Ports of Indiana Says It Aims to Develop Container Terminals

The Ports of Indiana Commission has approved Resolution 24-01 to launch “The Indiana Container Initiative” in support of developing multiple international container terminals within the state of Indiana.

As a statewide port authority, Ports of Indiana operates multiple facilities on the Ohio River and Lake Michigan, but the state’s ports do not currently handle container shipments. The new initiative is designed to increase the organization’s efforts to pursue the development of international container facilities within Indiana’s ports and other locations throughout Indiana.

“Containerized freight represents a critical component of our state’s international trade and a new frontier for expanding our ports,” said Ports of Indiana Commission Chairman Micah Vincent. “This resolution clearly states our vision and commitment to develop new container facilities that will increase the value of our ports and provide critical shipping connections for Indiana businesses.”

The resolution authorizes and directs Ports of Indiana to do the following:

• Vigorously pursue the development of international container terminals at appropriate locations within Ports of Indiana’s facilities and other Indiana locations.
• Pursue regulatory approvals necessary to establish container facilities along Lake Michigan, the Ohio River, and at appropriate strategic inland locations throughout Indiana.
• Make significant investments and seek out additional funding sources, whether through federal grants, public/private partnerships, or any other funding that may be available.
• Explore international best practices for leveraging governmental assistance and legislative actions that can promote, incentivize, and advance global container shipments, and remove bureaucratic impediments for developing and operating container facilities.
• Engage in partnerships, trade missions, international agreements, and collaborations to establish new global container shipping opportunities for Indiana.

“Containers are a high-value and fast-growing cargo for ports around the world and we see ‘The Indiana Container Initiative’ as a key driver for elevating Indiana’s role as a hub for global trade,” said Ports of Indiana CEO Jody Peacock. “Establishing new container facilities at the ‘Crossroads of America’ can create both economic and public benefits by reducing shipping costs, creating access to world markets, and establishing green shipping corridors that decarbonize supply chains.”

MarineLink

Ship Enthusiasts to Gather at Eisenhower Lock

Clayton, NY – The St. Lawrence Seaway Ship Watchers Network will host a gathering of ship enthusiasts on Saturday, June 22 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the all-new St. Lawrence Seaway Visitor Center at Eisenhower Lock.

The Network invites folks to make their way to Massena for an afternoon of interacting with fellow ship fanatics while experiencing the Visitor Center’s 38 interactive exhibits.

“The social media interaction of the Network has been outstanding since 2011 and it was time to get people together for some face-to-face time,” said Michael Folsom, Network founder. “While this will be a casual afternoon of handshakes and chatter, the goal is to gauge the interest in doing gatherings like this more often in the future. The new Visitor Center is an ideal location and a way to encourage people to get to Massena to see the outstanding facility built for people like us.”

As part of the activities, St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation Administrator Adam Tindall-Schlicht is expected to be on hand to interact with visitors. In addition, the Visitor Center will have guides on-site to give visitors walk-thru tours.

The afternoon will also include interaction opportunities with Network moderators and Ivan Schell of Ivan’s Insights, on-site tapings for upcoming Downbound Discussion Podcast segments, chances to win prizes including a limited-edition Seaway Traders trading card featuring Canada Steamship Lines’ Frontenac, and hopes of a ship appearance or two in the lock.

The Eisenhower Lock gathering is part of the 2024 initiative known as Seaway Traders, a season-long series of feature articles, videos, podcasts, and events, intended to bring stories of the waterway — past, present, and future — to several platforms within the Network. In May, the first trading card of the Seaway Traders trading card set debuted, and the entire 10-card set is expected to be available later this summer.

For the latest Seaway Traders content and information, visit St. Lawrence Seaway Ship Watchers Network on Facebook or www.theshipwatchers.com.

Make Your Plans Now for Soo
Boatnerd Picnic, Freighter-Chasing Cruise

Join us for the Annual Boatnerd Picnic and Freighter-Chasing Cruise on the St. Marys River during the annual Engineers Day weekend at Sault Ste. Marie June 27-38. Find details on both events here: https://www.boatnerd.com/boatnerd-soo-gathering-june-27-28-2024/

*UPDATE ON MICHIPICOTEN CURRENTLY IN THUNDER BAY

The 72 year old MICHIPICOTEN will depart for Superior to go on the dry dock (ETD TBD). She will have a tug escort out of Thunder Bay and about half way to Superior, they will meet a U.S. tug to escort her the rest of the way.

