Gale warnings and heavy snow sent most vessels in the St Marys River system to anchor Saturday night. Edgar B. Speer, Gardno and Stewart J. Cort were anchored off Paradise at 10 p.m. Saturday. Federal Franklin and Sam Laud were on the hook off of Bay Mills, although the Laud was there awaiting dock space at Algoma Steel. Arthur M. Anderson, Algoma Harvester, Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin and Atlantic Huron were stopped a Potagannissing Bay above DeTour. Vessels on Lake Superior were taking the north shore course Saturday night to avoid the worst of the weather.
64 years ago, Lake Michigan claimed the Carl D. Bradley
ROGERS CITY, MI – Less than 45 miles northwest of Northport and 16 miles southwest of Lake Michigan’s Gull Island lies the remains of the Great Lakes freighter the Carl D. Bradley.
The freighter broke apart in 40-foot waves 64 years ago Friday.
The Bradley’s sinking claimed the most significant Great Lakes crew loss in 70 years, with 33 lives. The 1975 sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald claimed 29 lives.
Launched in 1927, the 638-foot Bradley was then the largest and most sophisticated freighter on the lakes. The ship’s frequent homeport was Rogers City and owner was Michigan Limestone and Chemical Co.
On Nov. 17, 1958, after depositing a limestone load, the Bradley departed Gary, Indiana en route to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. There, the freighter was to undergo winter season upgrades and repairs. Mid-route, the captain was directed to return to Rogers City for one last load.
A sudden, every-100-years storm blew in over Lake Michigan causing the empty Bradley to twist and heave between the massive waves. The two survivors, Frank Mays and Elmer Fleming, revealed crewmen could literally hear the rivets popping from the hull.
As it neared 5:30 p.m., Mays recalled he heard a loud thud and then a second thud. From the pilot house, an urgent rescue call was given, “This is the Carl D. Bradley. Mayday! We are going down.”
The Bradley’s final voyage was coming to an end. With a separated bow and stern, the ship plunged 375 feet to Lake Michigan’s bottom. The sinking is estimated to have occurred in less than 15 minutes.
Crewmembers in the pilot house, on deck, and below deck scrambled for their lives. Mays and Fleming were able to make it to an 8-by-10-foot liferaft. Two other crew members joined them, but, through the night, the massive waves and 36-degree water claimed those other crew members.
Mays and Fleming literally held onto the raft’s wooden floor with fingers in between each slat.
With radio and television stations broadcasting the Bradley news, during the night, dozens of emotional Rogers City residents drove their vehicles from their Lake Huron coast to the Lake Michigan shoreline. There, with their vehicle headlights shining on the roaring lake, they looked for Bradley survivors.
The U.S. Coast Guard dispatched an Albatross search-and-rescue plane and the cutter Sundew. As the morning’s sun rays broke, the Sundew’s crew spotted the two survivors on the liferaft. The rescue was very tricky in the 20- to 25-foot waves and frigid winds.
Once Mays and Fleming were rescued, along with retrieving the liferaft, the Sundew headed to Charlevoix, which had the nearest hospital. Eighteen crew member bodies were recovered and 15 were never found.
Great Lakes/ St. Lawrence ‘green’ corridor initiative announced at U.N. conference
CLAYTON, NY – Under an initiative announced at a United Nations climate gathering last week, preliminary plans are in the works for a “Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System Green Shipping Corridor Network.”
The announcement noted that the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of State, and Transport Canada will work with state, provincial, local communities, private-sector and non-governmental leaders, and Indigenous Peoples of Canada and the U.S. to host consultations with ports and other stakeholders. The goal: facilitating the establishment of a Great Lakes Green Shipping Corridor Network.
“It’s a grand initiative if they follow up with it,” said John M. Peach, executive director of the Clayton-based nonprofit environmental advocacy group Save the River. “There’s a lot of initiatives coming out of the COP27. What we have to see is, what’s the follow through?”
“COP27” is the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, being held in Egypt. The conference began Nov. 6 and concludes on Friday.
“I’d like to see more from them,” Mr. Peach said. “This is a pretty brief announcement of the initiative, and I haven’t seen a lot more.”
A joint statement issued by the American and Canadian embassy and consulates said that the Green Shipping Corridor Network builds on the work launched under the “Joint Statement by the U.S. Department of Transportation and Transport Canada on the Nexus between Transportation and Climate Change,” of February 2021.
The embassies said that green shipping corridors are a key means of spurring the early adoption of zero-emission fuels and technologies to place the shipping sector on a pathway to align with the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The 1.5 °C (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) target is the goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement, which calls for countries to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to limit global warming.
“Through the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System Green Shipping Corridor Network Initiative, Canada and the United States will work with industry to help facilitate the establishment of green corridors throughout the region, including by convening stakeholders and contributing to assessments and analyses relating to alternative fuels and power options within the system,” according to the joint statement.
SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers kicks off Phase 3 construction for the New Lock at the Soo as the contractor mobilizes to the Soo Locks.
Kokosing Alberici Traylor, LLC (KAT), a joint venture headquartered in Westerville, Ohio began moving major equipment to the site via a barge in the Poe Lock on November 3 in between shipping traffic. Mobilization of equipment for Phase 3 marks a big milestone for the project.
The Soo Locks will remain operational during construction of the New Lock at the Soo and without interruptions to shipping traffic.
“KAT started their major mobilization this week with moving project trailers to the site,” Rachel Miller, New Lock at the Soo Supervisory Civil Engineer said. “They previously moved smaller pieces of equipment and have worked over the summer preparing the grounds for upcoming work.”
Great Lakes shipping remains down, depressed by 5.15% so far this year despite an increase in transits.
Total cargo on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 27.55 million tons through the end of October, down from 29.05 million through the same period last year, according to the Great Lakes Seaway Partnership. Transits rose 2.95% to 3,102, up from 3,013 through the same period last year.
