechanism to support the maritime industry throughout the state, which can provide real benefits to not just the ports themselves, but also all the stakeholders who benefit from activity in the ports.”

The students’ research found that Michigan’s ports were underutilized and could contribute to the state’s growing economy if given more investment.

Read the rest of the article here: https://impact.govrel.umich.edu/ports-grow-michigan-economy/?fbclid=IwAR2jaO1dCe_4QS8CseB17_-N8s3kpNVXZ29st7nGCR_EMBadyYD2AYo9AuE

Michigan Impact, University of Michigan

Manistee magic: Shipping season begins, first ship arrives

MANISTEE, MI – Coming and going, Sam Laud turned some heads the past two days.

The 635-foot freighter sounded its ear-piercing horn just after 8 p.m. Wednesday — one long blast and two short blasts to signal its long-awaited arrival to Manistee — that officially begins the shipping season for this Lake Michigan port.

If it seemed like a maritime deja vu, it was — Sam Laud was the same ship to sail past the historic Manistee Lighthouse and Pier last shipping season, too. The diesel-powered ship — launched in 1975 — is expected to make a return trip to TES Filer City in about two weeks and several more times this shipping season. On Wednesday it delivered over 13,000 tons of coal from Toledo, Ohio. The next ship scheduled to arrive in Manistee is expected to be the Mark W. Barker.

According to MarineTraffic.com, the Mark W. Barker was expected into Ludington’s harbor late Thursday night.

After word got out, and information was posted on various shipping-related websites, that Sam Laud would enter the Manistee harbor at about 8 p.m. Wednesday, the river-channel and shoreline became inundated with area residents and many others from surrounding communities who converged on the area to watch the ship slowly make its way into Manistee Lake.

Many who were sitting in the cars, honked their horns. Those standing along the riverside and shoreline, shouted, whistled and waved their hands. Of course, just about all of them took pictures.

Coming and going, it was a raucous welcome and parting, to be sure, just as it is just about every time a great ship like Sam Laud does the same. And there is a fantastic fleet of such vessels that come and go.

U.S. Coast Guard Machinery Technician Petty Officer Second Class (MK2) Caitlin Woodworth stood outside Station Manistee Wednesday to watch Sam Laud as it once again became the first ship of the season to pass by that Coast Guard building, and she watched again the following morning from the opposite side of the river as it left at 10 a.m.

“It came in a little quicker than I expected this year,” she said. “Really, time has been moving really quick, and it just means that we’re about to have more people coming here and it means we’re going to have to get ready, even sooner.”

Ludington Daily News

NACC Quebec first arrival at Oshawa

The first vessel of the 2023 shipping season at the Port of Oshawa, NY, was the NACC Quebec. The vessel arrived from Port Daniel, delivering cement to St Marys Cement on March 27.

Captain Orval Bouchard has been with Algoma for nearly three years. He was a senior captain with BC Ferries on the West Coast and has a naval background.

Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority

Using hand-held marine VHF radios on land law reminder

You must have a special license, called a marine utility station license, in addition to a ship station license, to operate a hand-held marine radio from land — a ship station license IS NOT sufficient.

You may apply for this license by filing electronically in ULS with the FCC. To be eligible for a marine utility station license, you must generally provide some sort of service to ships or have control over a bridge or waterway. Additionally, you must show a need to communicate using hand-held portable equipment from both a ship and from coast locations. Each unit must be capable of operation while being hand-carried by an individual. The station operates under the rules applicable to ship stations when the unit is aboard a ship, and under the rules applicable to private coast stations when the unit is on land.

FCC

Paul LaMarre III, port director for the Port of Monroe, said the work of U-M students was foundational in the port’s growth strategies.Paul LaMarre III, port director for the Port of Monroe, said the work of U-M students was foundational in the port’s growth strategies.