Tour Grosse Ile North Range Lighthouse Sept. 8

Sunday, September 8th, from Noon to 3:00 PM (Noon, 1:30pm and 3pm)

Take one of our three tours of the 1906 Island Lighthouse.  The Lighthouse is only accessible this one time of the year.  The bus ride (there is no parking at the site) to the Lighthouse includes a narration on some of the history of Grosse Ile.

$20 for Historical Society members, $25 for non-members. Limited to 75 people, 10 years of age or older.

Tickets may be purchased on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/grosse-ile-north-range-lighthouse-tour-2024-tickets-912898533087

Please contact our office at (734) 675-1250 or gihistsoc@gmail.com for more details.  The phone is not staffed daily so someone will return your call.

NOTE:  We sold out last year and do not have any tickets available on the day of the event.  So as to not disappoint any prospective attendees, reservations are required

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/

Fincantieri snaps up $1 billion deal to build two more
Constellation-class frigates for US Navy

May 27, 2024, by Fatima Bahtić

Italian shipbuilding major Fincantieri, through its U.S. subsidiary Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM), has been awarded a contract worth over $1 billion to build the fifth and sixth Constellation-class frigates for the U.S. Navy.
Fincantieri
The contract for the lead frigate and nine options, signed in 2020, has a cumulative value of $5.5 billion, including post-delivery availability support and crew training.

Fincantieri’s proposal is based on the FREMM frigate platform, the backbone of a 10-unit program for the Italian Navy which Fincantieri is completing at present at its Italian shipyards.

Construction on the first frigate, the future USS Constellation, is currently ongoing at the newly revamped Wisconsin shipyard in Marinette. A keel-laying ceremony for the vessel was held in April this year.

The Constellation-class guided-missile frigate is a next-generation small surface combatant. This ship class will be an agile, multi-mission warship capable of operations in both blue-water and littoral environments, providing increased combat-credible forward presence that provides a military advantage at sea.

FFG 62 will be fielded with multi-mission capability to conduct air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, and electromagnetic maneuver warfare. These capabilities include an Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR), Baseline Ten (BL10) Aegis Combat System, an Mk 41 Vertical Launch System, communications systems, countermeasures and added capability in the electronic warfare/information operations area.

The future ships will be Constellation (FFG 62), Congress (FFG 63), Chesapeake (FFG 64), and Lafayette (FFG 65).

FMM is committed to the Littoral Combat Ships program for the US Navy and the Multi-Mission Surface Combatants (MMSC) program for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as part of the US Foreign Military Sales plan.

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/

All aboard! Keewatin opens to the public at Kingston

KINGSTON, ON – All aboard! The S.S. Keewatin officially opened to the public on Saturday, May 25, with a launch party and ribbon cutting.

Ahead of the launch party, the Great Lakes Museum – current steward and owner of the Keewatin – opened ticket sales for tours. Tour experiences, including visits to both the Great Lakes Museum and Keewatin, can be booked online on the Great Lakes Museum website. Students receive discounted rates, and children under five are admitted free.

“We are delighted to finally unveil this beautiful and historic ship to visitors and the community and to celebrate the hard work of our volunteers, staff, and board members,” said Chris West, Board Chair for the Great Lakes Museum.

“We’re excited to embark on the next phase of this important vessel’s life in Kingston and integrate its story into our collection covering the last 200 years of Great Lakes history.”

The Keewatin, built in Scotland in 1907, was formerly owned by Canadian Pacific Railway. CP Rail steamships such as the Keewatin transported tourists, settlers, and cargo throughout the Great Lakes and across the world from the late 19th century until their retirement in the 1960s. Of the approximately 3,800 similar passenger steamships built between 1900 and 1920, the Keewatin is one of only three to survive. It is the last remaining Edwardian-era passenger steamship liner in the world.

The ship was donated to the Great Lakes Museum in 2023 by its previous owner, Skyline Investments, to capitalize on Kingston’s strong tourism draws and ensure the Keewatin was housed with an organization which could adequately provide for its upkeep.