Five ports got steel shipments in October, including the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor and the Port of Chicago.
“The high number of steel shipments through the Seaway System last month is the latest example of how this reliable supply chain directly benefits the North American economy,” said Adam Tindall-Schlicht, administrator of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. “The steel that Great Lakes ports are moving continues to uplift the U.S. manufacturing sector and provide quality jobs in the industry.”
Ports on the Great Lakes traded with 18 countries around the world in October, up from 15 in September, according to the seaway development corporation.
About 934,000 tons of U.S. grain have passed through the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway so far this shipping season. That’s a 25% increase as compared to the first 10 months of 2021.
“Agricultural commodities farmed in the Great Lakes states are some of the highest quality in the world,” Tindall-Schlicht said. “The Seaway System has long served as an important shipping corridor for exporting grain given global high demand, and that trend has well continued thus far in 2022.”
Shipments of coke are up 18%, potash 190%, salt 22%, petroleum products 37% and other general cargo 197% so far this year, according to the Great Lakes Seaway Partnership.
“The productive year we’ve been having in Chicago continued in October,” said Erik Varela, executive director of the Illinois International Port District. “I’m particularly proud of the role that our port district is playing to ensure that Lake Michigan is a reliable shipping destination for key cargoes like steel and lumber.”
Shipments topped 4.2 million tons in October, due to increases in grain, potash, salt and dry bulk cargo. Grain shipments totaled 1.5 million tons amid a strong harvest.
“It’s great to see these positive numbers for the late harvesting of grain in the U.S. and Canada,” said Bruce Burrows, president and CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. “The promising trend for grain continues to show the important role the Seaway plays in exporting goods from the Great Lakes to the rest of the world. There has also been a significant increase in the number of vessel transits, another demonstration of the vitality of waterborne transportation throughout the region.”
The Great Lakes will soon ice over during winter, putting an end to the shipping season.
NWI Times
Marine transportation safety investigation report for M/V Tecumseh
The legend lives on: New Edmund Fitzgerald book reveals new information after 47 years
In his new book, author Ric Mixter claims to have uncovered new information about the sinking of the doomed Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank 47 years ago Thursday.
Titled “Tattletale Sounds,” Mixter reports new information about the wreck. Some believe the last chapter of the Fitzgerald was written when the bell was raised from the depths of Lake Superior in 1995, but Mixter has found 300 pages of new material to share on the story.
“Tattletale Sounds” borrows its name from Gordon Lightfoot’s famous ballad, which gave the freighter worldwide name recognition. The six-minute dirge is a staple of maritime museums on the Great Lakes, but as Mixter points out, many of Lightfoot’s lyrics are incorrect.
Mixter says his book is told from the perspective of over a dozen eyewitnesses he has interviewed since 1994.
“I’ve interviewed shipyard workers, sailors and over a dozen people directly involved in the history of the Fitzgerald. This is really their perspective, I just put it in a text that’s easy to understand,” he said.
Mixter himself dove the wreck site in the Delta submersible in July of 1994.
“Tattletale Sounds” is an exclusive look at not only the Fitzgerald, but the Detroit River’s role in shipbuilding that ended with two other ships after the Fitzgerald.
“This includes two people who lost their lives building the largest freighter on the Great Lakes, which has not been published in other books,” Mixter said. “The new book also shares highlights from hours of previously unreleased commentary by Coast Guard investigators in 1976.”
“Tattletale Sounds” is the first book to share Mixter’s exclusive interview with the cook from the Fitzgerald, who left the ship just a few weeks before the sinking. He provides insight into the structural problems of the ship that were investigated by the Coast Guard. It also has the only comments from Capt. Bernie Cooper, who was the last to see the Fitzgerald on Lake Superior.
“There are so many secrets that have yet to come to the surface,” Mixter said. “I’ve been lucky to find such amazing people who have shared their personal experience with the legendary ship.”
“Tattletale Sounds” is available online at many maritime museums or at Mixter’s website www.shipwreckpodcast.com.
The Sault News
USS The Sullivans no longer sinking, but set for more repairs
The naval warship named after five Iowa brothers killed together while serving in World War II no longer is sinking at a ship museum after more than $2 million in repairs and cleanup.
Iowans helped raise money for those repairs, wanting to make sure the USS The Sullivans can continue its mission of educating thousands of people each year about military service.
But what’s next for the retired destroyer-turned-museum ship?
“We have a lot to learn from the ships themselves and the veterans who served on them,” said Paul Marzello Sr., president of the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, the New York museum where the ship is docked. “The mission is very simple, but it’s difficult because it’s all about the amount of money you can bring in” to preserve the ships.
The USS The Sullivans is named after Waterloo’s five Sullivan brothers — Albert, George, Francis, Joseph and Madison — who died after their light cruiser, USS Juneau, was struck by a Japanese torpedo Nov. 13, 1942, and sank in the South Pacific during the Battle of Guadalcanal.
Their deaths remain the largest combat-related loss of life by a single family at one time in American military history.
USS The Sullivans was commissioned Sept. 30, 1943, and christened by Alleta Sullivan, the men’s mother, from Waterloo.
After serving in both World War II and the Korean War, the Fletcher-class destroyer became a training ship with the 6th Fleet before being decommissioned Jan. 7, 1965. The Navy donated the USS The Sullivans to the military park in Buffalo, where it is one of the star attractions.
But in April, crews found 15,000 to 20,000 gallons of water had poured into the engineer’s room through tiny holes below the waterline. The warship listed, reaching a near 45-degree angle and coming close to sinking. Crews sprang into action, pumping out water and trying to save artifacts displayed on the ship. They applied epoxy coating to the hull and installed a cathodic protection system to prevent further erosion, Marzello told the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier.
Veterans from around the world, including in Iowa, donated to the effort to save the ship, Marzello said. Videos of some of the repair work are shown on the park’s YouTube channel, which has nearly 9,000 subscribers.
