Lakes limestone trade up 11 percent in July

Cleveland, OH – Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.8 million tons in July, an increase of 11 percent compared to a year ago.  The trade was a near match to the month’s 5-year average.

Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled nearly 3 million tons, an increase of 13.1 percent compared to 2020.  Shipments from Canadian quarries increased by 4 percent to 839,825 tons.

Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at 13.8 million tons, an increase of 10.8 percent compared to a year ago.  Loadings from Michigan and Ohio quarries total 10.5 million tons, an increase of 6.7 percent.  Shipments from Ontario quarries total 3.3 million tons, an increase of 26.6 percent compared to 2020.

Lake Carriers’ Association

Rogers City museum inducts Daniel J. Morrell shipwreck victims, honors lives

Rogers City, MI – Men lost at sea a half century ago finally found a voice, a family member said, as representatives of the Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum in Rogers City inducted 23 sailors from the SS Daniel J. Morrell into the museum’s hall of fame on Sunday.

The induction ceremony, held at the Rogers City Area Senior and Community Center, honored those lost in the tragedy and highlighted the lives — not just the deaths — of those men and all who sail, said Roger Hulett, the museum’s director.

The ship broke up in a storm on Lake Huron in late November of 1966 before it could reach the protection of Thunder Bay, killing 28 of the 29 men aboard. Until recently, photos and biographies of only six of the ship’s crew hung on the museum’s walls.

Extensive research led to Sunday’s ceremony, honoring the remaining crew members, whose stories will now also grace the walls of the Rogers City museum. “I feel like, now, their voice is being heard that was silenced on Nov. 29, 1966,” said Cathy Pruiett, of North Carolina, over lunch before the ceremony.

Pruiett and her sister, Daphne Rhodes, were 7 and 9 years old when they learned their father, Wilson E. Simpson, an oiler on the Morrell, would not come home again. The researchers who tracked down their father’s story helped fill a void, the sisters said. “It’s not an empty silence now,” Pruiett said, tears in her eyes. “It’s filled with memories.”

Great Lakes maritime historian John DeBeck — a friend of Dennis Hale, the Morrell’s lone survivor — tracked down family and friends of the remaining crew members over the past three years.

He heard, over and over, that those left behind felt overlooked, the stories of their loved ones overshadowed by the sinking of the SS Carl D. Bradley in 1958 that killed 33 sailors — many from Northeast Michigan — and the 1975 wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, immortalized in song.

To bring the stories of those lost on the Morrell to life — and to reconstruct the sinking — DeBeck and a team of researchers scoured libraries, dug through national archives, conducted interviews, and dove to the ship’s remains, he recounted.

The research revealed details DeBeck believes disprove the Coast Guard’s account of the wreck. More importantly, the work gave families much-needed closure, DeBeck said, voice trembling as he recalled families’ tears, laughter, and amazement at someone showing interest in the Morrell crew more than 50 years after their loss.

At the Sunday ceremony, Bruce Lynn, executive director of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point on Lake Superior, read the names and brief biographies of the men lost on the Morrell.

Ernest and Duncan, Norman and David — the men became more than numbers as Lynn told stories of a card shark, a dump truck driver, a vacuum cleaner salesman known for his tasty spaghetti.

A snappy dresser who drove a convertible. A teenager who treasured his motorcycle and worked on the family farm. A third mate who planned to retire and move to Alpena as soon as the Morrell laid up for the season. Several had survived other shipwrecks — some caused by enemy torpedoes — and some had performed heroic rescues.

With their photos on a museum wall — and artifacts from Hale’s rescue included in a new exhibit dedicated at the Whitefish Point museum on Saturday — the men of the Morrell will now have their stories told to thousands, DeBeck said.

The Rogers City museum — which bills itself as the only museum dedicated to sharing the lives of people making a living on Great Lakes ships — shares stories and photos of anyone who has sailed or sails still, from cooks to deckhands to bridge tenders, Hulett said.

In North Carolina, far from the Great Lakes, few people have heard even of the Fitzgerald wreck, much less the Morrell, Rhodes said as she prepared to ring a replica bell, engraved with the names of crew members, that will someday be placed on the wreck.

She and her sister have the comfort, now, of knowing their father won’t be forgotten, Rhodes said. “It’s easier, now,” she said. “Because of this. Because of today.”