Keewatin underwent partial restoration work at Heddle Shipyards (now Ontario Shipyards) in Hamilton in the summer of 2023 before arriving in Kingston in the fall. Restoration work will continue on the ship in the years ahead as the Great Lakes Museum works to open additional areas of the boat for visitors.

This spring’s opening for tours was made possible in part due to the support of the Friends of Keewatin, a dedicated community group that previously operated tours aboard the ship in Port McNicoll, Ontario. The Great Lakes Museum even invited the Friends to visit Kingston and show the staff the ropes as they prepared the ship for public tours. Several Friends of Keewatin members visited in April to work alongside Kingston volunteers to stage the ship’s interior for public visits.

“It is an astonishingly long and detailed process. We are overwhelmed by the generous time commitment from Kingston and Port McNicoll volunteers. We are two teams working on one mission: to preserve and celebrate the Keewatin,” said Kelly Pope-Wiley, Board Vice-Chair for the Great Lakes Museum.

Programs And Communications Manager Michelle Clarabut said she was also grateful for the help, as she led a sneak peek tour of the ship in late April.

“We’re taking our cues from Port McNicoll… They are training us on how to stage her, and then as we go forward, we’ll start to figure out how we want to do it. We’ll make modifications, but this is a starting point. It’s part of the learning process,” explained Clarabut.

Connie Cochrane, the staging lead from Port McNicoll, travelled to Kingston to help the new crew navigate their mission. She said the Port McNicoll group hoped the Friends of Keewatin might get an invitation, so when they received it, they were “absolutely thrilled.”

“Our main purpose was to make sure the ship survived,” Cochrane shared as she demonstrated to a Kingston volunteer how to stack the set of antique travel trunks in the ship’s hold.

“This is a better place for her. You’ll have more tours and a little more money to take care of it.”

Tour options include guided tours of the passenger areas and tours of the engine room. In addition to the tour, the museum will offer an S.S. Keewatin exhibit to showcase artifacts and historical displays relating to the Keewatin and its connections to Great Lakes commerce, people and personal stories, and Canada’s westward expansion. This exhibit will open in June.

Donations to support the ongoing historical preservation and restoration work are appreciated and eligible for a tax receipt, as the Great Lakes Museum is a registered charity. Visit the Great Lakes Museum website to learn more about supporting or visiting the Museum and S.S. Keewatin.

Yahoo News

New, Greener Pellet Plant Opens In Keewatin

KEEWATIN, MN. – There’s a new $150-million pellet production plant In Keewatin. The new pellets contain less silica and more iron ore than traditional iron-ore pellets. Work began on the new U.S. Steel plant in 2022 and was completed last month on time and within budget.

During its construction phase, 250 construction jobs were created. Now in its operational phase, there are a total of 33 full-time positions to operate the plant. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was on hand for the official unveiling of the plant Thursday. He’s pleased that the new facility was built and that it’s already a benefit to the Iron Range and Minnesota.

“There’s a foundational piece of this, these are good-paying union jobs. These are jobs that built the middle class. These are the jobs that allow the people in this room to live the lives they choose to live, in the communities they choose to live,” said Governor Tim Walz.

The President and CEO of U.S. Steel spoke highly about the importance of this new pellet plant for all involved. “This facility is critical to the success of not just U.S. Steel but also Nippon. It all begins here. When we talk about mine melted in the U-S-A this is clearly a competitive advantage, this is the best mine site, Keetac and Minntac in all of Minnesota and nobody’s close to us,” said David B. Burritt.

The new pellets are greener and give the company a broader footprint in the industry while also better meeting it customers’ needs. The plant will produce up to 4 million tons of pellets each year.

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/

Door County maritime construction firm marks 75 years as a fourth-generation family business

Since its founding May 25, 1949, Roen Salvage has worked for clients that include governments, Fortune 500 companies and the Army Corps of Engineers.

