Seaway Salties Renamed

The following saltwater vessels have been renamed with each having made inland trips and voyages into the Great Lakes/Seaway system.

Skawa IMO 9521853 is now the Cartagena of Liberian registry and flag.
Coe Leni IMO 9453793 is now the BBC Alaska of Liberian registry and flag.
Federal Ems IMO 9229984 is now the NJ Moon of Palau registry and flag.
Federal Leda IMO 9229996 is now the NJ Earth of Palau registry and flag.
Trudy IMO 9415246 is now the Thea G of Portugal registry and flag.
Fairchem Friesian IMO 9363857 is now the Orchid Sylt of the Marshall Islands registry and flag.
Chem Tiger IMO 9287297 is now the Begonia of Tuvalu registry and flag.
BBC Delaware IMO 9357212 is now the Aralia of Liberian registry and flag.
BBC Manitoba IMO 9384320 is now the UAL Manitoba of Portugal registry and flag.
BBC Queensland IMO 9347839 is now the BBC Destiny of Antigua and Barbuda registry and flag.
BBC Tennessee IMO 9435026 is now the Coe Luisa of Antigua and Barbuda registry and flag.
Ebony Ray IMO 9363857 is now the Sinar Mendawai of Singapore registry and flag.

Denny Dushane

Marine Museum acquires vintage SS Keewatin passenger ship

Kingston, ON – A 116-year-old steamship that ferried passengers and goods in the upper Great Lakes is bound for the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston. The museum announced Friday that it had acquired the SS Keewatin from a development group in Port McNicoll, east of Midland, where it has been a museum ship since 2012.

“We’re pleased to steward the Keewatin through the next phase of its life here in Kingston,” Chris West, chair of the museum’s board, said. “The story of the Keewatin is a story of Canada’s creation as a country. It is vital that the ship, which is the last of its kind, be preserved for current and future generations, and our museum has the expertise, facilities and funding to be able to do this.”

Built in Scotland in 1907 and arriving in Canada the following year, the 336-foot Keewatin had to be cut into two pieces to fit through the Welland Canal. After being reassembled in Buffalo, it entered service and for 53 years sailed between Port McNicoll and Thunder Bay, linking the eastern and western railheads and carrying passengers and goods to ports for the Canadian Pacific Railway’s Great Lakes steamship service.

It was retired from service in 1965 and was sold to an American, who kept the ship docked in Douglas, Mich., as a museum for more than 45 years. Skyline International Development bought the 108-year-old freight and passenger liner in 2011 and towed it to Port McNicoll. It was to be the flagship, literally, for a large development that didn’t come to fruition.

Acquiring the Keewatin was a goal of the marine museum once it returned to its Queen Street location.

“We’re pleased to donate this historic and treasured passenger ship to the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes to ensure its continued long-term preservation,” Blake Lyon of Skyline Investments, the development company that owns the ship, said. “Kingston is an amazing location for the Keewatin to receive maximum exposure, and the marine museum, with its historic dry dock, is well qualified to maintain the Kee and showcase its important history — a goal we all share.”

Hundreds of volunteers in Port McNicoll spent thousands of hours restoring the ship, the last remaining Great Lakes passenger liner and the last of the Edwardian-era passenger liner steamships. The ship was valued at about $48 million by the Friends of the Keewatin, a group that lobbied to keep the ship in its home port.

The Keewatin is expected to arrive at the museum by early fall and is to be docked in the adjacent dry dock. The ship’s transfer to Kingston required approval from Heritage Canada.

Kingston Whig-Standard

LOGISTEC Announces Strategic Acquisition of Fednav’s Terminal Division

LOGISTEC Stevedoring Inc., a subsidiary of LOGISTEC Corporation (TSX: LGT.A and LGT.B), (“LOGISTEC”), a leading North American marine and environmental services provider, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Canadian and U.S. marine terminal business of Fednav, including Federal Marine Terminals, Inc. and the logistics division, Fednav Direct (collectively, “FMT”), for a purchase price of US$105 million, subject to customary adjustments. This transaction will allow LOGISTEC to strengthen its presence in Canada and the United States and add specialized expertise to its service offering.

