Ferry Chi-Cheemaun heads for Thunder Bay shipyard

Sault Ste. Marie, MI – The Georgian Bay/ Manitoulin Island ferry Chi-Cheemaun was upbound Monday late afternoon for Thunder Bay, ON,, where she will  receive her five-year inspection.

David KLaye

“Bottled Goodbyes” topic of NMGL Oct. 20 lecture

Toledo, OH ­– Join the National Museum of the Great Lakes (NMGL) this Wednesday, October 20, at 7 p.m., for the beginning of their annual fall lecture series featuring “Bottled Goodbyes” – a conversation exploring famous messages that have floated ashore. Presented by Ric Mixter and based on his newest book Bottled Goodbyes – Messages from Shipwreck and Aviation Disasters, the lecture tells tales from the Great Storm of 1913, to the development of the radio (which ultimately led to a decrease in bottled messages).

View the flier at the bottom of this page for details.

“Boo on the Boat” Halloween tradition continues at the National Museum of the Great Lakes

Toledo, OH – Beginning Friday, October 29 through Halloween Day, the National Museum of the Great Lakes (NMGL) invites visitors to trick-or-treat aboard two of Toledo’s most historic haunts – the Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship and the Museum Tug Ohio.

View the flier at the bottom of this page for details.

Mark W. Barker construction update update

Steel production, capacity utilization fall

Great Lakes steel production fell by 11,000 tons last week, while U.S. steel mills dipped under 85% capacity utilization, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

National steel output is more than 20% higher than at the same time last year, when steel mills sunk to just over half-capacity early in the coronavirus pandemic. With strong demand and soaring prices, the mills have been operating at more than 80% capacity this year.

Steel mills in the Great Lakes region, clustered mainly along the south shore of Lake Michigan in Northwest Indiana, made 638,000 tons of metal in the week that ended Oct. 9, down from 649,000 tons the previous week.

Overall, domestic steel mills in the United States made 1.858 million tons of steel last week, down 0.7% from 1.872 million tons the previous week, and up 19.9% compared to 1.549 million tons the same time a year prior, when the onset of the coronavirus pandemic shut down auto plants and other factories, greatly depleting the demand for steel.

So far this year, domestic steel mills in the United States have made 73.26 million tons of steel, a 20.2% increase compared to the 60.93 million tons made during the same period in 2020.

U.S. steel mills have run at a capacity utilization rate of 81.2% through Oct. 9, up from 67.1% at the same point in 2020, according to AISI.

Steel capacity utilization nationwide was 84.2% last week, which was up from 70.1% at the same time a year ago and from 84.8% a week prior.

Steel production in the southern region, a wide geographic swath that encompasses many mini-mills and rivals the Great Lakes region in output, totaled 768,000 tons last week, down from 774,000 tons the week before. Volume in the rest of the Midwest dipped to 191,000 tons, down from 196,000 tons the week prior.

NW Indiana Times

Port of Green Bay largely unaffected by supply chain issues

Green Bay, WI – While supply chain issues ravage various industries and aspects of life as the world tries to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders at the Port of Green Bay say they have not seen the same issues due to the type of traffic the westernmost port of Lake Michigan receives.

“Almost all the commodity movement into the Port of Green Bay is bulk material intended for industry use,” Mark Walter, business development manager for Brown County Port & Resource Recovery said. “We do not have any container traffic into Green Bay or even much of the Great Lakes at this point.”

The Port of Green Bay is one of 14 ports along the Fox River that handle more than two million tons of cargo annually. They handle mostly bulk material such as “coal, limestone and salt, bulk liquids like petroleum products, liquid asphalt and tallow, and break-bulk commodities including wood pulp and forest products in addition to oversized cargo like machinery and wind components,” according to the Port’s website.

NBC 26

Great Lakes’ shipping’s ‘untapped potential’: Duluth-Superior port sees opportunity in crisis

Duluth, MN – The Duluth Seaway Port Authority has announced it will begin accepting maritime cargo containers at its Clure Public Marine Terminal for the first time.

Until now, the Port Authority and its multimodal service with Lake Superior Warehousing, Duluth Cargo Connect, could only handle cargo containers moving through the terminal on rail and truck, not off ships.