Now the military park is trying to figure out how to preserve the ship for future generations.
After securing a congressional commitment of $7.5 million, park staff are bringing in Joe Lombardi, a naval architect with Houston-based Ocean Technical Services, later this month or early December to examine the integrity of the hulls of the USS The Sullivans, USS Little Rock and USS Croaker — all docked at the same site.
“He has several things to respond to, mainly to analyze the integrity of the hull of all three ships we have in the water and to determine what, if any, remaining product is in any of the ships,” Marzello said.
When the military turns over ships to cities to become floating museums, there often are fluids, such as diesel fuel or oil from machinery, in the vessels, he said. If the ship springs a leak, those fluids can pollute the water.
Lombardi also will give his opinion whether it’s warranted to haul one or more ships to a dry dock for repairs, Marzello said. If that’s the recommendation, tug boats would have to move the Croaker and the Little Rock out of the way to free The Sullivans to be towed 18 hours across Lake Erie to a dry dock.
“He’ll give us at least three proposals of what could be done: Dry docking, building a coffer dam or making the repairs in situ, or where it is,” Marzello said.
Park staff hope to have those recommendations by February or March.
Historians with the Buffalo park visited Waterloo this past summer to see artifacts at the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum. Museum staff also took the visitors to the cemetery where the brothers’ parents and sister, Genevieve, are buried and visited a local Sullivan historian, Mike Magee, said Pat Kinney, oral historian for the Grout Museum District, which includes the veterans museum.
“The linchpin between the Buffalo military park and our museum is Kelly Sullivan, Albert Sullivan’s granddaughter, who is the official Navy sponsor of the current USS The Sullivans DDG-68, as her great-grandmother Alleta was of the ship in Buffalo, the USS The Sullivans DD-537,” Kinney said in an email.
That’s right, there are two USS The Sullivans. The second, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, was commissioned in 1997.
Grain, dry bulk and petroleum products lead a strong month of shipping on the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway system
Shipping across the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway system topped 4.2 million tons in October, led by strong gains in grain as well as potash, salt and other dry bulk cargos. Overall grain shipments reached 1.5 million tons, a reflection of the strong late harvest in various regions of the Great Lakes.
“It’s great to see these positive numbers for the late harvesting of grain in the U.S. and Canada,” said Bruce Burrows, President & CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. “The promising trend for grain continues to show the important role the Seaway plays in exporting goods from the Great Lakes to the rest of the world.”
Burrows added, “There has also been a significant increase in the number of vessel transits, another demonstration of the vitality of waterborne transportation throughout the region.”
Overall shipping on the seaway system through October was 27.6 million tons, which represents a steady improvement over the past few months.
Meanwhile, dry bulk shipments remain strong with potash up 190% over last year, salt up 22.3% and petcoke running 18% ahead of 2021 year-to-date totals. Shipments of petroleum products have also been robust, showing a 37% increase over 2021.
An example of the compelling results this month are the numbers from the Port of Toledo, with year-to-date cargo shipments topping 9.5 million tons at the end of October, a 5.5% increase over the same period in 2021. “Grain, iron ore, coal and general cargo are all exceeding last year’s pace,” said Joseph Cappel, VP of Business Development for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. “It’s great to see a parade of lakers and ocean vessels sailing up the Maumee River through downtown Toledo this time of year to load grain at The Andersons and ADM. We also have a lot of activity at the mouth of the river where iron ore, aluminum, steel, coal, and bulk products are handled at CSX and Midwest Terminals.”
More than 3.1 million short tons of maritime cargo transited the Port of Duluth-Superior in October 2022, lifting season-to-date tonnage past 23.4 million. Inbound general cargo shipments are tracking toward their highest tonnage total in almost 40 years, providing a high-value economic boost on the working waterfront.
Led by shipments of wind energy cargo and massive industrial pieces, general cargo tonnage neared 24,000 tons for the month of October and 96,000 tons for the season. The last time Duluth-Superior topped 90,000 tons of general cargo in a single season was 1991 (98,645).
“It’s been a very strong year for general cargo shipments, which feature outsized economic value per ton in comparison to bulk cargo, and also help support development of industry and greener energy sources.” said Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.
Chamber of Marine Commerce
Port Of Oswego Makes $3.5 Million In Dock Upgrades
OSWEGO, NY – Anyone in the city of Oswego over the last year and a half has seen cranes, trucks and local construction workers heading for the port.
In the last 18 months, the port has invested over $3.5 million in dock upgrades and that number will double by the end of next year, said William Scriber, executive director, CEO, Port of Oswego Authority (POA).
“We are committed to making the port an efficient and modern facility which will support our existing and future customers,” Scriber said. “By investing in these enhancements, we are better able to meet the needs of customers like Novelis and Anderson Grain, and perhaps new clients like Micron.”
At times this season, the port has had two ships at dock engaged in loading and unloading products like grain, aluminum, potash, and wind turbine parts. The improvements under way to the port’s east dock, will expand the number of vessels that can dock there at one time, and enable two ships and a barge to tie up simultaneously.
“We are planning for a short sea container shipping service, and we are in the final stages of a grant application for a multi-million-dollar rail and warehouse upgrade that will include shore power and green energy,” Scriber said. “Clearly, our investments to the port of over $21 million in the last several years are gaining notice in the Great Lakes with a number of new customers looking to come to Oswego, which means jobs for our local economy.”
The Port of Oswego’s strategic location at the crossroads of the Northeastern North American shipping market, puts them less than 350 miles from 60 million people. As one of the most productive ports in the Great Lakes, the port supports 209 local jobs, $26.7 million in economic activity, and $13.8 million in personal income and local consumption expenditures.
Oswego County Today
Detroit church remembers sailors lost on the Great Lakes
DETROIT – Bells tolled at Mariners’ Church of Detroit on Sunday in memory of sailors who have lost their lives at sea on the Great Lakes.