FMT has operated terminal facilities at ports in Canada and the United States for over five decades. Recognized as an industry leader in marine terminal operations, it provides stevedoring, handling and warehousing services for bulk, containerized, project cargo, and general cargo. FMT also offers value-added on-carriage services, inventory management, and 24/7 inland cargo transportation in Canada and the United States. For the year ended December 31, 2022, FMT generated revenue of US$89.8 million (approximately CA$116.8 million) with gross margins comparable to LOGISTEC’s marine segment.

The addition of 11 terminals represents a major expansion of LOGISTEC’s network, bringing its total to 90 terminals in 60 ports across North America. The combined network will provide strategic gateways for existing and future customers, allowing LOGISTEC to gain an important foothold in the Great Lakes region and access prime locations in the U.S. Gulf and East Coast regions.

“We are delighted to welcome FMT to continue to grow together across Canada and the USA,” said Madeleine Paquin, President and CEO of LOGISTEC. LOGISTEC and FMT have had a long-standing business relationship for decades and joining forces is a natural fit, as we share the same values. The combined capabilities and expertise of both organizations will create solid synergies to deliver operational excellence to marine shippers across North America.”

“LOGISTEC, a company with cargo handling as its core business, will ensure FMT’s ongoing success and growth, stated Paul Pathy, Fednav’s CEO and President. In the coming years, Fednav will focus on its pure-play shipping business and continue its expansion journey. Known to innovate and provide the highest standard of service for over 75 years, Fednav has an exciting new chapter ahead.”

“As part of LOGISTEC’s ambitious strategic plan to expand its marine services both geographically and operationally, this acquisition will allow us to gain a footprint in new markets in Canada and the USA,” added Rodney Corrigan, President of LOGISTEC Stevedoring Inc. “Our customers will benefit from a large and efficient network, as well as strong expertise from the FMT team, and together, we will continue to offer quality service to contribute to a safe, reliable supply chain.”

LOGISTEC will benefit from FMT’s solid reputation for excellence in marine terminal operations and a team that is well-trained and safety-oriented, using modern equipment to ensure quality services for its customers.

The transaction is expected to close on or about March 31, 2023, subject to customary closing conditions. The transaction will be financed via an increased CA$450 million revolving credit facility, which has been fully underwritten by BMO Bank of Montréal and TD Securities.

TD Securities is acting as sole financial advisor to LOGISTEC in connection with the transaction and Fasken is LOGISTEC’s legal counsel.

FedNav

Long-lost ship found in Lake Huron, confirming its tragic story

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Even for the Thunder Bay area, a perilous swath of northern Lake Huron off the Michigan coast that has devoured many a ship, the Ironton’s fate seems particularly cruel.

The 191-foot (58-meter) cargo vessel collided with a grain hauler on a blustery night in September 1894, sinking both. The Ironton’s captain and six sailors clambered into a lifeboat but it was dragged to the bottom before they could detach it from the ship. Only two crewmen survived.

The gravesite long eluded shipwreck hunters.

Now, the mystery has been solved, officials with Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena, Michigan, said Wednesday. The Associated Press obtained details of the discovery ahead of the announcement.

Read the full article here: https://www.mlive.com/news/2023/03/long-lost-ship-found-in-lake-huron-confirming-its-tragic-story.html?utm_campaign=aanews_sf&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR07JXiyz3viMfHfP5wxGz4pZOzXlj9iwuWt78nIDiJQjaP3QAs28jXBm8s

‘Not just a one off’: Ice cover on Great Lakes hits record lows

CENTRAL LAKE, MICH. – Warm, sunny days in February make Jack King nervous, and the sight from his family’s Antrim County farm of Lake Michigan’s blue, open water remains troubling.