“Being able to receive containers by ship makes us only the second U.S. Great Lakes port able to do so, and the only one west of Cleveland,” Port Authority Executive Director Deb DeLuca said.

DeLuca said the Port Authority had to meet regulatory requirements, beginning the process in the middle of 2020, while also building out aspects of its facilities, in order to gain the ability to accept cargo containers.

The news this week, exclusive to the News Tribune, comes at a time when cargo containers loaded aboard massive ships are bottlenecked in places around the globe, particularly at ports along the West Coast of the United States.

“There’s untapped potential to use this marine highway in a way that would benefit North America,” DeLuca said, referring to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, which connects Duluth to the rest of the world.

In September, a team of University of Wisconsin-Superior Transportation and Logistics Management students toured the port at Long Beach, California, during an annual multimodal conference.

They saw the backlog of ships up close. Senior Kayleigh Seagraves recalled this week how there were so many vessels that some were circling in deeper water, unable to anchor because of there were so many backed-up ships already at anchorage depth.

On the topic of the port of Duluth-Superior taking in container cargoes, DeLuca said the port “is capable of being a relief valve for supply chain pressure.”

“It could play a strong role in providing North America with a stronger, more diverse and resilient supply chain,” she said.

But the Great Lakes won’t be able to handle the massive “Panamax” containerships, so named for their ability to transit the Panama Canal. Instead, the familiar foreign vessels that transport grains, project cargoes, and windmill components to and from the local port will be the ones involved in carrying any containers in or out of the Twin Ports.

And because the Port Authority couldn’t advertise itself as a maritime cargo container port until this month, it’ll take time to present the Clure terminal as a viable option for movers of container-shipped goods in the Midwest.

“We’re looking into how that will fit into the supply chain,” DeLuca said. “It’s very exciting. We’re efficient, we’re uncongested, and we offer direct access to the Midwest and North American heartland.”

Read the full story here: https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/business/transportation/7223187-Great-Lakes-shippings-untapped-potential-Duluth-Superior-port-sees-opportunity-in-crisis?fbclid=IwAR3mh1o0Sx-DGpAeGo0Qas0kH4e0NbqBVoygfBOB0s_wlO_KU2r5u6uewJk#.YWnPdhn1EYI.facebook

USCG helicopter medevacs crewman from Mchipicoten

Sault Ste. Marie, ON –  Coast Guard helicopter picked up an ailing crew member of the lake freighter Michipicoten, delivering them to Sault Area Hospital shortly before 10 a.m. on Thursday.

The Canadian-flagged Michipicoten was on the water in northern Lake Huron when the Coast guard was called to medivac them from the vessel. The aircrew used a basket to hoist the crew member from the 680-foot freighter to the helicopter was flown out of Air Station Traverse City.

The crew member was taken to Sault Area Hospital for treatment. The crew member’s condition was not disclosed.

Soo Today

2021 Marine Mart Saturday in St. Clair Shores, MI

The 2021 Marine Mart, sponsored by Dossin Great Lakes Museum, will be Saturday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the VFW Post in St. Clair Shores, MI. Buy, sell and trade photos, books, models, artwork and other Great Lakes memorabilia. There will be a special table where photos by the late Jim Hoffman and other items from his collection will be sold to benefit the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. Food will be available. See the ad in the photo gallery for details.

Great Lakes iron ore trade up 38.8 percent in September

Cleveland, OH – Shipments of iron ore from U.S. ports on the Great Lakes totaled 5.4 million tons in September, an increase of 38.8 percent compared to a year ago.  Shipments were a near match to the month’s 5-year average.

Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 37.4 million tons, an increase of nearly 32.8 percent compared to the same point in 2020. Through September iron ore loadings were 3.9 percent above their 5-year average for the first three quarters.

Lake Carriers Association

Hollyhock leaves Port Huron for Duluth mission

Port Huron, MI – Visitors to Pine Grove Park might notice a regular fixture missing — but it’s only temporary. This week, U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock departed to work the waterways in Duluth, Minnesota, for several weeks while USCGC Adler is undergoing its midlife maintenance period.