The annual Great Lakes Memorial service was held at the historic church, which sits along the Detroit River in downtown Detroit.
An estimated 30,000 deaths and roughly 6,000 shipwrecks have occurred on Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario. Thursday was the 47th anniversary of possibly the most notable wreck: the Nov. 10, 1975, sinking of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald.
Mariners’ Church previously held a memorial service focused on the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald but has expanded to include all sailors lost at sea. Also honored this year were military personnel who lost their lives, said the Rev. Francis J. Bateman, deacon at Mariners’ Church.
“This is an evolution, an expansion of that service and we decided to add the military to it as well,” Bateman said. “People who lost their lives in defense of our freedom.”
Rear Admiral Gerard Achenbach of the Great Lakes Maritime Academy; Coast Guard Auxiliary and Chaplain James Faile; U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers; U.S. Navy League; and members of Yacht and Boating clubs.
Members of the International Shipmasters’ Association tolled the bell.
In 1976, a year after the Edmund Fitzgerald was lost, a memorial service was held at Mariners’ Church and included the ringing of the church’s “Brotherhood” bell 29 times, one for each crewman aboard the freighter.
The freighter was carrying a load of iron ore pellets to a Detroit steel mill when it plunged to the bottom of Lake Superior during a storm, 17 miles from Whitefish Point in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
To protect the wreck site, in 2006 the Canadian government extended the perimeter around the Edmund Fitzgerald to 500 meters. Divers without a permit face a hefty fine. It was an effort that took 30 years, said Ken Morse, a trustee at Mariners’ Church.
“It is protected waters now,” he said. “So divers can’t just go down there and do things.”
The Great Lakes Memorial Service every November closes out the shipping season, Bateman said. The church opens the shipping season in the spring with a Blessing of the Fleet service.
“The Great Lakes represent a rich bounty for the entire country, and especially for those of us fortunate enough to live by their shores,” said the Rev. Jeffrey Hubbard, pastor of Mariners’ Church of Detroit. “But they can become treacherous and unpredictable.”
“Six thousand shipwrecks, and more we aren’t even aware of yet, and the 30,000 lives lost in them are all the proof we need of that,” Hubbard said. “That’s why we take the time each year to reflect on those lives and to pray that there will be no more wrecks and no more deaths on the lakes in the future.”
Mariners’ Church was founded in 1842 as a place of prayer and reflection for sailors. It now is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Detroit News
‘Christmas Tree Ship’ sets return to Toledo
The National Museum of the Great Lakes has begun taking both reservations and donation requests for Christmas trees to be delivered to the waterfront museum by tugboat in early December.
Trees delivered during the museum’s Christmas Tree Ship event Dec. 3 cost $55 and may be purchased for oneself, a family in need, or both. Orders may be placed through the nmgl.org website or by calling 419-214-5000.
The event commemorates the 1912 voyage to Chicago by the schooner Rouse Simmons to deliver Christmas trees for needy families. Toledo’s tree-delivering tugboat is scheduled to arrive at the museum’s dock at 1 p.m. on Dec. 3, and will be streamed on Facebook Live starting at 12:45 p.m.
4
Toledo Blade
World Ship Society report of casualties, demolitions
Vessels with a Great Lakes / Seaway connection reported as a casualty or sold for demolition. Taken from November 2022 issue of Marine News – Journal of the World Ship Society.
Casualties: Sail training ship DANMARK collided with U.S. Navy’s Freedom-class littoral combat ship MINNEAPOLIS-SAINT PAUL (LCS-21) on 11 September during Maryland Fleet Week at Baltimore
TERRY FOX (8127799; Canada) – 4,169 / 1983 – coast guard – 1st seaway transit 2018 – Canadian Coast Guard vessel had a fire in generator room on 16.08.2022 while anchored in Batty Bay off Somerset Island, Canada. She was taken to St. John’s Newfoundland for repairs but damage is heavy.
Sold for Demolition: CYNTHIA NICOLE (5083394; United States of America) (CYNTHIA MORAN-04 – 1st seaway transit 1963 – 239 / 1957 – tug – by undisclosed interests, to unknown shipbreakers USA for break-up – commenced 1.00.2022
New Construction: Construction of CONSTELLATION (FFG-62), the lead ship of the navy’s latest class of warship, began 31 August at Finncantieri Marinette Marine’s shipyard at Marinette, Wisconsin
VIKING POLARIS (98683209; Nor) was launched from Vard Tulcea Sa, Tulcea – launch date 24.07.2021, with a delivery date 27.09.2022 – completed by Vard Soviknes) – managed by Viking Ocean Cruises Ltd. (destined to enter the Great Lakes in 2023)
Report prepared by Barry Andersen and René Beauchamp
National Museum of the Great Lakes flyers
See gallery below
CWB Marquis on the St. Marys River. Roger LeLievre photo
U.S. and Canada Launch Green Shipping Corridor for Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway
The United States and Canada have launched an initiative to establish a “green shipping corridor” for the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway System.
Under the Initiative, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of State, and Transport Canada will work with state, provincial, local communities, private-sector and non-governmental leaders, and Indigenous Peoples of Canada and the United States to host consultations with ports and other stakeholders, with the goal of facilitating the establishment of a Great Lakes Green Shipping Corridor Network.
The green corridor was announced to coincide with the UN COP27 climate change conference taking place this week in Egypt and is one of several announced during the event.
Green corridors have been growing in popularity since last year’s COP26 conference in Glasgow. They are seen as a means to help the shipping industry decarbonize and involve setting up specific trade routes between major port hubs where zero-emission solutions are demonstrated and supported.
They are viewed as a key means of spurring the early adoption of zero-emission fuels and technologies that will put the shipping sector on a pathway to align with the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
During last year’s COP26, a coalition of countries launched the Clydebank Declaration, agreeing to create zero emissions shipping routes to speed up the decarbonization of the global ocean shipping industry, which accounts for nearly 3% of the world’s CO2 emissions.