Read more and view images at this link: https://www.thealpenanews.com/news/local-news/2021/08/rogers-city-museum-inducts-shipwreck-victims-honors-lives/

USS Cod is preparing to make return journey from Erie to Cleveland this weekend

Cleveland, OH – The WWII submarine USS Cod is coming back home this weekend after undergoing renovations in Erie, Pennsylvania.

After more than seven weeks of hull sandblasting, removing wasted metal, fitting new steel and applying new paint at the Donjon ShipBuilding facility in Erie, the USS Cod will be refloated for the return tow home to Cleveland this week.

Paul Farace, the Cod’s skipper, is in daily contact with the shipyard staff and the captain of the tug to alert everyone to a firm day and time when the Cod can get underway to make its journey back to the Cleveland harbor.

“Everyone involved has done an amazing job in making Cod shipshape, but we’re ready to come home and get back to giving tours,” said Farace.

The Cod crew hopes to get their sub back to Cleveland next weekend if the tug can arrive in Erie on Friday or Saturday.

The tow is expected to take about 13 hours and will follow the close off-shore route taken on its way to Erie on June 13.

See more here: https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/cleveland-metro/uss-cod-is-preparing-to-make-return-journey-from-erie-to-cleveland-this-weekend?fbclid=IwAR0quOvu8lyBSRmweZCOUppY6c-6Y3-S_p7v4fXLBM04xXo0mbMQokldsjo

Demands for new Great Lakes icebreaker go to Congress

Breaking the ice is never an easy undertaking, especially with a shrinking and outdated fleet of icebreakers.

That’s why approximately 90 Midwestern shipping organizations, suppliers and ports are supporting the Great Lakes Winter Commerce Act, which would put aside funding for a second Great Lakes icebreaker, on par with the Mackinaw Icebreaker.

Eric Peace is with the Lake Carriers’ Association, which is at the forefront of the movement. He said a new icebreaker is critical to meet commerce needs and support the Michigan economy.

“This is infrastructure,” Peace said. “This is like a plow for the roads, so it’s critical to maintain our national economic security here in the Great Lakes.”

In a report commissioned by the Lake Carriers’ Association, “inadequate icebreaking” resulted in a loss of approximately 5,000 jobs and a revenue loss of $1 billion in 2019. The report found this loss in the Great Lakes Region was due to ice-caused shipping delays.

Peace said facilities were built around the lakes to receive goods by ship, and many facilities don’t have alternative means to receive raw materials. “Shipping is critical to be able to supply the facilities in Michigan, so people can keep their jobs, and we can continue to have a strong economy in the Great Lakes,” Peace said.

In addition to funding a new ice breaker, the act would also require the U.S. Coast Guard to conduct ice breaking operations in the Great Lakes to specific standards. One standard includes requiring the USCG to keep channels and harbors open to navigation at least 90% of the time when ships are transiting ice-covered waterways.

The bill has 16 cosponsors in the House and four in the Senate. Peace said advocates have received promising congressional support so far, but it’s still difficult to predict whether the bill will pass.

Despite the support, the U.S. Coast Guard did not include funding for the icebreaker in its 2022 fiscal budget. Peace said the struggle for updated infrastructure has been a “40-year battle.”

For the Coast Guard, “it’s a competing demand, because they’re trying to recapitalize their other fleets, so (a Great Lakes icebreaker) falls to the bottom of their list,” Peace said. The Coast Guard prioritizes off-shore fleets more, he said, and wants to wait 12 years to fund a new icebreaker for the Great Lakes.

The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The government estimates a new icebreaker will cost $350 million. The funding bill is in committees in the U.S. House and Senate.

Huron Daily Tribune

Coast Guard Festival back at Grand Haven

Grand Haven, MI – Coast Guard Festival has returned to Grand Haven. And that means massive ships have arrived. Always a top highlight of the celebration, the arrival of the U.S Coast Guard cutters drew thousands of people to the Grand Haven channel on Monday. The ships are now open for guided tours (with some COVID-19 protocols in place.)