Christopher Clough
Green Bay Press-Gazette

STURGEON BAY – In its 75 years, Roen Salvage Co. has established itself as one of the premier marine construction firms on the Great Lakes, with clients ranging from commercial dock owners to state and municipal governments, Fortune 500 companies, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Yet not everyone knows what the Sturgeon Bay-based company does. CEO John Asher laughingly told the Advocate of people who’ve called to ask if the business had a transmission or other parts for an old car, thinking the “Salvage” in the name meant it was an auto junkyard.

David Schanock, president of Roen Salvage Co. in Sturgeon Bay, and CEO John Asher are the fourth and third generation of their family to run the highly regarded maritime construction company, which celebrates its 75th anniversary on Saturday.

Nonetheless, Asher said there are no plans to change the name of the company to reflect its diverse maritime engineering offerings as it marks the 75th anniversary of its founding on May 25, 1949, by Asher’s parents, Charles Asher and Hilda Roen Asher, with help from Hilda’s father, Capt. John Roen.

That’s because in those 75 years, Asher said, those in the maritime industry know the Roen Salvage name for its history of top-quality, on-time work. In all that time, Roen Salvage has never defaulted on a job or failed to complete a contract on time, a press release from the company said.

That reputation dates to the company’s namesake, Capt. John Roen. He already had established himself as an extremely successful maritime entrepreneur in Sturgeon Bay in the 1930s and ’40s with the tugs and barges he operated under the Roen Steamship and Roen Transportation brands.

Then during World War II, Roen took on a potentially dangerous challenge no other maritime salvage company would, one that many said was impossible – raising the George M. Humphrey, a 586-foot-long freighter that sank in June of 1943 in the Straits of Mackinac between Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas.

Roen created a plan to raise the giant freighter, had his crew begin work in October of 1943, and was able to successfully complete the raising in September 1944 (after which he acquired it through a deal with the vessel’s insurance company, refitted it, renamed it the Capt. John Roen and made it the flagship of his shipping fleet). The feat gained Roen and his company national notoriety, with the December 1944 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine quoting a U.S. Corps of Engineers district engineer as saying, “The raising of the Humphrey is a feat unparalleled in American marine history.”

Thus, when Charles and Hilda Asher founded their business, they chose to use the Roen Salvage name and kept it even after the couple became sole owners in 1959 and began diversifying into heavy marine construction, John Asher said.
“They decided on (the name) Roen Salvage because it was so well-known around the Great Lakes,” Asher said.

The firm’s diversification has led Roen Salvage today into being able to perform all phases of marine construction, from dredging, underwater pipelines and cables, docks, marinas and breakwaters to navigational light structures, repair, demolition, rock removal and more. Among the six jobs it has on its 2024 schedule are the repair of the Lake Michigan south breakwater in Algoma and the north breakwater in Port Washington, dredging and confined disposal projects, and rehabilitation work on the condemned Carbide Dock in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

Among the honors Roen Salvage has earned, a reconstruction job in 1997-98 on the north and south harbor entrance piers at White Lake Harbor in Michigan saw the Corps of Engineers recognize the company with its 1998 Civil Works Construction Contractor of the Year Award.

Asher, who was named president of the company in 1985, also noted the business remains in the family for a fourth generation, as his stepson, David Schanock, was elected president in 2022 while John became CEO at that time. He pointed out how rare is a four-generation family business in the U.S., citing the statistic that only 3% of family-run companies continue to be run by a fourth generation of the same family.

Asher said he couldn’t name any one particular job the company has done that stands out above the others, instead noting its consistent performance throughout its history.

“I don’t think there’s any one signature job,” he said. “We just keep busting our butts year after year.”

The one element Asher and Schanock cited in Roen Salvage’s ability to not just stay in business but succeed for 75 years is its workers. They said that not every one of its staff is from Door County or even Northeast Wisconsin – as Asher noted, you can’t just go around the corner and find a licensed tug operator or a licensed crane operator – but Schanock said the company tries to recruit workers as much as possible within driving distance of Sturgeon Bay.

Plus, Schanock noted the company has promoted employees from within through the years, helping them learn new jobs in the company and get certifications to perform them.

“I think the foundation (of the company’s success) has been our ability to hire an outstanding workforce,” Schanock said.