The binational Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway System is a unique commercial waterway reaching into the heartland of North America, extending more than 2,000 miles and containing more than 110 ports. More than 200 million tons of cargo travel on the waterway each year.
“Through the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway System Green Shipping Corridor Network Initiative, Canada and the United States will work with industry to help facilitate the establishment of green corridors throughout the region, including by convening stakeholders and contributing to assessments and analyses relating to alternative fuels and power options within the system,” the U.S. and Canada said in a joint statement.
The Green Shipping Corridor Network Initiative builds on the work launched under the “Joint Statement by the U.S. Department of Transportation and Transport Canada on the Nexus between Transportation and Climate Change,” issued February 25, 2021.
“The governments view the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway System Green Shipping Corridor Network Initiative as an important element in catalyzing development of the fuels and infrastructure needed to make the transition to low- and zero-emitting shipping, and, on both sides of the border, creating the jobs to make the fuel available and infrastructure development a reality. In the future the Initiative may expand to support green shipping corridors on U.S. and Canadian routes along both countries’ coasts, leverage experience from similar initiatives in other regions, and supplement regional and global efforts already underway,” the countries said.
gCaptain
Potash, grain on the move at port
Shipments of potash are at multi-decade highs, and western Canadian grain movement is on target and has risen in volume at the Port of Thunder Bay.
“Grain is certainly stronger now than it was in the summer,” said Tim Heney, chief executive officer of the Thunder Bay Port Authority.
Grain costs climbed again early this month and Heney doesn’t think it will affect Canadian exports immediately.
“Depending on the markets. If the price is up, in eastern markets eventually move more grain in this direction but it’s likely we’ll not see much immediate impact because (the shipments) are already starting anyway,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to adjust how they move it that much because prices are set to the end of the year.”
As the fall grain harvest moves through the supply chain from Manitoba to the Thunder Bay port and onto its destination, local grain elevators handled 840,000 tonnes of wheat, canola, and other grains in October. Grain shipments for the month increased by 33 per cent compared to September and were eight per cent more than October of 2021.
The 2021 grain harvest suffered as a result of drought and high temperatures in the Prairies. This year’s increase in grain shipments reflects a more typical volume of grain at the port. Heney says there is an estimated 93.5 million tonnes of Prairie grain harvested this year, which equates to the third largest harvest on record.
Fertilizer shipments exported from Saskatchewan have levelled off at the Port.“The Russia and Ukraine situation has already affected exports quite dramatically,” Heney said. “They’re up in a big way in Thunder Bay this year. It’s kind of levelled off now, but it’s basically double what it was last year.”
Potash cargoes have also been strong throughout the 2022 shipping season with more than one million tonnes shipped through the port as of Oct. 31. Heney says that’s the most in more than 30 years. Potash is a vital component of fertilizer input and has been strained by global sanctions on Russian and Belarus products, which alone comprise 32 per cent of global production capacity.
Other shipments passing through the Thunder Bay port include pipe, which is used for the oil and gas industry in Alberta.
“There’s a lot of pipe this year,” Heney said. “There are three more ships of pipe still coming up.”
And he says they have “quite a bit” of steel rails from Europe stored at the terminal to be shipped out via rail cars. As for wind turbine components, Heney says that’s finished for the year and he expects shipments to pick up next year.
There are a couple more project-cargo shipments coming before the end of the year as well, he said.
They involve big components for either mines or mills out west. He added that they have seen a few shiploads of equipment come through this year that were destined for the Beardmore mining sector.
Edmund Fitzgerald search: Hear call to help after 29 men were lost in Lake Superior
LAKE SUPERIOR, MI – “Things look pretty bad. It looks like she may have split apart at the seams.”
In the hours after the 728-foot Edmund Fitzgerald abruptly vanished from the radar during a gale on Lake Superior the night of Nov. 10, 1975, the attitude of rescue crews quickly switched from incredulity that a freighter so large could just disappear, to asking nearby ships to help with the search.
Forty-seven years ago Thursday night, the search for the Mighty Fitz was just beginning. Its last radio contact with the Arthur M. Anderson was at 7:10 p.m. Minutes later, her crew could not be raised on the ship’s radio.
In these audio recordings, the U.S. Coast Guard at the Sault Ste. Marie station is talking to Capt. Jesse Bernie Cooper from the Arthur M. Anderson, a ship that had been trailing the Fitzgerald for much of that day in fierce seas and waves as high as 25 feet.
The Anderson had been the first to raise the alarm when the Fitzgerald vanished. Now the Anderson’s crew was being asked to go back out into the gale and look for the Fitzgerald and her crew of 29 men.
You can hear the Coast Guard saying it’s “very certain that the Fitzgerald went down,” and is asking nearby ships for assistance. The Coast Guard was hoping ships near Whitefish Point could look for lights in the water, lifeboats, debris – anything signaling there might be survivors.
Earlier in the day, the Edmund Fitzgerald had lost both it radars and the Anderson’s crew had been helping the Fitzgerald’s crew navigate through the storm.
“The last time I talked with him, he said he was ‘holding his own.’ I lost contact after that,” Cooper told the Coast Guard.
Cooper agreed to go back out to the area where he thinks the Fitzgerald disappeared, but you can tell by his voice that he was worried about his own crew, too.
“I’m afraid I’m going to take a hell of a beatin’ out there.”
MLive
Algoma Central Corporation and Furetank double investment in product tankers
ST. CATHARINES, ON – Algoma Central Corporation (TSX: ALC) today announced that it has doubled its investment in the FureBear joint venture, and will construct four additional dual-fuel ice class 1A 17,999 DWT climate-friendly product tankers with their partner Furetank AB (“Furetank”) of Sweden, bringing the total investment to eight vessels. Algoma owns 50% of the joint venture.