Ships in town for the festival include the USCGC Katmai Bay, USCGC Morro Bay and the USCGC Mackinaw. MLive used a drone to capture their arrival from Lake Michigan, which you can see below.

https://www.mlive.com/news/2021/08/watch-drone-footage-of-coast-guard-ships-arriving-in-grand-haven.html?fbclid=IwAR0KVBXjjXPLW5Cf_AIVqIHEbtTXLvFShD3kfuR4In9SoX3jC8yozH2zq3c

Marine museum in Canal Park to require masks

Duluth, MN – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will require everyone to wear masks starting Thursday when in the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center in Duluth’s Canal Park. The Corps of Engineers also asks people to maintain distance from people not in their group when in the museum, according to a news release. People should not enter if they are feeling ill. The center is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day and is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Axe falls on legendary gatelifter Paul Bunyan

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gatelifter Paul Bunyan, named after the legendary superhuman lumberjack of Midwest folklore, has been retired and sold to a private company, likely MCM Marine, working on the new Soo Lock project. Her lifting equipment was removed over the past winter.

The custom barge, originally fabricated in Muskegon, Michigan, at a cost of more than $1 million when commissioned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1945, boasted a lift capability of more than 300 tons. Operators used the 150-foot long, 65-foot wide, 444-ton brute to pluck tugboats out of the St. Marys River and lug around 90,000 pound stop logs that allow dry docking and winterization of the Soo Locks canals.

Her 74,000-pound boom was attached to supporting A-legs of the derrick. Her six huge ballast tanks held 157 tons of water each and kept the barge balanced as it lifted up to 312 tons (an entire tugboat or a gate from the Soo Locks) out of the water. The Bunyan breezed through its lifting tests in June 1945 and, towed by a 125-ton tug, headed north to the Soo Locks at 7 mph at 4 p.m. on July 20, 1945.

The Paul Bunyan was still operational but needed expensive repairs. She and another Corps vessel, the tug Fairchild, were sold earlier this year for $43,000 and $10,000 respectively. Fairchild was built in 1953 by the Roamer Boat Co. as the ST-2163 for the U.S. Army. In 1961 she was transferred to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and renamed Cleveland. She was renamed Fairchild in the early 1970s. Fairchild, which had been inactive for several years, was scrapped in Sault Ste. Marie early this year, although her superstructure and stack could still be seen at a local junk yard in early August.

Roger LeLievre / Via Soo Locks Visitor Center Association summer newsletter

MV Asphalt Princess: Suspected hijackers leave ship off UAE

Men who boarded and seized a ship in the Gulf of Oman have left the vessel and all those remaining on board are safe, officials say.

A UK maritime security agency said the potential hijacking of the Panama-flagged MV Asphalt Princess had ended but gave no further details. The bitumen tanker was seized on Tuesday heading into the congested approach to the Strait of Hormuz. Asphalt Princess is the former Great Lakes / Seaway tanker Thalassa Desgagnes.

It is not clear who seized the ship, but analysts suspected Iranian forces. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards dismissed reports of possible involvement as a pretext for “hostile action” against Tehran. The men who boarded the Asphalt Princess were reportedly armed and are said to have ordered it to sail to Iran.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) had initially warned ships of an incident before declaring a “potential hijack” hours later. On Wednesday, the UKMTO tweeted that those who boarded the vessel had left, adding: “Vessel is safe. Incident complete.”

The incident occurred less than a week after an oil tanker operated by an Israeli-owned company was attacked by a drone off Oman, killing two security guards – one British and the other Romanian.

The US, UK and Israel blamed Iran for the attack – a claim it strongly denies. BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner says the MV Asphalt Princess is owned by a Dubai-based company that had one of its ships hijacked two years ago by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

He says that, according to reports, up to nine armed men boarded the vessel as it neared the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s maritime oil supplies passes.

The UKMTO had earlier advised shipping services near Fujairah in the Gulf of Oman to exercise extreme caution. Earlier in the day, four oil tankers reported that they were “not under command”, which usually means that a vessel has lost power and cannot steer. One of the ships later began moving, the Associated Press news agency reports.

Iran’s foreign ministry said reports involving several ships on Tuesday were “suspicious” and warned against any effort to “create a false atmosphere” against Tehran.

BBC News

USS COD in need of tug in order to be available for tours in Erie

Erie, PA – The effort to make the USS COD available for tours in Erie continues with a big hurdle still in the way. According to the group that operates the COD as a national historic landmark, they cannot find the tugboat that they would need.

The World War II submarine has been at Donjon Shipbuilding since June and is undergoing a major overhaul. It was hoped that the COD could stay in Erie for a few days after the work is finished for public tours allowing people to get a look inside.