“It’s not a good indicator and it’s very concerning to farmers, especially growers, about what kind of spring we’re going to have,” he said. “When you’ve had a long, cold winter and there’s good ice pack, you’re not worried about having an early spring – having your trees go into bloom before they should.”

If the cherry and apple buds blossom too soon, the risk increases of springtime frost killing fruit before it even gets a chance to grow. Odds are it may happen this season, given winter conditions.

The up-north fruit farmer is among the Michiganders who collectively noticed something happening on the Great Lakes this winter. Or rather, not happening.

Read the full article here: https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2023/02/not-just-a-one-off-ice-cover-on-great-lakes-hits-record-lows.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter_morning_briefing%202023-03-01&utm_term=Newsletter_morning_briefing

Port Colborne firefighters rescue man from ship’s hold after fall

Using a rope system and a crane, Port Colborne Fire and Emergency Services firefighters removed a patient from the hold of a vessel being scrapped at Marine Recycling Corp.

Fire Chief Scott Lawson said a medical call was received at 8:30 a.m. Thursday for someone who had fallen inside a ship at the recycling site on Lake Road.

“At the time of dispatch, we didn’t know where the patient was. Once we found out they were still on board, we upgraded it to a general call because we needed our rope team for access.”

Workers were carrying out asbestos abatement on board the vessel, believed to be the former Lower Lakes Towing Inc.’s Manistee.

“That slowed things down a lot for us. We immediately sent a firefighter on board in full protective gear, including SCBA, to carry out a patient assessment.”

Lawson said the patient was in a “dirty room” and a second firefighter also went on board in full protective gear.

The worker, who fell roughly two metres off a ladder, was wearing insulated coveralls with protective gear, a Tyvek suit, underneath.

“Access was tricky because he was about 10 metres down in the belly of the ship. So we set a rope system to pull him out and a crane to lift him off the ship.”

Lawson said firefighters were decontaminated after the rescue, as was the patient before being handed off to Niagara Emergency Medical Services paramedics for assessment and transport.

Niagara EMS spokesperson Bryce Brunarski said the male complained of back pain and was taken to a local hospital in stable condition.

Welland Tribune

Firefighters extinguish blaze on board Algoma Discovery

A fire suppression system helped starve a diesel fuel fire on board the Algoma Discovery Monday, says Port Colborne Fire and Emergency Services Chief Scott Lawson. Lawson said firefighters were called to the east side of the Welland Canal, at the Sinder Dock, just after 9 a.m. for a reported structure fire.

On scene, they discovered the fire was in the engine room of the 36-year-old bulk cargo vessel built in Croatia, about seven to 10 metres below the main deck.

“The vessel was in various stages of evacuation, and we were told there was a diesel spill down in the engine room. Our crews went down for an initial inspection, but there was heavy smoke in the compartment,” said Lawson, describing the compartment as massive.

Port Colborne’s Aerial 1 was set up as a waterway to feed firefighters on board the 222.2-metre-long laker. Fire departments used Welland Canal for water supply.

“The ship has a fire suppression system for the engine room, and we were able to get them (workers on board) to activate it. Once it was activated, it bought us a lot of time.” Lawson said the system uses carbon monoxide to starve oxygen, which fuels fires, in the room.

“Our crews found a small fire that we put out, and we slowly ventilated the room, so any oxygen we introduced didn’t ignite.”

Welland Tribune

Algoma Central Corp. releases 2022 annual report

Excerpt: Customer demand appears to be strong in the Domestic Dry-Bulk segment in 2023 and we are preparing for the fleet to be fully utilized for the year. Higher grain volumes are anticipated, driven by the return of Western Canada grain crop size and the continued demand for Eastern Canada export grain capacity.

In our Product Tanker segment, we expect customer demand to be steady through 2023, although energy markets remain volatile due to on-going hostilities in Europe. Vessel utilization is anticipated to be strong and we currently expect the newly acquired Algoberta to commence domestic operations late in the first quarter when seasonal demand picks up.