“In our strategic plan, we set out to find sustainable areas to grow our business and deploy capital in the highest and best uses,” said Gregg Ruhl, President and CEO of Algoma. “This investment enables us to further diversify Algoma’s asset base and geographic trading zones in a segment we know well and with partners that share our values,” concluded Mr. Ruhl.
“The expansion of our FureBear investment with Algoma is exciting news,” said Lars Höglund, CEO of Furetank. “This is yet another endorsement of the environmental benefits and innovative design of our Vinga Series. I look forward to delivering on these benefits with our partner and working together to fulfill the need for modern and efficient tonnage in the markets we serve,” concluded Mr. Höglund.
Like the initial four vessel order, the additional ships will be constructed at China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Yangzhou, China, with delivery expected between 2023 and 2025. Two of the four vessels had previously been ordered by Furetank in September and will be transferred to FureBear, and the other two vessels have been placed as new orders bringing the total vessels in the Vinga series to 17. Upon completion, all eight FureBear vessels will be entered into the Gothia Tanker Alliance, and will be operated by Furetank out of Gothenburg, Sweden.
The Vinga ships are designed with FKAB Marine Design and all have dual-fuel capability and run on LNG/LBG or gasoil and are also fully equipped for shore power. They are designed with a battery hybrid solution and several innovative features that reduce fuel and energy consumption, resulting in extensively lower emissions of CO2, sulphur oxide, nitrogen oxide and hazardous particles. The ships have scored the best Energy Efficiency Design Index or EEDI value in their segment globally, meaning that they are the most energy efficient vessels according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Social media posts show the former Lower Lakes Towing Co. bulk carrier is showing being in inched ashore at Marine Recycling Corp Scrapyard at Port Colborne, ON.
The vessel, built in 1952 as Charles L. Hutchinson (ii) and which sailed for many years as Ernest R. Breech for the Ford Motor Co. fleet, was retired at the end of last season due to needed repairs that could not be economically justified.
Her former fleet mate Manistee is still waiting to feel the scrapper’s torch, as is the retired cement carrier S.T. Crapo.
See photos in the image gallery.
Welland Canal closing Jan. 7, says seaway
For the fourth year, Niagara residents can expect bridges over the canal to stay up into the new year as the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. extends the 2022 shipping season.
It’s part of a five-year pilot program that will see the 43-kilometre-long link between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario stay open until noon Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023.
The Montreal-Lake Ontario section of the seaway will remain open until noon, Saturday, Dec. 31.
The seaway said while preserving the sustainability of the navigation season is very important, it is also mindful that unanticipated environmental conditions may occur during the closing period.
It added that should that happen, the closing dates for the Montreal-Lake Ontario section or Welland Canal may change.
Welland Tribune
Milwaukee secures funding for new cruise ship dock
MILWAUKEE, WI – The Milwaukee Common Council has signed off on a $2 million investment in the South Shore Cruise Dock, in a bid to make the city a must-stop on the Great Lakes cruise circuit.
The city’s 2023 budget, which the council approved on Friday, includes $2 million in funding to redevelop the South Shore Cruise Dock. The dock is located next to the Lake Express ferry landing at 2330 S. Lincoln Memorial Dr.
The city is planning on using $4 million in grants from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and $1.285 million from the Port of Milwaukee, which sold a tract of riverside land to Komatsu for its new headquarters.
The South Shore Cruise Dock would also be the future port-of-call for Seawaymax vessels such as the Viking Octantis, the city said in a statement on Monday. The Viking Octantis is currently the largest cruise ship on the Great Lakes, a fact the vessel did not shy away from when it docked in downtown Milwaukee last May.
City officials said final construction design for the new dock is underway. A request for proposal is expected to be issued to the Board of Harbor Commissioners sometime early in 2023. Construction could begin in the spring.
“We worked together to complete the financing package for the redevelopment of South Shore Cruise Dock. This investment is valuable to boosting our city’s recreation and tourism market that will grow our economy in the years ahead,” said Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson in a statement.
The director of the Port of Milwaukee, Adam Tindall-Schlicht, told Urban Milwaukee earlier this year that he expects the redevelopment should last the city more than 50 years. “This really is the one-time investment that we need,” said Tindall-Schlicht.
Tindall-Schlicht also told the news outlet that the city previously considered redeveloping the South Harbor Campus area for cruise docking. But a closer look found that the South Shore Cruise Dock was cheaper to develop.
The project falls within Milwaukee’s 14th District and Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic, who represents the area in the Common Council, described the port area as a “gem for our city.”
“As the Great Lakes cruising industry continues to grow, I couldn’t be more excited that thousands of passengers each year will step off the Viking Octantis and be welcomed to our great city by way of the 14th District,” according to Dimitrijevic, in the statement.
TMJ4
Neebish Islander III christened into service with special ceremony
BARBEAU, MI – Along with a rural public bussing system, the Eastern Upper Peninsula Transportation Authority (EUPTA) also operates three vehicle and passenger ferries to the nearby islands of Sugar, Drummond and Neebish.
On November 8, 2022, EUPTA welcomed their newest ferry into service — the Neebish Islander III.
The Neebish Islander III was built in Manitowoc, WI by the Burger Boat Company and they christened her at their facility back on August 13.
The Islander III is designed to be an ice breaking passenger and vehicle ferry that can carry 15 passenger vehicles. The ferry will be used year-round, carrying people on the St Mary’s River, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, between Barbeau and Neebish Island. “We build all different kinds of projects that can be found around the world from research vessels to passenger vessels, now a car ferry, motor yachts of all different sizes,” said Ron Cleveringa, Burger Boat Company Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
At 1:30pm today, the Neebish Islander II made its final trip as it ferried a truck with a trailer of sugar beets to the island. As it docked on the island, the Neebish Islander III greeted its older sister with a salute to which the crowd responded with cheers as the III came into view. The blue-hulled craft with an orange deck and white side-mounted pilot house docked on the mainland, lowered its ramp and the crowd moved to “ooos” and “wows.” It really is beautiful.