“We have the finest civil engineers, crane operators, tug captains, deckhands, equipment operators and welders of any company on the Great Lakes,” Asher said.

Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.

St. Lawrence Cruise Lines cancels 2 cruises due to bridge construction

Kingston, ON – Canadian-based small ship operator St. Lawrence Cruise Lines has been forced to cancel the first two cruises of their 2024 cruise schedule due to ongoing construction delays to the LaSalle Causeway in the company’s home port of Kingston, Ontario.

The bridge construction, which was initially scheduled to be completed by May 1st, is currently being delayed and the inability to raise the bridge is impeding the transit of multiple vessels from the Cataraqui River to the St. Lawrence River. This includes St. Lawrence Cruise Lines’ sole vessel the Canadian Empress, which is currently moored at Kingston Marina.

The bridge construction project is overseen by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), and the federal ministry has thus far been unable to offer a timeline for the bridge repair or a solution for a number of Kingston marine businesses affected by the construction delays.

“This is an extremely challenging situation for marine businesses in the region and the impact on everyone involved will be significant and damaging unless PSPC commits to a timely plan to allow all vessels access to the St. Lawrence River.” said President Jason Clark.

Kingston marine businesses have met with PSPC and offered up some potential solutions to the construction impediment, including the temporary removal of the smaller fixed eastern span of the crossing in order to allow ships to access the St. Lawrence River.

“We have pressed this issue through conversations with a number of government officials. There have been no plans shared with us and no timeline provided. As a result of the unknown status of the opening of the navigation season, we have been forced to cancel our first two cruises from May 12-16 and May 16-23.”

There are no other cruise cancellations planned at this time, and St. Lawrence Cruise Lines will continue to press government representatives for a timeline for normal operations.

“Frankly, our passengers deserve more information than we are able to give them right now and so do our staff. Everyone is eager and ready to begin the cruise season except for PSPC and that is a shame.” said Clark.

St. Lawrence Cruise Lines

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/

Robert S. Pierson grounds at Muskegon Friday

Robert S. Pierson ran aground briefly Friday morning while heading into Muskegon, MI. The Pierson worked her way free just before her sistership Manitowoc arrived to assist. As of noon she was at anchor north of the breakwall.

Freighter that ran aground in Detroit River near Belle Isle immortalized on Google Maps

A freighter that ran aground on the Detroit River near Belle Isle last year is, for now, immortalized in satellite images on Google Maps.

The Mark W. Barker was marooned near the east end of Belle Isle not far from the Dossin Great Lakes Museum and freed after several hours after running aground on May 17, 2023. But not before it was photographed from the sky forever. Or, at least, until the next Google Maps image is photographed.

Google Maps are reportedly updated constantly.

According to a 2021 interview with Business Insider, a Google Maps’ technical program manager said satellite images of big cities get updates every year, medium-sized cities every two years and it can three years or longer for more remote areas.

A Google Maps image taken of Belle Isle in May 2023 shows the Mark W. Barker running aground in the Detroit River near the east end of Belle Isle.

And Google doesn’t update the entire world at once. They usually release new satellite data every month, adding whichever images they have ready.

The freighter, longer than two football fields and loaded with about 20,000 metric tons of rock salt, was christened in 2022 and was the first large bulk carrier built on the Great Lakes since 1981.

The Mark W. Barker of the Interlake Steamship Company ran aground on Belle Isle in Detroit on Wednesday morning May 17, 2023.

The Barker wasn’t the only ship that ran aground in 2023.

The 623-foot freighter Barbo G got stuck in late November after it drifted into the Detroit River and its bow thrusters were determined inoperable. The Portuguese ship was carrying 21,000 tons of wheat and headed to Italy when its voyage was unexpectedly interrupted. The rescue effort took three tugboats.

Detroit Free Press

NGML Offers Free Admission for Veterans, Active Military

Good morning,

Hope you’re enjoying the warm weather! This weekend (Saturday – Monday), we are offering veterans and active military members free admission in honor of Memorial Day. More details in the attached media alert.