“We will visit Duluth, and work buoys around Isle Royale, Ashland Harbor, and Chequamegon Bay,” Lt. Cmdr. Stephen Brickey, the ship’s captain, said in an email. “The transit up the St. Marys River and through the locks is fantastic, and the crew is eager to be working buoys in (Lake) Superior again.”’

Earlier this year, the crew of the Alder, which typically works many of the Lake Superior buoys, took the ship to the Coast Guard yard in Baltimore, Maryland, for an extended midlife maintenance period.

Hollyhock’s trip will take approximately two weeks, Brickey said. In November and December, the ship will return to Port Huron to work its traditional aids in Lake Huron and the St. Clair River.

Times Herald

DTE to retire coal use at Belle River Power Plant in 2028, two years earlier than planned

St. Clair, MI – DTE Energy Co. said Wednesday it will stop burning coal in its Belle River Power Plant in St. Clair County’s China Township in 2028, two years earlier than originally planned, in response to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency policy change.

The move, according to the Detroit-based utility company, means it can accelerate its timeline for achieving 50% reductions in carbon emissions. It now expects to reach that target by 2028 instead of 2030.

“A key part of DTE’s Clean Vision Plan involves the sequential retirement of our coal plants,” DTE Energy CEO Jerry Norcia said in a statement. “By making this important generation decision now, DTE continues to be proactive in improving our reliability, addressing the expanding needs of our customers and accelerating our journey to cleaner energy generation that is affordable for the customers and communities we serve.”

What the move means for the future of the plant itself has not yet been determined. DTE said it is evaluating whether it would be feasible to convert the plant to a cleaner energy source such as natural gas. More information on that assessment will be available in future regulatory filings, the company said.

The Belle River plant, which dates to 1984, employs about 200 people. DTE said it will not lay off anyone in connection with the retirement of coal. It expects some employees who work there will retire in 2028, and others will be given opportunities elsewhere in the company.

“DTE intends to deliver on this commitment through several measures that include collaborating with union leadership, workforce re-skilling and employee redeployments,” the company said in a news release.

“I can say with absolute certainty that all 200 employees that would be impacted by a closure of this plant will have other opportunities within DTE,” Trevor Lauer, president of DTE’s electric company, told The Detroit News.

Lauer said the move to retire coal use at Belle River was prompted by the EPA’s Steam Effluent Limitations Guidelines rule, which has implications for how the company uses water at the plant. To keep in compliance with the guidelines, he said, DTE would have to invest about $55 million, which the company decided did not make sense since coal use there already was scheduled to end in 2030.

“This plant is … an important asset for grid stability. It’s an important asset so we can continue to add more renewables into the mix. And if I have the plant operating, I can do that easier than having the plant not operating,” he said. “So I will retire it off of coal by 2028 at the absolute latest; if I can switch it to a cleaner-burning fuel before then, that’s something we are going to study and try to understand.”

Still, if the plant were to be put back into production with a cleaner fuel, it would require only about 40 employees, so finding employees jobs in other parts of the company still would be necessary, Lauer said.

The Detroit News

Soave to sell Detroit scrap metal business to Cleveland-Cliffs in $775 million deal

Detroit, MI – Steel making giant Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. is entering the ferrous scrap business with the purchase of Detroit-based Ferrous Processing and Trading Co. from Detroit-based Soave Enterprises Inc. in a $775 million deal.

The acquisition, announced Monday, marks the Cleveland-based steel manufacturer’s entry into scrap materials. It is expected to clear regulatory approvals in the fourth quarter, according to a news release.

The deal gives one of the largest domestic steel companies in North America control of one the largest processors and distributors of ferrous scrap. As the largest supplier of steel to the automotive industry, Cleveland-Cliffs’ move into scrap would allow it to buy back material directly from clients and cut the middlemen, Lourenco Goncalves, president and CEO of Cleveland-Cliffs, said in the release.

“The acquisition of FPT will enhance our ability to buy back prime scrap directly from our clients, cutting the middlemen and improving the margin contribution from scrap for both Cleveland-Cliffs and for the manufacturing and service center clients that will be able to sell scrap directly back to us,” Goncalves said.

Ferrous Processing and Trading was founded in 1961 and acquired by Detroit-based Soave Enterprises LLC, the holding company for multiple businesses run by President and CEO Anthony Soave, in 1997.