The starboard hull crack is 1/2 inch wide and 13 feet long. After the crack, the water seeps into a ballast tank normally used to keep the ship on an even keel while loading and unloading cargo. They have now welded straps across the crack to keep it from expanding while she is under way. Steel hulls do ripen with age and when flexed many, many times, becomes brittle leading to cracking.

Lots of inspections and safety concerns will be required to be met before she leaves Thunder Bay.

Her cargo was slowly and carefully removed by Manitoulin to not stress the spot where she is already damaged. Weather for this trip will be crucial.

For those wondering why she needs to travel – unfortunately, the dry dock in Thunder Bay, owned by Heddle, has been shut down and not available.

This is what we know now, things can and will likely, change.

Janey Anderson

Make Your Plans Now for Soo
Boatnerd Picnic, Freighter-Chasing Cruise

Join us for the Annual Boatnerd Picnic and Freighter-Chasing Cruise on the St. Marys River during the annual Engineers Day weekend at Sault Ste. Marie June 27-38. Find details on both events here: https://www.boatnerd.com/boatnerd-soo-gathering-june-27-28-2024/

Tug Victory heads to anchorage for possible repairs

Tug Victory/barge Maumee were towed from the West Pier of the Soo Locks Saturday to the Waiska Bay anchorage by the Purvis Marine tug W.I. Scott Purvis, with Great Lakes Towing tug Wyoming assisting. Waterfront reports indicate the Victory has propeller/propulsion issues.

Make Your Plans Now for Soo
Boatnerd Picnic, Freighter-Chasing Cruise

Join us for the Annual Boatnerd Picnic and Freighter-Chasing Cruise on the St. Marys River during the annual Engineers Day weekend at Sault Ste. Marie June 27-38. Find details on both events here: https://www.boatnerd.com/boatnerd-soo-gathering-june-27-28-2024/

Manitoulin to take on disabled Michipicoten’s cargo

Manitoulin arrived in the Port of Thunder Bay just after noon June 14, 2024 to assist with unloading Michipicoten so the latter ship can head to dry dock for repairs after a hull crack occurred on June 8th near Isle Royale. Unloading was underway Saturday morning.

Michael Hull

Hotel. Motel. Boatel? Stay on this
historic car ferry in Northern Michigan

MANISTEE, MI – Soft lighting, old magazines and newspapers, big band music, closet-sized staterooms and spectacular views: There’s a “boatel” in Northern Michigan that offers all this and more.

The boatel on the historic S.S. City of Milwaukee car ferry is a one-of-a-kind bed and breakfast, inviting guests to step back to the 1930s. What once were the passenger areas of the 360-foot ship now serve as the boatel.

This railcar ferry, which operated from 1931 to 1982, also carried passengers across Lake Michigan. It was a four- to five-hour trip, which could provide a good amount of rest for road-worn travelers who booked staterooms.

Guests of the boatel stay in the restored staterooms (with new, surprisingly comfortable mattresses), socialize in the Grand Saloon and observation room, eat in the passenger dining room and have access to the ship’s top three decks, including the pilot house.

State rooms, ranging from $60 to $105 a night, can sleep one to four people. Most of the rooms have bunk beds. Only the Private Room, which was used by the railroad president, and the Radio Room have double beds. Rooms are accessed using real, metal keys. Restrooms and showers are community style. Each room includes a (non-operating) sink, mirror, wooden window shades and storage for bags – and enough space to turn around and walk out to explore the rest of the ship.

The Grand Saloon has original furniture, including restored leather chairs, rugs, and end tables scattered with magazines and newspapers going back to the 1930s. Big band music plays from a replica record player.

The passenger dining room features tables and chairs, windows and a raised skylight. Guests can bring their own food and drinks on board. Breakfast is provided in the galley. Another place to gather is the crew mess, off the galley.

Throughout their stay, guests have access to explore the top three decks of the ship, which includes the passenger deck, Texas deck and pilot house. Stargaze, watch the sunrise or simply enjoy panoramic views of Manistee Lake any time of day.

The boatel season runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day with rooms available Thursday through Sunday nights.