In addition, for anyone looking for a unique activity this weekend, we have our first Hard Hat Tours of the season scheduled for Saturday at various times. Participants go below deck for insider access to typically off-limits areas of our Museum boats, allowing them to learn more about the inner-working of these historical vessels. Here are more details.

Finally, construction is officially underway! As a reminder, the museum will remain fully open during the renovations. We just kindly ask that visitors pardon our dust (and some extra noise) at this time.

Thanks for all of your continued support! Have a great holiday weekend.

Ashley Streichert
Marketing and Communications Manager, NMGL

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/

Hard Hat Tours: Behind the Scenes on the

Museum Ships Schoonmaker, tug Ohio

TOLEDO, OH – On Saturday, June 22, explore spaces typically off-limits to visitors in an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of the museum ships Col James M. Schoonmaker and tug Ohio at the National Museum of the Great Lakes, Toledo.  Click the link to purchase tickets.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hard-hat-tours-behind-the-scenes-of-our-museum-vessels-tickets-906244440517?aff=oddtdtcreator

U.S. Great Lakes shipping, labor, shipyards

applaud Federal Maritime Commission

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has opened an investigation into a Canadian shipping regulation as a potential unfair trade practice.

According to the FMC, “Based on available information, it appears that conditions created by the Government of Canada in connection with regulation of ballast water management systems may adversely affect the operation of United States carriers in the United States / Canada Great Lakes trade, in particular the carriers operating vessels that may become subject to regulation in September 2024, within the meaning of 46 U.S. Code, chapter 423 (Foreign Shipping Practices) (46 U.S.C. 42301-307). Title 46 U.S.C. 42302 authorizes the Federal Maritime Commission (Commission) to investigate these conditions, and chapter 423 authorizes the agency to take action in response.”

American leaders of the Great Lakes shipping industry praised the FMC’s action, calling the Canadian proposal “the epitome of an unfair trade practice” that seems primarily designed to give Canadian vessels a practical monopoly on bi-national Great Lakes shipping.

The Canadian regulation, which American shipping industry leaders believe to be without precedent anywhere in the world, would require treatment equipment on American vessels loading ballast water in Canadian Great Lakes waters even when that water would be discharged in U.S. Great Lakes waters.

In effect, the Canadian law would override U.S. law, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations, and U.S. Coast Guard regulations for ballast water discharges in U.S. waters.   The Canadian regulation would stop U.S. vessels from carrying U.S. exports to Canadian Great Lakes ports so that Canadian vessels would carry all of that cargo. The Canadian government provided a process for Canadian vessels calling on Canadian Great Lakes ports to obtain relief from the treatment requirement but did not provide U.S.-flag vessels serving Canadian Great Lakes ports a relief process to apply the Canadian regulations to U.S. Lakers so as to avoid the unlawful burdens the regulations would otherwise impose.

“U.S.-flagged fleet of ships and sailors on the Great Lakes are grateful to the FMC Commissioners for taking a stand for U.S. workers,” said Jim Weakley, president of the Lake Carriers’ Association, representing U.S. Great Lakes shipping companies. “The proposed regulation is severely biased and shamefully uses a serious issue to impose a trade barrier and increase profits for Canadian companies at the expense of everyday Americans.  This is not about protecting the environment; this is about economic manipulation.”

The Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, which represents nearly 80 U.S. entities across the Great Lakes and includes shipboard and shoreside labor, ports, facilities, and shipyards also praised the FMC action.

“If Transport Canada is allowed to regulate U.S. waters on the Great Lakes in favor of Canadian vessels, a precedent will be set that will forever damage the ability of U.S. workers to compete and will further erode the maritime industry in America,” stated Richard Hammer, General Manager of DonJon Shipbuilding in Erie, Pennsylvania and President of the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force.

Great Lakes seagoing labor unions, including the Seafarers International Union, the Masters, Mates and Pilots, the Marine Engineers; Beneficial Association, and the American Maritime Officers, said, “The Canadian government should not be allowed to regulate American workers at U.S. facilities and ships on the U.S. side of the Great Lakes.  The Canadian intent here is clear, monopolize Great Lakes shipping between the U.S. and Canada and eliminate U.S. jobs through unfair trade practices.”