“Public transport is so important across the region and most people only think it happens on the mainland.” said Jean Ruestman, Director of the Office of Passenger Transportation for MDOT. “We recognized the need for islanders to be able to get to the mainland to get the services they needed and take them back to the island. That was most important.”
Father Romeo from the Sault was present to conduct a Maritime Blessing on the Neebish Islander III. Once the blessing was completed, the new vessel went into service while the Neebish Islander II sailed downriver to be docked until it can be sold, no longer to carry vehicles or passengers from the mainland to Neebish Island as it has been since 1944.
EUP News
Obituary: Art LaBrecque, sailed for Huron Cement
Arthur James LaBrecque passed away Nov. 3, one day shy of his 87th birthday. Art was born Nov. 4, 1935, in Alpena to Alphonse and Grace (McIntyre) LaBrecque. After graduating fr
om Catholic Central High School, Art began his Great Lakes sailing career on the Huron Portland Cement boats. He then served in the U.S. Army where he learned to perfect his culinary skills before returning to the cement carriers.
His career on the freighters almost didn’t happen though, as he got seasick on the ferry ride across the Straits of Mackinac (the Bridge wasn’t built yet) on his way to the Soo to get his sailing card! He sailed on the lakes for 40+ years on most of the freighters of the HPC fleet, retiring in 1996 from Inland Lakes Management as Steward of the flagship S.S. Alpena.
Art married Sharon Horal on July 28, 1962, in Alpena. Art and Sharon lived in Alpena during their marriage and celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in July. They had three boys: Michael, Brad, and Patrick. Art enjoyed many good years of retirement at their cottage on Grand Lake and wintering in Arizona. He was an ardent Detroit sports fan, particularly the Tigers. He continued to support the Lions, hoping the next season would be better than the last.
His family, friends and fellow sailors thought he made the best soups and gravy. His liver paste wasn’t bad either. Surviving is his wife, Sharon; two sons Michael (Kristi), Patrick (Jackie Schaedig); special granddaughter Hannah Gillian LaBrecque; and lots of dear sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, and nephews. Art was preceded in death by his son, Brad (or Bradley Arthur if he was in trouble) and all his siblings: Neal, Edward, Robert, and Margaret ‘Monnie’ Hackenberg.
A celebration of life will take place Sunday, Nov. 13, at JJ’s from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Inurnment: Presque Isle Cemetery. Memorial donations can be made to St. Vincent de Paul or your favorite local charity.
Strong prairie grain harvest helps Thunder Bay port
THUNDER BAY, ON – One of the best-ever prairie harvests means more work for people employed in the grainhandling and shipping sectors in Thunder Bay.
The Thunder Bay Port Authority said grain shipments in October rose by 33 per cent from September, and were eight per cent better than October 2021. “So far, so good,” said Chris Heikkinen, the port’s director of business development and communications, in an interview Monday. “During October we had certainly the busiest month we’ve seen this shipping season. It’s a promising fall for grain.”
This marks a return to a more typical volume of grain transiting the port, following a year of decreased shipments. Last year’s harvest was the poorest in over a decade, as it was impacted by drought and heat on the prairies. Grain from the 2021 harvest moved through Thunder Bay from the opening of navigation and into September.
But this year’s harvest is the third largest on record, and grain from this crop is what’s currently being shipped through the port to markets in Europe, Africa and South America.
Although year-to-date grain shipments remain below last year’s totals because of the smaller size of the previous harvest, another important cargo category is showing a dramatic increase in tonnage due to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Thunder Bay has handled 1.07 million tonnes of potash from Saskatchewan so far, over 150 per cent more than a year ago.
The port authority notes that global supplies of potash, which is an important component of fertilizer, have been stretched by sanctions imposed against Russia and its ally Belarus. Together, the two countries are responsible for almost a third of global production.
Heikkinen said Thunder Bay hasn’t handled this much potash through the port in more than 30 years.
Port facilities include eight grain elevators, three dry bulk terminals, two liquid bulk terminals, Keefer Terminal (general and project cargo) and a shipyard with a dry dock. The port authority is hoping for favorable weather conditions to stall the formation of ice before the shipping season ends in early January.
Heikkinen said “a very strong lineup” of shipments is due to arrive at Keefer Terminal over the next couple of months, bound for western Canada.
The terminal handles general and project cargo including larger structural items such as wind turbines and other steel products. Other port facilities include eight grain elevators, three dry bulk terminals, two liquid bulk terminals, and a shipyard with a dry dock. It’s estimated that shipping-related activity accounts for 900 direct jobs in Thunder Bay and generates an annual economic contribution of $370 million.
So far this year the port has been visited 282 times by cargo vessels including 109 times by overseas-registered ships, 170 Canadian, and three from the U.S.
TB Newswatch
Show your style! New Boatnerd caps now available
We are pleased to debut our stylish new baseball cap, just in time for the holidays. Sales benefit this site. Thanks to our friends at Know Your Ships for letting us order through their site! Order here (scroll down to see the cap). http://www.knowyourships.com/catalog.html
Heddle Shipyards awarded $135-million contract to refit Coast Guard ship
A multi-year project at Heddle Shipyards’ Port Weller Dry Docks will create more than 200 jobs after the company was awarded a $135.5-million contract to extend the life of Canadian Coast Guard Ship Terry Fox.
A release from Heddle said the nearly three-year project will involve extensive engineering, planning and procurement phases, with shipyard work scheduled to begin December 2023.
“The CCGS Terry Fox vessel life extension project is transformational for Heddle Shipyards and Ontario,” said Shaun Padulo, Heddle’s president and chief executive officer.