“Our rooms are really starting to fill up,” said Robby Laurain, executive director of the Society for the Preservation of the S.S. City of Milwaukee and USCGC Acacia. “Friday and Saturday nights are the busiest, but we still have many rooms available on Thursday and Sunday nights.”

The S.S. City of Milwaukee took nine months to build and began service in 1931, replacing the S.S. Milwaukee, which sank during a Lake Michigan storm. It transported up to 32 railcars plus passengers across the lake until its retirement in 1982. It then became a museum ship, mooring in Frankfort until 2000 when it moved to its current home on Manistee Lake. It was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1990.

“We are truly lucky to still have the S.S. City of Milwaukee,” Laurain said. “She is the last ship of her style, and almost entirely unaltered from her 1920s design.”

More information: https://www.carferry.com/boatel

MLive

Possible fire on Manitowoc

DRUMMOND ISLAND, MI – Unconfirmed waterfront reports indicate the Grand River Navigation Co./Rand Logistics self-unloader Manitowoc experienced a fire while loading at Drummond Island and has been at the dock since June 12. On Friday afternoon, with the tug Wm. Boyd standing by, the Manitowoc moved under her own power to Potaganissing Bay and went to anchor so her fleet mate Robert S. Pierson could load. There are no other details available at this time, including where the fire was located.

Make Your Plans Now for Soo
Boatnerd Picnic, Freighter-Chasing Cruise

Join us for the Annual Boatnerd Picnic and Freighter-Chasing Cruise on the St. Marys River during the annual Engineers Day weekend at Sault Ste. Marie June 27-38. Find details on both events here: https://www.boatnerd.com/boatnerd-soo-gathering-june-27-28-2024/

Port of Monroe tugging economy forward

By Jack Lessenberry

Special to The Toledo Blade

MONROE, MI –  Paul C. LaMarre III, the director of the Port of Monroe, loves tugboats. He photographs them, does vivid paintings of them, pilots them, and restores them.

Late last month, he took me out into Lake Erie and pointed at the New York, a new, multideck tug which looked like it could haul an island across the ocean. But as we set out, he gazed fondly down at his pride and joy, a comparatively tiny tug named America.

“Built in 1897,” he said, beaming down at the ship’s bright red pilot house. “Oldest working tug on the Great Lakes,” he said, still working, that is, because of all the time he’s spent restoring her.

What he doesn’t say is that in a very real sense, Mr. LaMarre is a tugboat himself — a human tugboat that has pulled millions into Monroe’s economy, and revitalized a port which a dozen years ago was almost dead.

Back in 2012, the port, such as it was, mainly functioned as a place where coal was brought in to power a nearby utility. It hadn’t had a port director since 1978. Then, Paul LaMarre, who had been manager of maritime affairs for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, was hired, and immediately began revitalizing it.

Mr. LaMarre, who was only 31 when he took the job, was no stranger to challenges on air, land, or sea. Twenty years ago, he was a U.S. Navy pilot, screaming across the skies in supersonic F-18 Hornet attack fighters. When he came back, he worked as a deck officer on ships, earned a degree in marine transportation, and then came to Toledo, where he took over the deserted old freighter that had been the Willis P. Boyer, restored her original name, and renovated her into today’s gleaming museum ship, the James M. Schoonmaker.

“Carty [Finkbeiner, the former Toledo mayor] gave me hell and said, ‘get this rusting old ship out of here!’” he laughed, but Mr. LaMarre doesn’t give up easily. In the end, the ship became the main attraction for the National Museum of the Great Lakes, and he was named a marine historical society’s historian of the year.

Monroe, however, was daunting. Within a few years, he’d managed to clean the place up, apply for grants, and begin attracting more cargo to Michigan’s only port on Lake Erie, which was soon being rebranded as the “Biggest Little Port on Lake Erie.”

Mr. LaMarre’s life, apart from his wife, Julie, and their two golden retrievers, is the port. But he is also a talented videographer with a gift for marketing and misses no chance to tell his port’s story. People began to notice. U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, a fellow former naval officer, began paying attention soon after he was first elected in 2014.

In October, 2022, he announced an $11 million grant to improve the port’s infrastructure. “This funding will expand cargo capacity, increase economic activity for the region and strengthen supply chains,” he then said. That it did, but the Port of Monroe was already on a roll; in a decade, it had won an annual award for the most increased tonnage by any Great Lakes port seven times.