The FMC, an independent federal agency, is authorized to investigate whether any laws, rules, regulations, policies, or practices of a foreign government result in conditions that adversely affect the operations of U.S. carriers  and do not exist for foreign carriers of that country in the U.S. under U.S. laws.  A similar inquiry by the FMC in 2005 resulted in the Government of Canada charging U.S.-flag Lakers the same amount for the Canadian Navigation Services Fee that they charged Canadian-flag Lakers.  From 1997 – 2005, American vessels paid a significantly higher amount to the Canadian Government for no additional services.  That higher fee impacted freight rates and drove cargo to Canadian vessels.

Lake Carriers’ Association

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/—

Bilbao, Spain, and Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Seaway
ports, sign agreement to improve mutual collaboration

Representatives of the Port Authority of Bilbao and a delegation from the ports of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway (USA) have signed a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) to improve and increase mutual cooperation, explore the development of trade relations between the two regions and pool knowledge and know-how, particularly in areas such as sustainability, connectivity and innovation.

The signatories to the agreement were Andima Ormaetxe, Operations, Commercial, Logistics and Strategy Director of the Port Authority of Bilbao, and Adam Tindall-Schlicht, Administrator of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, on behalf of the American delegation.

Other representatives at the signing ceremony from the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation were Rebecca Yackley, Director of the Office of Trade & Economic Development; Danielle Pierson, International Trade Specialist; and Peter Hirthe, regional representative of the Great Lakes. Also present at the event were Maria Cartier, Market Development Manager of the Port of Milwaukee, and Samuel Hankinson, Port Development Coordinator of the Port of Monroe.

In the course of the meeting, the representatives of the port community of Bilbao learned  about the characteristics and potential of the Great Lakes and its ports for international trade, especially with the central and east coast of the United States. For its part, UniportBilbao, the Cluster for the promotion and competitive improvement of the port, presented to the American delegation what the Port of Bilbao has to offer in terms of multimodal services, and the capacity of the port community to handle the transport and logistics of any type of traffic. Afterwards, the American representatives enjoyed a guided tour of the Port of Bilbao and its facilities.

The Port of Bilbao trades with the Great Lakes region, with close to 90,000 tonnes of goods in 2023. In this respect, stand-out traffic includes iron and steel products, machinery and spare parts, chemical products, wine, spirits and alcohol, other minerals, construction materials and foodstuffs, amongst others.

The Port of Bilbao

Over $77 Million in Projects Underway at Lake Michigan Port

Sunday, May 19, 2024

Source: Ports of Indiana

More than $77 million in infrastructure and expansion projects are now being developed at Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor as a record construction season kicks off in the Lake Michigan port.

Major projects in various phases of development include construction of a highway bridge entering the port, three new ship berths, a new bulk warehouse, two new railyards, industrial site development, and extensive dock and rail rehabilitation throughout the 600-acre port.

Current projects at the port include:

Construction of a $35.4 million dual bridge entrance to the port: Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) is constructing highway bridges that will serve as the two inbound and two outbound lanes connecting the port to State Road 249. The 1,200-foot structures provide heavy-haul truck access for carrying port cargoes over 10 railroad tracks and six lanes of traffic. The multiyear construction project will add a new two-lane bridge and then rebuild the existing two-lane bridge. Both bridges will cross over U.S. Highway 12 as well as South Shore and Norfolk Southern rail lines. Once complete, the project will expand the port entrance from two lanes to four lanes.

Development of a $25 million multimodal project: Partially funded by a $9.85 million U.S. Department of Transportation FASTLANE grant, the port is constructing three ship berths and two railyards to expand shipping capabilities and improve efficiencies. Once completed, the projects will increase port capacity for handling ocean vessels by 35% and for handling railcars by 1,200%. By adding new storage capacity for 250 railcars, the port can now offer unit train service that reduces costs and expands market connectivity for rail shippers. The project will also turn three unproductive areas of the port into working docks with multimodal facilities that transfer cargo between ocean vessels, Great Lakes freighters, river barges, multiple railroads and regional truck lines.