Read the full report here (scroll down to View the Press Release: https://www.algonet.com/investor-relations/?fbclid=IwAR2xFAdUh7z1svEelTWTSe6jwZ6haf7-2Qg–nMtBF1tbs_rrY3bmZRR2DE

Canada tightens ballast water regulations

Canada’s Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra last week announced funding of C$12.5m ($9.2m) to launch the Ballast Water Innovation Program, part of its Oceans Protection Plan. The program, a central component of the Government of Canada’s efforts to advance the implementation and enforcement of the 2021 Ballast Water Regulations, will play an important role in further reducing the spread of aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River by investing in innovative solutions to ballast water management.

Evidence shows that ballast water management systems are an effective solution in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence region, said Transport Canada in a press release. However, most ballast water management systems have been developed for warmer, salt-water conditions typically encountered by ocean-going vessels. Great Lakes regional water conditions are cold, fresh and sometimes heavily sedimented. These water conditions can pose a challenge to ballast water management systems in the region.

To address these challenges and prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species, the new program will undertake four initiatives.

It will fund research projects that ensure ballast water management systems are optimized for unique water environments in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River; aim to provide innovative solutions to ensure the successful implementation of the country’s new ballast water regulations and prevent the entry and spread of invasive aquatic species in the region; enable the government to deepen its technical expertise relating to ballast water management system issues; and inform Canada’s discussions with the US and at the International Maritime Organization towards more compatible rules and increased environmental protections.

Transport Canada is now accepting applications for research funding from Canadian vessel owners and operators, Canadian port authorities, not-for-profit organizations, public-sector organizations and academia until May 10. Approved projects are expected to begin in 2023.

Canada’s 2021 Ballast Water Regulations address its commitments under the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004 and require the use of ballast water management systems.

Splash247

Firefighters called to Algoma Discovery at Port Colborne

10 a.m. update: Fire crews have found the seed of the fire and report that it is mostly out. They continue to vent smoke. Fire crews activated the ship’s fire suppression system in the engine room (sprinklers). They also requested foam be used.

Port Colborne, ON – According to Niagara 411 scanner traffic, firefighters were called to the Algoma Central Corp.’s Algoma Discovery Monday just after 9 a.m.  She is laid up for the winter and undergoing maintenance at Wharf 16 just south of the Clarence Street bridge. Preliminary reports indicate the fire is in the engine room area. This is a developing story. Check back for details.

Janey Alexander

Great Lakes record low ice coverage; warmer than average winter

MILWAUKEE – A decline of ice cover on the five Great Lakes is becoming a normal occurrence over the years. NOAA has been documenting this since 1973.

Studies showed between 1973 and 2017, there has been a significant drop in average ice cover during the winter months from Dec. 1 through April 30. The decline is approximately 70%.

This winter, up to Feb. 13, 2023, there is only 7% ice coverage on the Great Lakes. This marks an all-time record low amount!

Around this time of year, the Great Lakes should have 35% to 40% ice coverage. A warmer than average winter season is one of the reasons why ice has not been able for stay and form over the bodies of water.

On average, maximum ice coverage occurs from mid-February through early March. Warming effects caused by humans is only one factor in the equation of ice loss. Others include “long-term patterns of climate variability over the Pacific and Atlantic oceans,” according to NASA.

Speaking of warming, check out the temperatures in December, January, and February this winter season in Milwaukee. Unseasonably warm temperatures are a factor showing why ice cover isn’t as high this season.

Extended forecasts are hinting at additional days above average mixed with some below average days wrapping up the end of the month.

– FOX6 News Milwaukee (February 24, 2023)

Obituary: Capt. Robert J. Libby Jr.

Robert J. Libby Jr., 90, of French River, MN, died Monday, January 30, 2023 at Waterview Shores in Two Harbors.