How much has this helped the surrounding community and Monroe County, which is not one of the more affluent in the state? An economic analysis by Martin Associates in Lancaster, Pa. found that in 2022, total economic activity created by the port was $85 million, including 520 jobs directly generated by the cargo and vessel activity at the marine terminals at the port.

Those, in turn led to more jobs created or supported in the regional economy by activity at the port, all of which generated $8.4 million in state and local tax revenue.

But what irks those at the port is that they feel they could do so much more if they weren’t being blatantly discriminated against by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency, which had been allowing Detroit and other ports to accept shipments of international maritime containers — but not Monroe.

Gregg Ward, the Port of Monroe’s international trade specialist, said “this was clearly the influence of Moroun,” the family that owns the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit, and who largely control the Port of Detroit, thanks to a sweetheart deal made with Detroit’s later disgraced and imprisoned mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick.

However, Senator Peters, who chairs a Senate subcommittee on ports, has pledged to “keep fighting to make sure the Port is treated fairly.” And late last year, another former U.S. Navy officer came to visit and spent much of a day touring the port: Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “We aren’t political and we don’t take sides, but that was something,” said Paul LaMarre. “It wasn’t like a normal political visit. He was interested in everything.”

So, what’s next? Sam Hankinson, the port development coordinator, put it this way: “The future is unwritten, but when it is, Paul LaMarre will be the one holding the pen.”

Make Your Plans Now for Soo
Boatnerd Picnic, Freighter-Chasing Cruise

Join us for the Annual Boatnerd Picnic and Freighter-Chasing Cruise on the St. Marys River during the annual Engineers Day weekend at Sault Ste. Marie June 27-38. Find details on both events here: https://www.boatnerd.com/boatnerd-soo-gathering-june-27-28-2024/

Michigan plans to chart a greener course for Great Lakes shipping, boating

From the electrification of major cargo ports to sustainability improvements for Great Lakes ferries, a first-of-its-kind statewide “maritime strategy” could offer a roadmap toward a potential green future for shipping and boating in Michigan.

The strategy is set to be crafted over the coming year and a half, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy announced on Monday, June 10. The agency is kicking off the process by seeking an outside entity to take on development of the plan using a $200,000 grant.

While several existing state plans already touch on aspects of the maritime sector, there currently isn’t a document that takes a comprehensive look at commercial shipping, ferries and recreational boating, as is intended with the new strategy document, according to EGLE Great Lakes Policy Specialist Simon Belisle.

“A big component of it is helping the sector move toward low-emission or zero-emissions activities,” he said.

Marine transportation is big business in the state. Some 33 active ports handle 51.7 million tons of cargo valued at $4.1 billion annually, according to the Michigan’s Maritime and Port Facility Assistance Office.

Shipping by water is generally the least carbon intensive means of transportation per unit of weight or volume, Belisle said, but EGLE officials still recognize the industry has an impact on port communities and contributes to the state’s emissions.

While it’s too early to say what recommendations will end up in the final state maritime strategy, efforts to green shipping and boating in the Great Lakes are already underway, according to Belisle.

The Port of Detroit has mapped its current carbon emissions and outlined strategies to slash them in the coming years, while also improving air quality for surrounding neighborhoods. Its strategies include switching from diesel to biofuels and electrifying shipping vehicles, according to port’s plan, unveiled in April.

On the recreational side of things, Belisle pointed to the state’s “Fresh Coast Maritime Challenge,” a grant program helping efforts to transition watercraft from diesel to electric power and develop shoreside charging facilities at marinas.

EGLE’s Office of the Great Lakes has also supported a Lake Superior research site focused on autonomous vessels run by Michigan Technological University, according to the request for proposals the state agency issued for the development of the new maritime strategy.

The office recognizes the importance of collaboration for projects taking place on Michigan’s coasts, and the new maritime plan should help local entities working to cut carbon emissions identify potential partners, while also guiding the projects and investments of the Office of the Great Lakes, Belisle said.

Larger regional strategies already in place have similar goals to the Michigan project. The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers, an organization uniting chief executives from Great Lakes states and Canadian provinces, in 2016 adopted a strategy to boost maritime trade while cutting its environmental footprint.

The organization is now exploring biofuel applicability, working on an electrification pledge ports and carriers can sign on to, and conducting a project identifying ferries that could be early candidates for the switch to electric power, according to John Schmidt, program manager with the group’s regional maritime initiative.