Construction of a $9 million bulk cargo facility: A new 84,000 square-foot warehouse and bulk storage area will be constructed near the East Harbor, funded in part by a $4 million U.S.DOT Maritime Administration grant from the Port Infrastructure Development Program. The project’s warehouse will increase the port’s capacity of covered bulk storage by 70% once completed in 2025.

Capital investments of $8.3 million in port infrastructure: Multiple port improvement projects that are underway include developing shovel-ready industrial sites, rail and dock rehabilitations, multiple paving projects, as well as additional building and infrastructure upgrades.

“This port is going through a transformational multi-year expansion, and the amount of construction happening right now exceeds every year since the port was built in the 1960s,” said Ports of Indiana CEO Jody Peacock. “These are critical projects that ensure our port remains an international gateway for ocean vessels, lakers and river barges, and that our multimodal infrastructure can meet growing freight demands in the Northwest Indiana and greater Chicago market. We’re extremely grateful for the leadership from our state and federal departments of transportation in supporting Indiana’s multimodal expansion.”

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/—

S.S. Badger Resumes Lake Michigan Crossings After 10-Month Shutdown

May 17, 2024 | 2:18 PM

MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The S.S. Badger is back in service after a longer-than-expected off season.

It’s a sound that people in Manitowoc have waited 10 months for; the blowing horn of the S.S. Badger.

The ferry, which is the largest one to cross Lake Michigan, arrived in Manitowoc at noon Friday.

Hundreds of spectators watched the ferry return, including Doug Schwalbe and his newborn grandbaby.

“We’re welcoming the Badger back to the Manitowoc port, this is my granddaughter, Eden, it’s her first time seeing the Badger,” he says.

“We are extra excited to welcome her back for her 71st season which we hope – which we know – is going to be a great one across the board from today all the way through the beginning of October,” says Courtney Hansen, Visit Manitowoc’s Director of Tourism.

Friday marked the ferry’s first trip across Lake Michigan since last July, when a portion of its docking equipment on the east side of the lake, in Ludington, Michigan, broke.

Operators initially estimated the ferry would make its first crossing in June, but crews were able to complete repairs ahead of schedule.

Businesses in Manitowoc felt the difference when the ship wasn’t around.

“We get a lot of extra business from the ferry,” says Taylor Vega, who works at Beernsten Confectionary in downtown Manitowoc. “We always know when it comes in, there’s always a big wave of people that comes in, it’s really exciting now since last year it wasn’t running. We saw a noticeable difference last year so, it’s really cool, really exciting to be back.”

Hansen says tourism thrives because of the S.S. Badger.

“Over a thousand different people are coming in, experiencing the city of Manitowoc, eating in our restaurants, staying in our hotels, going to our attractions and shopping at our boutiques,” she says.

But, even with it’s shortened season last year, Hansen says Manitowoc had a near-record year. But now that it’s back?

“The full season, we are 100% sure we’re going to have a record-breaking year here in Manitowoc, for room night stays, total economic impact and direct visitor spend, it’s a great great year ahead.”

And residents like Schwalbe agree.

“We really missed it, and super happy to see it back. It’s good for the community, good for Ludington, good for Wisconsin, good for Michigan, so yeah we’re excited.”

The S.S. Badger makes its four-hour, 60-mile journey seven days a week from about mid-May to October and brings about 1,200 people into Manitowoc each day.

Trips up and down the shoreline of Manitowoc as well as Ludington are also available for those looking to take a shorter trip on the S.S. Badger. Information on shoreline cruises can be found here.

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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/—

First Lady, Second Gentleman visit UP, Soo Locks

Sault Ste. Marie, MI – First Lady Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff wrapped up their visit to the Upper Peninsula this afternoon in Sault Ste. Marie. Emhoff is Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband.

After a community listening session about health care with members of the Bay Mills Indian Community and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, the two toured the Soo Locks where construction on the new lock continues. Biden talked to Army Corps engineers and personnel while touring inside the Soo Locks. The 1004-foot-long Mesabi Miner was inside the Poe Lock when Biden was present.