On June 11, 1950, he signed on the Interlake Steamship Co. bulk freighter Jay C. Morse as an ordinary seaman/deckhand. Little did he realize this would start a maritime career spanning 42 years. In 1958 he received his unlimited tonnage 1st Class Pilot license. He sailed for many of Great Lakes steamship companies including, Republic Steel Lake Fleet, Reiss S.S. Co., Cleveland Cliffs, Medusa, and Columbia before retiring in 1992 as master of the S.S. Charles M. Beeghly, Interlake S.S. Co.

In February 1952 he enlisted in the US Navy, serving during the Korean War as QMSN aboard the USS Andromeda, aka 15, in the West Pacific area: Korea, Japan, China. In April 1954 Bob returned to the States to attend submarine school in New London, CT. Upon graduation, he was assigned to the USS Batfish 310 Squadron in Key West, FL where he completed his enlistment and was honorably discharged on February 26, 1956 as QM2SS.

Bob was born April 15, 1932 to Robert J. and Florence (Swanson) Libby at Miners Hospital in Crosby. Growing up on the north shore of Serpent Lake, he attended Franklin Elementary School and graduated in the Class of 1950 from Crosby-Ironton High School. In 1952 he married his high school sweetheart, Naomi Ringhand, and in 1959 they purchased land in the French River area on the North Shore of Lake Superior. They built their home in 1960 and filled it with 5 children.

He was a Life Member of the VFW Post 132 Duluth, American Legion Post 557 Deerwood, U.S. Submarine Veterans, Lake Superior Base- Duluth, Korean War Veteran’s Assoc., 60 year member of French River Lutheran Church, where he served on the church council, International Shipmaster Assoc- Twin Ports Lodge 12, serving as Chaplain for over a decade, Pequaywan Area Trailblazers snowmobile club where he served terms as trustee, the St. Louis County Historical Society, Great Lakes Historical Society, American Truck Historical Society, and taught snowmobile safety courses for over a decade in the French River area.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the French River Lutheran Church or the Seafarers Ministry, 2024 W 3rd St, Duluth, 55806.

The Great Lakes aren’t quite as frosty this season. FOX6 News Milwaukee image, February 24

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in conjunction with the City of Sault Ste. Marie, the Sault Ste. Marie Convention & Visitors Bureau, the United States Coast Guard, the Lake Superior State University Center for Freshwater Research and Education and the Craft Show are planning the 2023 Soo Locks Engineers Day for June 30.

Visitors are welcome into the Soo Locks facility and across the MacArthur Lock 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Friday, June 30. Visitors will not be able to cross the Poe Lock this year due to ongoing New Lock at the Soo construction. Visitors will be able to tour the first floor of the Administration Building and gates at the east and west ends of the MacArthur lock will be open for access.

The MacArthur Lock gate at the east end (downstream) of the facility will be available for visitors to enter, the MacArthur Lock gate at the west end (upstream) of the facility will be available for visitors exiting. Exceptions will be made for those with difficulty walking the distance of the lock.

The City of Sault Ste. Marie is closing a portion of Portage Avenue to focus on downtown city merchants and vendors. Downtown Portage Avenue will close to vehicle traffic and open for pedestrians and vendors from Ferris Street to Osborn Boulevard from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., June 30.

• United States Coast Guard open house from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Craft Show at the City Hall grounds from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Lake Superior State University Center for Freshwater Research and Education will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.To register to be a vendor (no-cost) on Portage Avenue, please contact the Sault Area Convention and Visitors Bureau at 906.632.3366, admin@saultstemarie.com

– City of Sault Ste. Marie (February 24, 2023)

Join the crowd on June 30, 2023! City of Sault Ste. Marie image, n.d.

Interested in learning how to sail a 19th century tall ship?

SOUTH HAVEN, MI — For anyone who has ever dreamed of what it would have been like to navigate the Great Lakes on a tall ship in the age of sail, the Michigan Maritime Museum is offering a special training.

Registration is now open for the museum’s 2023 basic seamanship training, which will take place over the weekends of April 22-23 and May 20-21 in South Haven.