Belisle said the state is looking for an outside group to craft the strategy to minimize any government bias that could come with doing it in house. “We’re part of the project, but not the only part of it,” he said.

M Live

Make Your Plans Now for Soo
Boatnerd Picnic, Freighter-Chasing Cruise

Join us for the Annual Boatnerd Picnic and Freighter-Chasing Cruise on the St. Marys River during the annual Engineers Day weekend at Sault Ste. Marie June 27-38. Find details on both events here: https://www.boatnerd.com/boatnerd-soo-gathering-june-27-28-2024/

Thunder Bay divers put a patch on Michipicoten’s cracked hull

THUNDER BAY — A crew from a Thunder Bay dive company has temporarily sealed the crack that caused an emergency aboard the Great Lakes bulk carrier Michipicoten on Saturday. Water leaking through the hull caused a 15-degree list although bilge pumps were able to reverse the flooding, and the vessel was able to make it to Thunder Bay under escort.

The ship’s owner – Lower Lakes Towing – and Canadian and American authorities continue to investigate the cause of the four-metre-long hull fracture but have said there’s been no indication the ship struck something in the water between Two Harbors, Minnesota and Isle Royale.

“This appears to be a result of fatigue/structural failure,” the Transportation Safety Board indicated Monday.

At dockside at Keefer Terminal on the weekend, a team from Big Lake Dive & Marine entered the water for an initial inspection and located the breach in the hull.

Company owner Judson Beals told TBnewswatch the crew then went back down with welding equipment, accompanied by a specialist from southern Ontario, to patch the crack.

“We located the crack that they believed was on the hull of the ship, confirmed the length for them, and the size, and that was on Saturday. Then, on Sunday we were able to stop the leak, the water ingress, by putting on a plate with rubber for a temporary patch until it can get to dry dock and have proper repairs done.”

Beals said all the water in the ship has been pumped out, and it is no longer listing. He described the width of the crack in the hull as about a quarter of an inch, or “very minimal.”

“I can’t speak for the owner, but I believe it is repairable. The problem with our shipyard is they’ve closed down,” he said, referring to the currently-idled Ontario Shipyards facility in Thunder Bay.

So far, there’s no word from Lower Lakes Towing on its plans for the 72-year-old ship.

The U.S. Coast Guard has said a proper inspection will require offloading its cargo of iron ore pellets before it goes into dry dock.

On Facebook, a post attributed to a member of the Michipicoten’s crew described the incident on the lake as a “horrifying journey,” and said they were lucky the weather was on their side on Saturday.

He wrote: “We went through a day of pure terror…not know[ing] if we would see another day was frighten[ing].”
TBnewswatch has reached out to this individual but has not received a response.

 Swimmers can complete Edmund Fitzgerald’s journey to commemorate 50th anniversary of shipwreck

By: Kellen Voss Posted at 12:10 PM, Jun 10, 2024

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich (WXYZ) — Next year, open water swimmers will have the chance to participate in a 17-stage, 411-mile relay swim from Lake Superior to Detroit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

The swim is scheduled for July 26, 2025, and swimmers will be featured in an upcoming documentary film. The swim will start in Lake Superior from above the wreck and finish at Belle Isle Beach. Registration for the swim opened at 9 a.m. EST this morning, and anyone interested can register at this link.

The 729-foot shop was heading to Detroit in 1975, carrying more than 26,000 long tons of iron ore when the ship went down during a Lake Superior Storm on November 10. All 29 crew members were killed in the shipwreck. The ship currently sits in Canadian waters, 17 miles north-northwest of Whitefish Point.

“The Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim presents epic, once-in-a-lifetime experiences for up to 68 swimmers to be part of history, play a role in a documentary film, and swim where no one has ever swum before and may never swim again,” said organizer Jim Dreyer, who has swam across all five Great Lakes.

Swimmers will be raising money for the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS)to help preservethe Whitefish Point light station.

“The Edmund Fitzgerald, has come to represent, in many ways, shipwrecks in general on the Great Lakes, and the Whitefish Point Light is the most important beacon for all vessels entering or leaving Lake Superior,” said Bruce Lynn, GLSHS Executive Director. “Preserving the legacy of the 29 men who lost their lives in this historic maritime tragedy and helping to preserve a lighthouse that safeguards mariners along Lake Superior’s ‘Shipwreck Coast,’ are causes the swimmers can really rally around while they are themselves making history.”