For the past year, Cleveland-Cliffs has tapped into an unprecedented demand for steel brought on by the unexpectedly speedy reboot of manufacturing plants in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Scrap demand has also soared as a result.

“With all the new flat-rolled (electric-arc furnace) capacity coming online in our market over the next four years, prime scrap will only become more and more scarce,” Goncalves said.

Crain’s Detroit Business

2021 Marine Mart Saturday, Oct. 16 in St. Clair Shores, MI

The 2021 Marine Mart, sponsored by Dossin Great Lakes Museum, will be Saturday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the VFW Post in St. Clair Shores, MI. Buy, sell and trade photos, books, models, artwork and other Great Lakes memorabilia. There will be a special table where photos by the late Jim Hoffman and other items from his collection will be sold to benefit the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. Food will be available. See the ad in the photo gallery for details.

WW2-era Great Lakes freighter’s final port is Canadian scrapyard

Sault Ste. Marie, ON – The freighter Mississagi made its final voyage this week up Lake Huron to a scrapyard in Canada, where she’ll be cut up and recycled after a 78-year career hauling bulk cargo around the Great Lakes.

Boatwatchers converged on the St. Clair River and St. Marys River this week as the Mississagi departed under tow from Sarnia, Ont. on Friday, Oct. 8 and arrived at the Purvis Marine scrapyard in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. on Sunday, Oct. 10.

The Mississagi was among the last ships of its era on the Great Lakes. Launched amid World War II, the 620-foot ship would have been eligible to collect social security checks about 15 years ago were it a person.

“She was a busy boat right up to the end,” said Roger LeLievre, editor and publisher of the annual “Know Your Ships” guide to Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway boat-watching.

“She hauled a lot of salt in her final years, which really does eat away at the innards of those things,” he said.

Read more and view a photo gallery at this link: https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2021/10/ww2-era-great-lakes-freighters-final-port-is-canadian-scrapyard.html

Kingston coal dock undergoes survey in preparation for cruise ships

Kingston, ON – A former industrial dock that is being converted to a temporary deepwater berth for Great Lakes cruise ships has undergone a detailed survey by the federal government.

The Canadian Hydrographic Service, a division of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, conducted the survey of the former coal dock near the former Rockwood Asylum. Attracting Great Lakes cruise ships was a key part of the city’s strategic priorities and Tourism Kingston’s multi-year plan to improve the local tourism sector.

“Kingston’s location where Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River meet, and situated between Toronto and Montreal in the Thousand Islands, makes the city an ideal stop for a Great Lakes cruise,” Megan Knott, executive director of Tourism Kingston, said. “With a safe and welcoming dock capable of hosting these larger ships, we know Kingston will attract new cruises and visitors and become a desirable addition to cruise itineraries.”

The creation of a permanent deepwater dock was one of the initiatives that city council voted to shelve earlier this year because of the ongoing the COVID-19 pandemic.

The survey of the dock and the surrounding area generated up-to-date hydrographic data, including water depth next to the dock, that is to be used to prepare the dock to safely accommodate cruise ships

“We are pleased to be able to bring the Kingston Coal Dock back to life as a marine asset,” said Ben Doornekamp, director of H.R. Doornekamp Construction Ltd., the company that owns the dock and is partnering with Tourism Kingston to create the temporary dock.

“Since we have this dock on Kingston’s showcase waterfront, we enthusiastically support Tourism Kingston in welcoming Great Lakes cruise ships to our community and the region. Great Lakes cruising is a terrific means of experiencing the wonders of eastern Ontario with guests from near and far, and will be a tremendous addition to Kingston’s superb tourism offerings.”

Great Lakes cruising is expected to resume in earnest in the spring of 2022.

“Kingston is one of the most rewarding ports of call on any Great Lakes cruise itinerary,” Stephen Burnett, executive director of the Great Lakes Cruise Association, said. “It has all of the elements necessary to deliver a first-class holiday experience and to be the perfect component on any cruise itinerary. The new deepwater mooring wall will be a significant asset for Kingston and a welcome stopping place for the Great Lakes cruise fleet.”