The company said it is the largest single project in the history of the Coast Guard’s vessel life extension program, adding it will create broad economic and social benefits for St. Catharines, Niagara region, Ontario and Canada.
“The award of the project marks the conclusion of Phase 1 of our five-year business plan developed in 2021 and will provide Heddle with the platform to become Canada’s partner for future vessel life extension projects and the construction of vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy.
“I am extremely proud of our people and excited for our future. Our goal was to bring Ontario into the national shipbuilding strategy in a meaningful way, and the Terry Fox is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Padulo in the release.
Work on the Terry Fox is expected to be complete by the summer of 2025.
Welland Tribune
Seaway lists ’22 season closing dates
In line with offering a predictable Great-Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway trade corridor, the following targeted dates for the closing of the navigation season for the respective sections are being communicated in a timely manner. While preserving the sustainability of the navigation season is very important, we are also mindful that unanticipated environmental conditions may occur during the closing period. Should this happen, the dates outlined below for the Montreal-Lake Ontario Section or the Welland Canal may change.
Closing Dates: Montreal-Lake Ontario Section
The Corporations have decided to waive the operational surcharges on December 21, 22, 23 and 24. Any transit of the Montreal-Lake Ontario Section of the Seaway after 23:59 hours, December 24, if permitted, will be subject to prior written agreement. Arrangements are to be made at the St. Lambert office. Irrespective of operating conditions, all vessels must be clear of the Montreal-Lake Ontario Section at 12:00 hours (noon) on December 31, 2022.
Closing Dates: Welland Canal
Any transits of the Welland Canal after 23:59 hours, December 26, if permitted, will be subject to prior written agreement. Arrangements are to be made at the St. Catharines office. As part of a season pilot program this navigation season, all vessels must be clear of the Welland Canal at 12:00 hours (noon), January 7, 2023, operating conditions permitting.
Closing Dates: Sault Ste. Marie Locks and Canal (United States)
Closing of the Sault Ste. Marie Locks (U.S.A.) is currently scheduled for January 15, 2023.
Sault Ste. Marie city commission continues work on Carbide Dock project
SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – During a recent meeting, the Sault Ste. Marie City Commission approved two more grant applications for the ongoing Carbide Dock project.In 2017, the commission approved the dock rehabilitation project. The project will make all parts of the dock usable, as currently the portions of the dock closest to the water are in too much disrepair.
The project will replace approximately 1,100 linear feet of the existing condemned dock structure to create a working waterfront. There will also be several updates to the dock, including secure storage areas, improved storm water management facilities, and a critical connection from the Easterday Avenue truck route to the riverfront.
The city has been applying for grants ever since approving the project. In 2018, the city commission estimated the city would need at least $20 million in total to complete the entire project.
The city has still not received a bid to take over the project as the projected cost is too high. In the years since the project was introduced, the city commission has applied to several different grants to raise the needed funds.
The commission made several decisions to help the project decrease costs and raise funding. First, the commission approved the leasing of a Carbide Dock slip to Kokosing Alberici Traylor, LLC. The slip is currently condemned and was originally considered in the cost of the project. Kokosing Alberici Traylor, LLC has agreed to a seven-year lease on the slip and in that time will make their own renovations, which would have cost the city more than $4 million.
In addition to cutting the cost of the slip by leasing out the property, the city commission also applied to two separate grants.
Recently, the budget for the project was decreased to increase the chances of securing a grant, but additional funding is still required. The commission approved the application of a grant to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program. MDOT has agreed to match $1 million in order to qualify for the grant.
If the grant application is successful, the project will receive an extra $5 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The second grant application was to the Fuel Transformation Program for the addition of shore power. This grant did not have a specific dollar amount but will cover the cost of adding safety lights to the dock area. The addition of power to the docks and shore is necessary for the dock. This work will also help the slip reconstruction proposed by Kokosing Alberici Traylor, LLC.
Sault News
New Neebish Island ferry to be dedicated Nov. 9
SAULT STE. MARIE – The Eastern Upper Peninsula Transportation Authority (EUPTA) is hosting a dedication ceremony Wednesday, Nov. 9 to commemorate the Neebish Islander III officially entering service.
The Neebish Island ferry is one of the only ways for Neebish Island residents and tourists to get back and forth between Neebish Island and the mainland, and its current ferry has been in service for decades.
Originally constructed in 1944, the Neebish Islander II has carried thousands of cars, people and other luggage to and from Neebish Island for years. After almost 80 years of service, officials said the Neebish Islander II is reaching a point where it’s too run down to continue for much longer. While the ship still works safely, the cost of repairing and maintaining the old ship has grown too high, causing EUPTA to introduce its successor, the Neebish Islander III.
“The Neebish Islander II was built in 1944 and has long outlived its useful service life,” said Pete Paramski, director of EUPTA. “The new one can haul 160,000 pounds and has no height limitations for what it can carry.”
While only slightly larger than its predecessor, the new ferry is made by modern standards and is a considerable upgrade to the previous ship. With a carrying capacity of 160,000 pounds, the new ferry will be able to carry more people and more vehicles to and from the island with every trip and will cost less to maintain.
In addition to its increased capacity, the new ferry will be more effective at breaking through ice, making for faster and safer trips in the winter months.
“It’s going to be much more ice worthy,” said Paramski. “The old one was kind of fragile, whereas this one is built a lot stronger with thicker steel.”
The new ferry will go into service, pushing the previous ferry into retirement, as soon as it is cleared for use after the dedication ceremony. The ship still has to pass test trips with the U.S. Coast Guard and will require the crew to be retrained to use the upgraded ship. The new ferry will begin its service sometime next week.
Construction on the ship began in October 2021 and finished last month before being shipped off to its new home port in Barbeau, Michigan, where EUPTA will host its dedication ceremony.
The ceremony, which begins at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9, will be the ship’s first introduction into the world. EUPTA will unveil it at the Neebish Island Ferry dock in Barbeau.