Anyone looking for more information about this swim can find it at this link. https://www.edmundfitzgeraldswim.org/

TBNewswatch

Make Your Plans Now for Soo
Boatnerd Picnic, Freighter-Chasing Cruise

Join us for the Annual Boatnerd Picnic and Freighter-Chasing Cruise on the St. Marys River during the annual Engineers Day weekend at Sault Ste. Marie June 27-38. Find details on both events here: https://www.boatnerd.com/boatnerd-soo-gathering-june-27-28-2024/

Divers find 13-foot crack in hull of Great Lakes ship

THUNDER BAY — A massive crack has been found in the hull of the Michipicoten, the ship that limped into Thunder Bay on the weekend after water started pouring into it on Lake Superior.

Divers have found a four-metre-long crack during an underwater inspection conducted at Keefer Terminal, where the vessel is now tied up.

“This appears to be a result of fatigue/structural failure,” a spokesperson for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada told TBnewswatch in an email Monday.

In an interview with TBnewswatch, US Coast Guard spokesperson Lorne Thomas said the rupture is from “the turn of the bilge, which is where the side shell turns to the bottom plate. A 13-foot-long crack was detected by the divers, which is clearly indicative of a hull failure.”

Thomas said a loud bang the ship’s crew reported hearing while the vessel was in deep water likely happened at the time of the hull failure.

“It looks like a hull failure, which could be the result of stress, fatigue, age of the vessel,” he said, but cautioned that a full investigation is needed to determine the cause for certain.

“The investigation will look at the entire transit from where the vessel originated its voyage, and to see if there’s a possibility that another event, like striking a submerged object, or running aground, initiated that hull failure which eventually completely failed out in the middle of Lake Superior.”

He added “there’s no indication” at present that the ship struck something first, but that Canadian and US authorities will certainly look at that possibility.

“We won’t definitively know if an event preceded the hull failure until the investigation is complete, and a big part of that is gonna be when the vessel gets up on dry dock, they offload the cargo. de-water the vessel, and take a good look at the damage.”

Initially, Thomas said, Transport Canada and the US Coast Guard contemplated separate investigations, but they are now discussing a cooperative probe in which Canadian officials would take the lead.

The Michipicoten had picked up a cargo of iron ore pellets for Algoma Steel at Two Harbors, Minnesota and was en route to Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday morning when the incident occurred.

At one point it was listing by 15 degrees before pumps alleviated the flooding.

Half the 22-person crew was taken off the 698-foot vessel but it was successfully escorted into Thunder Bay harbor and docked at Keefer Terminal.

TBnewswatch reached out to Lower Lakes Towing of Port Dover, Ontario the subsidiary of U.S.-based Rand Logistics which owns the ship, but was told the company has no statement to make at this time, as it is still assessing the situation.

According to information posted by Rand Logistics, the Michipicoten was launched in 1952, but underwent multiple modifications over the following years. In 1957 it was lengthened by 72 feet, and in 1980 it was converted to a self-unloader to prolong its life. Thirty years later, it was converted from steam power and oil-fired boilers to diesel propulsion.

Chris Heikkinen, CEO of the Thunder Bay Port Authority, said arrangements have been made for the vessel to remain at Keefer for as long as necessary. Heikkinen said it’s not uncommon for ships to require emergency repairs, which is why the port authority maintains a vacant berth at Keefer.

He noted “the great binational effort” into ensuring the safety of the Michipicoten and its crew “because obviously that’s the number one priority, and everyone made it back to shore safe and sound. So we’re just really thrilled with that outcome, and happy to have played a small role.”

TBNewswatch

Grain volumes increasing on St Lawrence Seaway

Grain Brokers Australia, Peter McMeekin, June 11, 2024

Thunder Bay, Ontario, is one of the ports that loads Canadian grain making its way to export customers via the Great Lakes St Lawrence Seaway. Photo: Michael Hull

THE 66th navigation season on the Great Lakes St Lawrence Seaway system commenced on March 22, and early tonnage reports indicate a robust beginning. The world’s longest and most extensive bi-national waterway system has remained a vital deep-draft waterborne transportation link for the movement of goods between North America’s heartland and international markets since it opened in 1959.The waterway is a system of locks, canals, channels and lakes that permits oceangoing vessels to make the 3770km journey from the Atlantic Ocean west to the Great Lakes, as far inland as Duluth,Minnesota, at the western end of Lake Superior. The elevation gain from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Superior is 183m, and ships can reach ports in all five of the Great Lakes via the Great Lakes Waterway.