Whig Standard

Algoma Central fleet starts own YouTube channel

View it here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClKzHG-muSohLakgj57pahA

OBITUARY: G.I. “Buck” Longhurst, Great Lakes historian and author

Prolific marine historian and author G.I. “Buck” Longhurst passed away Oct.12 in Sudbury, ON, with his family at his side. Born in Sault Ste. Marie, ON, he sailed for the Yankcanuck and Purvis Marine fleets and retired from Algoma Steel in 2004. He lived in Gore Bay, ON., with his wife, Eldene.

Longhurst had many titles to his credit, including several books exploring the histories of smaller Canadian shipping companies, among them Purvis Marine Ltd., A.B. McLean & Sons, the Abitibi tugs, Yankcanuck Steamship Co, and “The Last Boats On the Turkey Trail,” about vessels that traveled the route from North Channel (above Manitoulin Island) into the St. Marys River, named for the many courses which zigzag through the area’s islands, shoals and ports. His usual co-author was the late E.B. “Skip” Gillham, however he also co-authored a history of Algoma Central with Rod Cunningham. Both were honored by the Marine Historical Society of Detroit as Historian of the Year, Longhurst in 2008 and Gillham in 1994.

He was also a founding member of the The St. Marys River Marine Society in Sault Ste. Marie, ON, and contributed many articles for the newsletters published by the Marine Historical Society of Detroit and the Toronto Marine Historical Society. He was a longtime member of both groups.

Buck’s pride and joy later in years was the William Purvis Marine Centre in Gore Bay, which housed his huge collection of nautical memorabilia gathered during his long career on the Great Lakes.

His love of the ships started when he was young. As a kid, I was always at the dock watching the boats unload,” he said in an interview with the Manitoulin Expositor in 2018. “I watched all day as the boats came through, the boats I’d read about.”

After high school, Longhurst went into the navy until Canada’s defense forces were amalgamated in 1965, then became a letter carrier and supervisor until 1970 when his life changed on meeting Jack Purvis on the waterfront in Sault Ste. Marie, ON.

He started working for Purvis soon after their meeting on the docks, spending years on Mr. Purvis’s small vessel Yankcanuck as a deck hand, crane operator and second engineer, earning his tug master and marine and hoisting engineer credentials as he went. In the museum, he proudly shows off the Yankcanuck’s steering column, wheel and ship’s bell below a photo of the ship as he fondly remembers it.

“I used to see all these old boats out there,” he told the Manitoulin Expositor in a 2018 interview. “With the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, all the little canal boats, the small upper lakes boats, were disappearing. I started taking photos and whenever I got a vacation I’d be at Sarnia or the Welland Canal taking pictures or getting rides on boats and taking more pictures. My hobby turned into an obsession.” As he towed ships to their final resting places in the scrapyard, he’d salvage unwanted name plaques, keys, flags, log books and brass railings to add to his growing personal collection.

He remembers the long-gone days when “supplies were hard to come by and costly. Boats got through where cars and especially trucks could not. … When I look around today I can say, ‘I dredged the marinas at Gore Bay, the Sault, at Spider Bay in Little Current. I put in the helipad at Gros Cap Lighthouse, built the Lafarge docks at Birch Island. In Gore Bay, all the boats in the marina are making use of the work I and others did; it makes the toil and hardship worthwhile. If you helped to shape the face of the area, it’s great to know your work means something.”

At his request, there will be no services.

2021 Marine Mart Saturday, Oct. 16 in St. Clair Shores, MI

The 2021 Marine Mart, sponsored by Dossin Great Lakes Museum, will be Saturday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the VFW Post in St. Clair Shores, MI. Buy, sell and trade photos, books, models, artwork and other Great Lakes memorabilia. There will be a special table where photos by the late Jim Hoffman and other items from his collection will be sold to benefit the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. Food will be available. See the ad in the photo gallery for details.

Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center sees smaller crowds this summer

Duluth, MN – The Maritime Museum Visitor Center in Canal Park is fresh off a summer where visitors were allowed inside again to get a hands-on look at the region’s shipping history. The museum re-opened in July after being closed since the beginning of the pandemic.