Last month, the USS COD Memorial was looking for a corporate sponsor and dock space. The tugboat is necessary to get the sub from Donjon to a dock.

Read more at this link: https://www.yourerie.com/news/local-news/uss-cod-in-need-of-tugboat-in-order-to-be-available-for-tours-in-erie/?fbclid=IwAR0lIsa8nt9xTsFsszYyGW5Jfb0ffKVte70LSxWjYPNZAAKAbY0aXHrLNBA

Celebrating 125 Years of the S.S. Meteor in Virtual Visitor Center today

The S.S. Meteor is the only remaining above water whaleback vessel in the world and she is celebrating her 125th anniversary this August!  Join Superior Public Museums Director, Megan Meyers as she shares stories of her past, designer and builder Alexander McDougall, and what her future holds. This free program begins at 11:30 CDT at https://www.gotomeet.me/VirtualVisitorCenter/ssmeteor. The Virtual Visitor Center is a cooperative endeavor between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Soo Locks Visitor Center Association and the Lake Superior Marine Museum Association.

Former Great Lakes-Seaway tanker Thalassa Desgagnes believed hijacked

Dubai/London – Iranian-backed forces are believed to have seized an oil tanker in the Gulf off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, three maritime security sources said, after Britain’s maritime trade agency reported a “potential hijack” in the area on Tuesday.

Abolfazl Shekarchi, Iran’s senior armed forces spokesman, denounced reports of maritime incidents and hijacking in the Gulf area as “a kind of psychological warfare and setting the stage for new bouts of adventurism,” the Fars News Agency said.

Two of the maritime sources identified the seized vessel as the Panama-flagged asphalt/bitumen tanker Asphalt Princess in an area in the Arabian Sea leading to the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil exports. Asphalt Princess is the former Great Lakes-Seaway vessel Thalassa Desgagnes.

The U.S. State Department said it was concerned and looking into reports of a maritime incident in the Gulf of Oman, but that it was too early to offer a judgment. Britain’s foreign ministry was “urgently investigating” an incident on a vessel off the UAE coast, a spokesperson said. read more

U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the United States military was considering repositioning at least one vessel in the general vicinity of the Asphalt Princess to keep a closer eye. The officials said this would not be uncommon and would be to monitor the situation rather than to make any imminent military moves.

Tensions have simmered in the region after an attack last week on an Israeli-managed tanker off the Omani coast killed two crew members and was blamed on Iran by the United States, Israel and Britain. Iran has denied responsibility. read more

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), in a warning notice based on a third-party source, had earlier reported a “potential hijack” and advised ships to exercise extreme caution due to the incident around 60 nautical miles east of the UAE’s Fujairah emirate.

Reuters, Jeff Thoresen

Frank Mays, last Carl D. Bradley survivor, laid to rest

Rogers City, MI –  Frank Mays, the last living survivor of the 1958 shipwreck Carl D. Bradley, was officially put to rest Monday. Family and friends gathered for Mays’ visitation Sunday evening at Beck Funeral Home in Rogers City, where they remembered Mays not only for surviving the shipwreck, but for his adventurous spirit.

“It’s actually nice to see family and friends, the people who knew him and all the memories of him sailing and being on the Bradley,” his daughter Laine Mays said during the Sunday visitation.

Originally from Rogers City, Mays was one of two people to survive the sinking of the Bradley, a self unloading bulk freighter that split in two and sank during a storm on Nov. 18, 1958, about 12 miles south of Gull Island on Lake Michigan.

Mays died on January 7 at Advent Health Hospital in Zephyrhills, Florida at the age of 89, according to his obituary. Mays moved to Florida in 1982. Mays graduated from Rogers City High School in 1950 and sailed on the Great Lakes for a short time before joining the Navy in February of 1951. After four years of service in the Navy, he worked various jobs in Waterloo, Iowa, before returning to Rogers City and sailing on the Great Lakes.

A deck watchman on the Bradley, Mays was on deck the night the Bradley sank. He was one of four men to make it into a life raft, according to the U.S. Coast Guard report, but two of them fell overboard as the raft flipped over several times in heavy seas. First Mate Elmer Fleming also survived, but died decades ago, leaving Mays the sole living survivor of the shipwreck.

Eric Mays, one of Mays’ sons, said his dad never really talked about the Bradley until after the first submarine expedition to the Bradley.