The St Lawrence Seaway portion of the system extends from Montreal to the middle of Lake Erie and is named after the St Lawrence River which flows from Lake Ontario, downstream of the Great Lakes, to the Atlantic Ocean. The St Lawrence River section of the waterway is not a continuous canal; rather, it consists of several stretches of navigable channels within the river, a number of locks, and canals along the banks of the river to bypass a number of rapids and dams.

Managed jointly by the US Department of Transportation’s Great Lakes St Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation and the Canadian St Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, the two collectively advertise the system as Highway H2O. A typical season runs for about nine months from late March to late December each year.

The marine highway currently supports almost 360,000 jobs and contributes around US$47 billion to the economic activity between Canada and the US. It offers shippers direct access to North America’s commercial, industrial and agricultural heartland, a market of over 150 million people and a vast network of more than 40 ports, many of which have critical intermodal connections.

The Great Lakes St Lawrence Seaway System is serviced by a variety of international and domestic vessels that contribute to the efficiency of the waterway. These include multi-purpose oceangoing vessels, often referred to as “salties”, tug and barge units, and a specialised lake fleet, referred to as “lakers”, many of which are equipped with self-unloading devices. It takes the average vessel around 8.5 sailing days to navigate the entire length to open sea.

Vessel size limited

The channels and locks are currently the limiting factor for vessel size, being a maximum of 225.5m in length, a maximum beam (width) of 23.8m and a draft of no more than 8.08m. Each lock holds almost 80 million litres of water, equivalent to roughly 30 Olympic-sized swimming pools, and lockages require around 30 minutes from start to finish, regardless of direction. Proposals 20 years ago to modify the channels and locks to transit earlier generation panamax vessels met with strong environmentalist resistance and the cost was considered prohibitive.

Over 80pc of system traffic comprises bulk cargoes such as grains, iron ore, coal, chemicals and oil. Manufactured goods of all kinds, including finished and semi-finished steel products make up the rest of the seaway payloads. Since its opening, the St Lawrence Seaway has moved more than 2.5 billion tonnes of goods with an estimated value of around US$375 billion. Almost 25 percent of this cargo travelled to and from overseas ports, and ships from more than 50 nations call at Great Lakes and Seaway ports in Canada and the US each year.

Early spring traffic

Early fleet positioning due to unseasonably low winter-ice coverage on the Great Lakes jump-started new-season grain and potash traffic. Canadian and US grain shipments totalled approximately 1.21 million tonnes (Mt) to the end of April, an increase of 39,000t, or 3.32pc, compared to the previous corresponding period.

Similarly, potash traffic posted an increase of 83,000t, bringing the season-to-date total up to 110,000t. Potash, encompassing various potassium-rich minerals, is essential in fertilisers for enhancing plant growth, crop yield, disease resistance and plant water retention.

Grain exports out of the Canadian Port of Thunder Bay have been strong since Great Lakes navigation commenced this year, with 923,700t reportedly moved in May. That marked the second-highest monthly grain shipments of the past two years and compares with 899,100t in May 2023. A total of 2.07Mt of grain has moved through the port on the northern shores of Lake Superior since the season opened, up 14pc from the same time last year.

However, total cargo volumes in the first five weeks of new season operation fell by 379,000t, or 8.85pc compared to the same period in 2023. Total vessel transits fell by 2.04pc from 441 last year to 432 this year. Iron ore traffic saw the biggest fall, down 281,000t, or 34.27pc, to 539,000t.

Long 2023 season

In 2023, nearly 37.56Mt of cargo transited the bi-national system, representing an overall increase of more than 3.37pc from 2022. However, the total number of vessel transits across the season fell from 4008 to 3934, meaning that the average cargo size increased by 5.33pc from 9065t to 9548t. The 2023 Great Lakes St Lawrence Seaway shipping season was one of the longest on record, running from March 22 through to January 7.