Officials there say they saw roughly 20,000 visitors in September and 18,000 in August. Smaller numbers than usual, as many people are still hesitant to come inside during the pandemic. Still, they say visitors are happy to be back.

“We heard a lot of people disappointed that they weren’t able to come in. Lots of people that make annual trips up here just for the visitor center,” said Director Sara Summers-Luedtke.“So we were disappointed that we were not able to have people in at the time but we’re glad now we’re able to accept visitors,” she said.

The museum will stay open through the winter Thursday through Monday, and once the shipping season ends weekends only.

Fox 21

2021 Marine Mart Saturday,  Oct. 16 in St. Clair Shores, MI

The 2021 Marine Mart, sponsored by Dossin Great Lakes Museum, will be Saturday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the VFW Post in St. Clair Shores, MI. Buy, sell and trade photos, books, models, artwork and other Great Lakes memorabilia. There will be a special table where photos by the late Jim Hoffman and other items from his collection will be sold to benefit the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. See the ad in the photo gallery for details.

Mississagi makes last port at Sault Ste Marie, ON

Sault Ste. Marie, MI – The retired laker Mississagi headed up the St. Marys River under tow Sunday afternoon bound for the scrap dock at Purvis Marine on the Canadian side above the locks. Boatwatchers watched form Mission Point and at the West Pier as the sad procession passed by. The Purvis tug Anglian Lady was on the bow, with W.I. Scott Purvis on the stern.

She was most recently at Sarnia, ON, where she was stripped of any usable equipment. Mississagi was owned by Lower Lakes Towing Co., a division of Rand Logistics. She began her career in 1943 when was launched at Great Lakes Engineering Works in Ecorse, Michigan, as the Hill Annex. Before its first trip, Hill Annex was rechristened George A. Sloan by U.S. Steel Co.

The Sloan was transferred over to the Michigan Limestone-owned Bradley Transportation Co. in 1966 and converted to a self-unloader. Had that not happened, the vessel would likely have met its demise in the 1980s.

In 2001, the Sloan and two fleetmates were sold to Lower Lakes Towing.  The Sloan was reflagged Canadian and renamed Mississagi. This name change honored the Mississagi Strait, which is the body of water separating Cockburn Island and Manitoulin Island in Northern Lake Huron. Meldrum Bay, situated on the west end of Manitoulin Island, is home to a quarry where the Mississagi loaded many cargoes during her career.

Her final trip saw her load wheat at Thunder Bay, ON, for Hamilton, ON, in early January 2021, after which she was laid up at Hamilton for the winter. She headed to Sarnia, ON, under her own power early in the 2021 to be stripped and retired.

Know Your Ships

2021 Marine Mart will be Saturday,  Oct. 16 in St. Clair Shores, MI

The 2021 Marine Mart, sponsored by Dossin Great Lakes Museum, will be Saturday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the VFW Post in St. Clair Shores, MI. Buy, sell and trade photos, books, models, artwork and other Great Lakes memorabilia. There will be a special table where photos by the late Jim Hoffman and other items from his collection will be sold to benefit the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. See the ad in the photo gallery for details.

NOAA, state leaders celebrate designation of Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary

Manitowoc, WI – It’s finally official. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced its plans to designate a large area off the coast of Wisconsin a Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Recently – following a 45-day-review period in Congress – that designation was finalized, and was celebrated at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc.

The Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary (WSCNMS) will be co-managed by the state and NOAA. According to NOAA, the 962-square mile area was nominated for sanctuary consideration by a coalition of organizationsand will now protect 36 shipwrecks and related maritime heritage resources that are considered to be “historically significant.”

Of the three dozen wrecks, a release sent by the office of Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers says 21 are on the National Register of Historic Places. Evers adds that archival research suggests there may be as many as 60 other shipwrecks which have yet to be discovered. In addition, he says many of the shipwrecks are intact, and have been preserved by the cold freshwater of Lake Michigan.

The sanctuary area covers a stretch of shoreline that includes all of Manitowoc and Sheboygan Counties, as well as part of Ozaukee County.

WBAY

Interlake Steamship Co. conducts ship visits

Twice a year, management including our president, vice presidents and directors overseeing operations, marketing, engineering and personnel visit the boats to meet with our mariners.