He said his dad always said the Edmund Fitzgerald got the thunder and Bradley was forgotten. However, Eric Mays said after the submarine expedition, was when his dad really opened up about his experiences.

Carla Brege, who grew up across the street from Mays in Rogers City, said although they knew he was a survivor of the Bradley, her father had a rule they were not to talk about the Bradley in front of him until he wanted to talk about it. Brege said their families were close and were always in touch, even when the Mays moved away. She said any time Mays was in Rogers City he was always in touch.

After surviving the wreck, Mays pursued a career at Portland Cement Manufacturing, working for Medusa Cement in Charlevoix and in York, Pennsylvania. He also worked at Florida Mining and Materials in Brooksville, Florida, from which he retired.Frank Mays, who was preceded in death by his wife, Veronica “Toodie” Derry in 1998, joined the Peace Corp in January 2000 and served in the country of Moldova.

He began traveling the world after serving in the Peace Corp, traveling to many countries, including Spain, Italy, China, Germany, Russia, Australia, and Cuba. Mays also visited 46 of the 50 states in the United States.

Mays would travel back to Michigan in the summers and give speeches about the Bradley and do book signings.

He co-authored two books — “If We Make it to Daylight,” which was written with Pat Stayer, Jim Stayer, and Tim Juhl, about how he survived the sinking of the Bradley and “A Lot More to Do: The Remarkable Life of Frank Mays,” which he co-authored with Roger Hulett of the Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum. His second book was about his life after the shipwreck.

The Alpena News

Read more here: https://www.thealpenanews.com/news/local-news/2021/08/last-carl-d-bradley-survivor-laid-to-rest-today/?fbclid=IwAR01yay1UHSfwuZ7lN6tAkv_YB34o5Q6OyDuKbEMs4OgjMZF45G82nAspac

Diving Club removes tons of debris from Lake Superior in Marquette’s Lower Harbor

Marquette, MI –  About 2 dozen divers dove into Marquette’s Lower Harbor Saturday with a mission of cleaning up the bottom of the lake. It was the 3rd annual Underwater Cleanup performed by the divers of the Great Lakes Scuba Divers and Lake Preservation Club.

According to the club president, ‘Diver Don’ Fassbender, over 8 tons of tires have been removed from the harbor over the past 3 years. Saturday, the focus was on removing more tires and other large items including refrigerators.

Divers also headed out in boats around the Ore Dock and the Yacht Club to collect years of piled up debris. “Lake Superior was treated as a dump basically for years and years,” says Fassbender. “This practice of course stopped years ago, but [debris] remains. So that’s our objective today, to bring the lake back to a little more pristine condition and make it a better place for future generations.”

Diver Don says cleanup efforts are not limited to Marquette’s Lower Harbor. His team plans to extend their efforts into Munising and Baraga soon.

View videos here: https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2021/07/31/diving-club-removes-tons-debris-lake-superior-marquettes-lower-harbor/?fbclid=IwAR1eNh0zn3E2knWpC9xY69aqCph3YyQuM1auKGh1OKlRlQEPwE6d2eMpNAg

Algoma Spirit scrap tow scheduled for early Monday departure

Montreal, QC – Piri, ex-Algoma Spirit, is expected to leave Montreal for scrapping in Turkey, this morning, Aug. 2, under tow of the saltwater tug V.B. Hispania. Piri is now reglistred in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, a state of West Africa, on the Atlantic.  The tow will be assisted by the Picton, ON, tug Sheri Lynn S.

René Beauchamp – Seaway News

Ojibway back in service after lay-up

Sarnia, ON – Sunday morning, August 1, Ojibway left Sarnia after a two-month lay-up.  She was downbound light on the St. Clair River showing a destination of Hamilton.

Rod Burdick

2020 collision of two ships on Welland Canal still under investigation, says TSB

Welland Canal – An investigation into last year’s collision between two vessels on the Welland Canal is still ongoing, says the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB). “At this time we do not have any new information to report,” the agency said in an email.

The TSB is an independent agency that investigates air, marine, pipeline and rail transportation occurrences.

The collision involved Burlington-based McKeil Marine’s Florence Spirit, headed toward Lake Ontario, and dship Carriers’ Alanis headed toward Lake Erie. They collided starboard to starboard at the anchor ports on both ships at 3:55 p.m. on Saturday, July 11.

Crew members on both vessels — 16 on the Alanis and 14 on the Florence Spirit — were not injured in the collision, captured on video by two men walking alongside the canal.