At 10.5Mt, grain cargoes made up 27.9pc of total system movements, an increase of 500,000t, or 5.01pc compared to 2022. Wheat accounted for 6.5Mt, or 61.9pc of the total. This was 28pc higher year-on-year, with Canadian origin wheat making up just over 90pc of the wheat volume. Canola shipments were 6.5pc higher compared to 2022 at 666,464t. However, soybean shipments fell by 35.4pc at 1.5Mt, while corn movements dipped by 7.0pc at 1.4Mt.

Dry bulk cargoes, excluding iron ore and coal, were the biggest freight category at 12.32Mt, up 5.43pc from 11.69Mt in 2022. Iron ore shipments were up 1.93pc to 6.32Mt, and coal movements increased by 13.96pc to 2.02Mt.

St Lawrence Seaway tonnage statistics for the month of May are scheduled to be released within the next week and are expected to reveal a continuation of the positive trend exhibited in the early part of the 66th navigation season.

Make Your Plans Now for Soo
Boatnerd Picnic, Freighter-Chasing Cruise

Join us for the Annual Boatnerd Picnic and Freighter-Chasing Cruise on the St. Marys River during the annual Engineers Day weekend at Sault Ste. Marie June 27-38. Find details on both events here: https://www.boatnerd.com/boatnerd-soo-gathering-june-27-28-2024/

Make Your Plans Now for Soo
Boatnerd Picnic, Freighter-Chasing Cruise

Join us for the Annual Boatnerd Picnic and Freighter-Chasing Cruise on the St. Marys River during the annual Engineers Day weekend at Sault Ste. Marie June 27-38. Find details on both events here: https://www.boatnerd.com/boatnerd-soo-gathering-june-27-28-2024/

Michipicoten arrives at Thunder Bay after Lake Superior Incident

LAKE SUPERIOR – A situation Saturday morning on western Lake Superior that could have had a tragic ending concluded instead with the safe arrival of the motor vessel Michipicoten at Thunder Bay, ON.

The Coast Guard received a report of the incident at 6:53 a.m. Saturday from the Michipicoten when it was located about 35 miles southwest of Michigan’s Isle Royale with 22 people on board.

Initial reports indicated the vessel, loaded with taconite pellets taken aboard at Two Harbors, MN, had struck something, however waterfront observers speculate that is unlikely. Rather, the vessel may have experienced a hull failure that allowed water to enter.

Boat crews, helicopter and members of the U.S. Coast Guard, Border Patrol and National Park Service responded. The Edwin H. Gott, which was nearby, also responded. Coast Guard officials said pumps aboard the Michipicoten, plus additional pumps brought to the vessel by the tug Glenada, had removed some water on board. At one point, the list was reported to be 15 degrees to starboard, but that was reduced to around five degrees. Two more pumps were placed aboard once the vessel docked. The Coast Guard said 11 crewmembers were safely evacuated, however 11 others remained on board to guide the ship to Thunder Bay.

Michipicoten was escorted by the Gott as well as CCGS Cape Challion to Thunder Bay’s Keefer Terminal, where it docked safely, although with a noticeable starboard list.

Officials say details about the collision, and what caused it, will be released after “the situation is stabilized.”

Michipicoten (named Elton Hoyt II when it entered service in 1952) is a self-unloading lake freighter owned and operated by Canadian shipping firm Lower Lakes Towing.

USCG and other sources

Soo Locks tour boat Bide-A-Wee runs aground

SAULT STE MARIE, MI – U.S. Coast Guard units responded after receiving a report that the passenger vessel Bide-A-Wee ran aground Saturday afternoon.

Coast Guard Sector Northern Great Lakes was contacted via VHF Channel 16 at approximately 2:30 p.m. with a report that the 65’ tour boat Bide-A-Wee had run aground in Canadian waters on the north side of the St Marys River above the Soo Locks. The vessel reported they did not have any injuries and the vessel was stable.

Out of an abundance of caution, it was requested all the passengers onboard the boat be transferred off the vessel. A boat from U.S. Coast Guard Station Sault Ste. Marie arrived on scene and transferred all passengers safely to the tour boat Hiawatha. The Bide-A-Wee was assisted by a tug and was able to transit back safely under its own power. The cause of the grounding and any other damage to the vessel will be investigated once the situation has stabilized.

Bide-A-Wee is owned by the Original Soo Locks Boat Tours, which in turn is owned by the Interlake Steamship Co.

USCG