The training is free with museum membership and participants who complete both weekends are eligible to join the crew of the museum’s own tall ship, “Friends Good Will,” a news release from the museum states.

Whether a seasoned sailor or a complete novice, the basic seamanship training will prepare participants for sailing aboard a replica Great Lakes tall ship. The training consists of both classroom and on-water instruction aboard Friends Good Will.

The museum-owned ship is a replica of a square topsail sloop built in 1811 for a Detroit merchant, which was captured by both British and American forces during the War of 1812, the release states.

Volunteers who have taken the seaman training can choose to sail on the ship as often as they’d like from the end of May through September. A limited number of staff crew positions are also available; completion of the basic seamanship training course is required for those positions as well.

“The skill-building, the camaraderie, it’s a total package that lets our volunteers learn something new while having a great time,” said Capt. Bob Harnish, commander of the fleet. “It’s amazing how many people we have had over the years that never dreamed they would be doing this and love it!”

Basic seamanship training is free to participants but museum membership is required and space is limited. To register, please contact Harnish at captain@mimaritime.org or call 269-637-8078, ext. 105.

Training will take place April 22-23 and May 20-21 at 260 Dyckman Ave., South Haven. Participants must be able to attend both weekends. For more information on memberships, which start at $25 for seniors and $30 for adults, michiganmaritimemuseum.org/get-involved/membership/.

For more information about Friends Good Will, click here.

More than 36 million metric tons transited system in 2022

More than 36 million metric tons (mmt) of cargo transited the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway System during the 2022 navigation season, according to the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) and the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS). The total is down 5.03 percent compared to 2021. Several obstacles, including continued disruptions in the global supply chain and the ongoing war in Ukraine, contributed to the decrease.  

General cargo saw the steepest decline at 21.5 percent. Iron ore decreased 9.6 percent, while coal cargo fell 6.9 percent. Grain shipments were also down due to the 2021 drought that affected western Canadian farmers.  

Overall, dry bulk was the leading commodity of the season, with 11.70 million metric tons, a 2.84 percent increase over 2021. Liquid bulk, including refined petroleum products, increased 9.85 percent over last year, with 3.55 million metric tons. General cargo shipments, which rose 72.98 percent in 2021, fell off 21.52 percent this past season. Iron ore, coal and grain shipments were also down in 2022. 

“Seaway traffic results show positive trends amongst certain commodities, which demonstrates our system’s ability to quickly adapt to changes in the market,” said Terence Bowles, president and CEO of the SLSMC. “It’s this agility that enables the Seaway to respond to changes and act on emerging opportunities, such as shifting trade patterns resulting from global events. In addition, we are working closely with partners to develop lands along the Seaway, which will benefit both the economy and local communities.” 

Adam Tindall-Schlicht, administrator of the GLS, said the Great Lakes can handle upheavals in the global supply chain thanks to decades of investment and reliability. “The Seaway System is a leading example of a worldwide economically resilient and environmentally sustainable shipping corridor, and optimism is high for expansion of trade on the Great Lakes in 2023,” he said. 

The last commercial transit of the 2022 navigation season through the Montreal-Lake Ontario (MLO) section of the Seaway occurred on January 1. Commercial traffic ceased on January 9 at the Welland Canal and January 15 at the Soo Locks. 

Highlights from the Season 

Despite the decrease in some cargoes in 2022, the navigation season did experience several highlights: 

• U.S. and Canadian producers helped mitigate global issues affecting fertilizer supplies, which drove significant growth in potash, up over 100 percent compared to 2021.  
• Dry bulk commodities, including coke, salt and potash, contributed over 11 million metric tons of the 2022 total.  
• Petroleum products were up nearly 28 percent over last year, due to increased passenger travel.  