The TSB said the incident was classified as a Class 3 investigation, which analyzes a small number of safety issues, may result in recommendations and might have significant consequences that attract a high level of public interest.

Other factors for a Class 3 investigation include an incident involving multiple fatalities and/or serious injuries; medium-sized release of dangerous goods; moderate to significant damage to property and/or the environment; and public expectations that the TSB will investigate.

The agency said its investigations are generally completed within 450 days.

Three investigators from the TSB’s Quebec City-based office interviewed crew members on both vessels and downloaded data from the black boxes on each ship. The black boxes capture navigation information, and what crew members were saying on the bridges of both ships during the incident.

The collision left the 16-year-old Florence Spirit, a 136.4-metre-long bulk carrier, damaged on the starboard, or front right side. The 138-metre-long Alanis sustained bow damage, including a visible hole on the starboard side near the anchor port.

Florence Spirit was carrying a load of coal and bound for a port in Quebec at the time, while Alanis was bound for Duluth, Minn., with a load of wind turbine parts

The Welland Tribune

View videos at this link: https://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/news/niagara-region/2021/07/20/2020-collision-of-two-ships-on-welland-canal-still-under-investigation-says-transportation-safety-board-of-canada.html

New Soo Lock continuing to make steady progress

Sault Ste. Marie, MI – The New Lock at the Soo Locks is moving along on time as planned.  The final phase of the New Lock at the Soo construction, Phase III, the New Lock Chamber, has been advertised in two-part phases. Carrie Fox, public affairs officer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said that the Phase III Pre-Proposal Conference was hosted last week and over 100 possible contractors attended.

“The staggered approach allows Phase III to keep moving and actually gives contractors more time to review the documents than a traditional request for proposal process,” said Fox.

The first stage, Stagger 1 solicitation was advertised as of July 2 and has a due date of Aug. 16. In this phase, contractors get an opportunity to look at the plans and specifications in draft form and will provide an initial technical proposal.

The second phase, Stagger 2, includes a completed set of plans and specifications will be provided to contractors and they will provide pricing for the project as well as any edits or additions they’ve identified for their Stagger 1 technical proposal. The solicitation will begin on track in September and award the contract in spring 2022.

Phase I Upstream Channel Deepening Contractor, Trade West, is continuing channel deepening to the west and should be complete this fall. This phase began in spring 2020. There was a break in work during the winter due to ice and winter conditions and restarted again this spring.

Phase I contractor, Trade West, continues upstream channel deepening.
Phase II Upstream Approach Walls contractor, Kokosing-Alberici, continues to demo the sluiceway while their batch plant construction continues and is on track to be operational by the end of August. Phase II started this spring and is scheduled to be complete in fall 2023.
Phase II contractor, Kokosing-Alberici, builds its batch plant for constructing upstream approach walls.

“The Phase II contractor had to demolish the existing sluiceway between the northwest wall of the Sabin Lock and the Unit 10 Powerhouse,” said Fox. “It had to be demolished to install sheet pile cells, which form part of the approach to the New Lock. In addition, a rock berm was placed in the Unit 10 sluiceway to provide access for construction equipment to the Northwest Pier and to restrict flow.”

Fox further explained that the batch plant will likely play a key role in providing concrete to the Phase II contractor for rehabilitation of the upstream approach wall.

For more information about the new Soo Lock, visit www.lre.usace.army.mil/about/highlighted-projects/new_soo_lock.

Soo News

Indiana Lake Michigan port shipments increased significantly

Burns Harbor, IN – The recovery of the global economy from the coronavirus pandemic has led to a significant increase in shipments this year at Lake Michigan, Indiana. In June, the port processed a 52% surge in cargo.

Minnesota Point beach nourishment, dredging to begin Aug. 1

Duluth, MN – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is set to begin 2021 maintenance dredging and Minnesota Point beach nourishment the week of Aug. 1, 2021.  Cleanup of material placed during 2020 continues.

“The contractor may begin mobilizing their equipment as early as July 26 but are more likely to start the week of August 1,” said Duluth Area Office Construction and Survey Chief Corey Weston.

The Corps of Engineers awarded the 2021 maintenance dredging contract July 14, 2021 to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin,-based Roen Salvage Co. The Sturgeon Bay company will dredge 40,000 cubic yards (cy) of material.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District