The face-to-face interactions are vital and a long-standing part of our company’s commitment to the hardworking women and men who power our Interlake Steamship fleet. We update our crew members on what is happening with the company, the industry and the impacts of the day, and most importantly, listen to understand the challenges they face aboard.

“It’s invaluable to continue to reconnect with our mariners in person, aboard the vessels and throughout the Interlake Steamship fleet,” says Interlake President Mark W. Barker. “We had great discussions regarding our outlook for the end of the 2021 season and 2022, and ways we can all work together to move forward and continually improve.”

Interlake Steamship Co. (See photos in gallery)

Mississagi scrap tow heads for Sault Ste. Marie, OM

Sarnia, ON – Tug Anglian Lady departed Sarnia Friday about 1 p.m. with the retired laker Mississagi in tow. The local tug Pride assisted on the stern. They were bound for the Purvis Marine scrap dock in Sault Ste. Marie, ON. AIS Friday evening showed them making 6 mph up the lake

Marc Dease (See photos in gallery)

Lakes limestone trade up 10.4 percent in September

Cleveland, OH – Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.7 million tons in September, an increase of 10.4 percent compared to a year ago.  Limestone cargos were above the month’s 5-year average by 5.2 percent.

Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 3 million tons, an increase of  12.2 percent from 2020.  Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 684,234 tons, an increase of 8.3 percent.

Year-to-date the limestone trade stands at 21 million tons, an increase of 9.1 percent compared to a year ago.  Loadings from Michigan and Ohio quarries total 16.5 million tons, an increase of 7.5 percent.  Shipments from Ontario quarries total 4.6 million tons, an increase 15.5 percent.

Lake Carriers’ Association

New electric ferries slated for Kingston are on their way to Picton

Picton, ON – Two brand new electric ferries meant to be used in the Kingston region will be passing by their final destinations over the next week, but still have a ways to go before they are fully operational.

The Wolfe Islander IV was scheduled to arrive in Picton Friday, while the Amherst Islander II is meant to arrive next week, but that all depends on seaway inspections, the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) says. Both ships were built in Romania by Dutch company Damen Shipyards, and departed for the Kingston region Sept. 27.

The current Wolfe Island ferry has been on the water since 1973, and can hold about 55 vehicles. It will be replaced by a much larger, zero-emission, electric ferry able to accommodate just over 80 cars and nearly 400 passengers.

As for the new Amherst Island ferry, it is also an electric, zero-emission vessel that will hold 300 passengers and 42 cars. According to a recent blog post from Damen Shipyards, both vessels “have twin diesel generators installed to allow hybrid and full diesel propulsion for maximum redundancy.”

The MTO says the two vessels will tentatively pass through Kingston Wednesday as they make their way to the Picton Terminals where they will be stored until they are ready to service the Kingston region next year.

The company that built the ships says although the ferries are ready to go, the four corresponding docks are currently being kitted up with a unique charging system that will be completed by 2022. “This will enable them to recharge their batteries while loading and unloading between the short crossings to and from the islands,” the company’s blog post said.

During their stay at the Picton Terminals, the two new ferries will make their way out onto the water for crew training before being brought to Kingston in 2022.

Damen Shipyards estimates that each year, one million passengers and 500,000 vehicles travel on the Wolfe Island ferry and 270,000 passengers and 130,000 vehicles travel on Amherst Island ferry.

Read more at this Global News link: https://globalnews.ca/news/8246956/electric-ferries-kingston-picton-terminals/

Mississagi scrap tow to leave Sarnia Friday morning

Sarnia, ON – Tug Anglian Lady from Sault Ste. Marie, ON, arrived at Sarnia Thursday to tow Mississagi from the North Slip in Point Edward to Sault Ste. Marie for scrapping. The tow was expected to leave Friday morning.

Marc Dease

Injured Federal Elbe crew member expected to recover

Port Colborne, ON – The crew member who was injured while being lowered from the Federal Elbe in Port Colborne when the rope parted on the boom has had surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.

Ships use their landing boom to swing crew members ashore when the vessel is moving in order to handle the mooring lines on tie up walls. They then climb back onboard using a ladder once the ship has stopped and been secured.

Janey Anderson