• U.S. grain exports increased, and although month-over-month Canadian grain performed well, it did not match last year’s results. The effects of the 2021 drought in the Canadian prairies impacted export movements at the beginning of the 2022 season. That said, the improved 2022 grain harvest is expected to result in a strong start for 2023.  
• An increase of vessel transits, including expanded cruise ship activity in the Great Lakes helped contribute to tourism and economic development in Canada and the United States. 

Planning for the Future 

While there is some uncertainty about economic growth in 2023, the SLSMC and GLS plan to work on key initiatives to further support expanding trade on the Great Lakes. These include facilitating the establishment of green shipping corridors, expanding land development along SLSMC-owned canals and developing innovative technologies, such as the Vessel Information System. 

– Great Lakes Seaway Review (January 27, 2023)

Friends Good Will approaches the South Haven, MI, piers on a summer afternoon. Garret Ellison image, July 23, 2022

It’s the end of an era for the Kinnickinnic Grain Elevator

On Jan. 23, JOHN J. BOLAND arrived light at Milwaukee and headed up the Kinnickinnic River to COFCO. All grain (soybeans) remaining in the elevator was loaded onto the BOLAND and taken to COFCO’s Chicago terminal. COFCO then closed the Kinnickinnic elevator and sold the property.

This move comes as no surprise. Operating a museum of mechanical engineering is expensive. There is barely enough grain traffic out of Milwaukee to support a single facility. And the century-old Kinnickinnic elevator could not compete with the new Agricultural Export Facility, financed primarily by taxpayer dollars, scheduled to open later this year.

Built by the Chicago & North Western Railway, the Kinnickinnic elevator, which stands near the mouth of the Kinnickinnic River, began accepting grain in fall 1916.

This original section included a workhouse and 72 circular concrete bins (six rows of 12), each 15 feet in diameter and 90 feet high. Its storage capacity was 1.5 million bushels.

When the Kinnickinnic elevator opened in 1916, grain arrived almost exclusively by rail in 40-foot boxcars. These could typically carry between 1,500 and 2,000 bushels. Today grain is transported by rail in covered hoppers capable of carrying 3,500 bushels. Modern grain trucks can usually haul about 1,000 bushels.

Updike Grain of Omaha operated the facility until 1921 when Donahue-Stratton, a Milwaukee grain dealer, acquired Updike’s lease. Donahue-Stratton would become Stratton Grain in 1935.

An annex was completed in 1930 just north of the existing structure. 48 concrete tanks (four rows of twelve) were added, each 25 feet in diameter and 90 feet high. This increased capacity to 3.5 million bushels. New railcar handling equipment allowed a 40-foot boxcar, which typically carried about 1,500 bushels of grain, to be unloaded in six minutes.

In 1938, officials at Stratton Grain would declare the Kinnickinnic elevator to be one of the fastest at handling grain in the United States. They claimed 700,000 bushels could be spouted into boats in an eight-hour day. That equates to a rate of 87,500 bushels per hour. By comparison, Milwaukee’s new Agricultural Export Facility will load 40,000 bushels per hour.

The next major improvement was the installation of a marine leg in 1940. This device extracts grain from vessels and could unload 15,000 bushels per hour. The Kinnickinnic elevator was now able to handle incoming shipments by water. In its first test, 250,000 bushels of wheat originating in Duluth bound for Chicago was transferred from water to rail at the Kinnickinnic elevator.

Lake-rail shipping costs were competitive with those of an all water route to Chicago. In future years, the elevator would receive a substantial amount of Canadian malting barley for Milwaukee’s brewing industry.

In 1960, New York based Continental Grain replaced Stratton as operator. By then more grain was arriving by truck, so Continental invested in a “new high speed truck dump” that could empty ten trucks per hour. This would not be enough. In 1979, a second dump was added that allowed the Kinnickinnic elevator to handle up to 30 trucks per hour.

Milwaukee received an interesting offer in early 1970. The Chicago & North Western would sell the Kinnickinnic elevator to the city for one dollar. It was the only elevator in Milwaukee accessible to oceangoing vessels and had handled 217,000 tons of grain in 1969.

According to Port Director John Seefeldt: “Unless something is done, the elevator will close.” City leaders did not accept this offer. Continental would ultimately acquire the property and keep it open.

By 1979, the Kinnickinnic elevator’s loading rate had been downgraded to 30,000 bushels per hour when loading vessels, and its storage capacity was now listed as 3.1 million bushels. The elevator would typically operate 24 hours a day for a month at the beginning of the shipping season, and then again for a month during fall harvest. Other times, it was generally open eight hours per day.

Minneapolis based food giant Cargill acquired Continental’s commodity marketing business in 1999. (NOTE: From 1958 to 1989, Cargill owned and operated Elevator E built by the Milwaukee Road along the South Menomonee ship canal. Because this channel was narrow and shallow, larger oceangoing vessels could not access the Cargill elevator.)

Concerned with market concentration, the Justice Department approved the deal only after Cargill agreed not to buy several facilities, including Continental’s Milwaukee terminal.

So in late 1999, the Kinnickinnic elevator was sold to Chicago & Illinois River Marketing, a subsidiary of Dutch grain trader Nidera.

The last inbound cargo received by water at the Kinnickinnic elevator was 14,097 metric tons of barley from Asnaes, Denmark. It came to Milwaukee in late October 2014 aboard Polsteam’s SKAWA. Because the elevator’s marine leg was no longer working, SKAWA tied up south of the elevator. Barley was then scooped out using clamshell buckets attached to her onboard cranes, dropped into trucks, and then hauled about 800 feet to the elevator. This was a time consuming project requiring over 400 truck trips from vessel to elevator (load limits did not apply).

The Kinnickinnic elevator became known as the COFCO elevator after the China Oil and Foodstuffs Corporation completed its takeover of Nidera in 2017. COFCO Group is China’s largest food processor, manufacturer, and trader. It is a state-owned enterprise based in Beijing. In January 2023, COFCO closed the elevator and sold the 10-acre parcel to Ozinga, a concrete supplier, for a reported $4 million. No plans for the property have been announced, but it no longer will be used to handle grain.

On Tuesday, a Port Milwaukee spokesman said, “The Port is looking forward to the future of this property in Milwaukee Harbor becoming fully realized. The Port is also looking forward to the export of agricultural products continuing on Jones Island with the opening of The DeLong Company’s Agricultural Maritime Export Facility later this year.

“Thanks to a robust public-private partnership, the DeLong development is the largest one-time investment in Port Milwaukee since the 1950s that will create jobs, support Wisconsin’s agriculture industry, and grow the regional economy.”

– OnMilwaukee (February 21, 2023)

Great Lakes Seaway reports increased grain movement

The Administrator for the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway says the trade route is becoming more important to the agricultural industry as exports increase.

“U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes ports are eager, hungry, ready, and capable to support increased export of agricultural goods.”

Adam Tindall-Schlicht tells Brownfield the war in Ukraine and drought conditions on the Mississippi River system were likely factors behind increased movement in 2022.

“U.S. grain exports have been one of the success stories of Great Lakes trade last year, we saw a four percent year over year increase in the amount of tonnage that was exported,” he shares.

He says an incentive partnership with Soybean Transportation Coalition, which offers a 50 percent reduction on shipping tolls for new shipments of soybeans and ag freight, has also helped move more goods

Tindall-Schlicht says he’s impressed by the amount of investment ports are making into agricultural commodity handling.

“Toledo; Cleveland; Duluth, Minnesota; Oswego, New York; Monroe, Michigan; Milwaukee, Wisconsin—these are some of the places and Great Lakes ports that are making investments now to help sustain really robust agricultural activity,” he says.

The Seaway will open to international traffic March 22 and Tindall-Schlicht expects an even more robust year in 2023.

– Brownfield Ag News (February 17, 2023)

John J. Boland loads the last cargo from COFCO’s Kinnickinnic elevator in Milwaukee, WI. MKE Marine Reports image, January 24