She did not field any questions from the media nor make any direct statements to the media during the tour at the locks.

Completion of the new lock is expected to be in 2030, according the the Army Corp of Engineers. In 2022, President Joe Biden signed the “Water Resources Development Act” that authorized to spend $3.2 billion on the new lock. Prior to that, in 2018, then president Donald Trump signed into law “America’s Water Infrastructure Act” that authorized funding for $922 million to initiate the lock expansion project.

Soo Leader

Port of Green Bay has strong start to the season, moves nearly 205k tons of cargo

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Brown County officials say the Port of Green Bay is off to a strong start for the 2024 shipping season as nearly 205,000 tons of cargo have already been moved during the months of March and April.

According to a release, exactly 204,659 tons of cargo have been moved through the Port of Green Bay so far this season which is significantly more than in 2023 (186,066 tons), 2022 (101,252 tons), and 2021 (132,423 tons) within the same time frame.

Officials say five commodities have been both imported and exported so far this season with the totals being as follows:

• Petroleum – 72,006 tons
• Cement – 54,904 tons
• Salt – 35,839 tons
• Limestone – 25,580 tons
• Coal – 16,330 tons

Moving these commodities in and out of the Port of Green Bay was a total of 21 ships compared to just 17 ships last year.

Port of Green Bay

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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/—

Door County Maritime Museum to host Know Your Ships author

Know Your Ships boat field guide author Roger LeLievre will travel to Door County May 22 for his first-ever visit, a perfect match for National Maritime Day. Join him at the Death’s Door Museum in the morning for a presentation of the program “Hitchin’ A Ride: An Inside Look at Life on a Laker.”

LeLievre will also stop at Cana Island after lunch to sign copies of Know Your Ships. The day will culminate at the Sturgeon Bay Museum, with LeLievre signing books, and sharing his delightful personal story in the evening: “Because of the Boats: How I Became the Luckiest Boatnerd in the World.”

At noon on National Maritime Day, the tug John Purves will sound a whistle salute to all U.S. Merchant & Commercial Mariners that keep goods flowing. All boaters, tugs, and other vessels in the area are welcome to participate in the salute as well. National Maritime Day recognizes one of our country’s most important industries. Each year, ceremonies and celebrations throughout the country recognize National Maritime Day and the people our maritime nation depends on.

More information can be found here: https://dcmm.org/homepage-featured/national-maritime-day-may-22/

S.S. Badger repairs wrap up ahead of schedule, first trip set for Friday

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The S.S. Badger is back in business.

Lake Michigan Carferry has announced that the iconic boat will make its first trek of the season on Friday. Previously, LMC had planned for the ship to make its first trip on June 14.

“We are thrilled to welcome our passengers back more than a month earlier than originally anticipated,” LMC General Manager Sara Spore said in a statement. “It’s a testament to the dedication of our staff here and the hard work of local vendors to make sure we are ready to go.”

LMC was forced to shut down the Badger last July after part of its port side ramp system failed and needed months of repairs, prematurely ending its 70th season chartering people across Lake Michigan, between Ludington, Michigan, and Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

“With the successful construction of two new counterweight structures for the carferry’s ramp system, the Badger is back, better and stronger, ready to carry passengers and transport freight across our marine highway on Lake Michigan,” she stated.
The Badger, which has been designated a National Historic Landmark, can carry 600 passengers and up to 180 vehicles, including RVs and commercial trucks.

The S.S. Badger was launched in 1953. It was built by Christy Corp. in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.

Evening crossings will start in June. The Badger is also planning three shoreline cruises later this summer: July 4, July 24 and Aug. 21.

Old Lake Michigan shipwreck visible again after burial under sand

By Clara Lincolnhol | May 14, 2024

Look fast or you may miss an elusive 170-year-old sunken schooner off the coast of Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin.

The mostly intact shipwreck, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in early April, isn’t always visible, even though it’s in very shallow waters, said Tamara Thomsen, a Wisconsin Historical Society maritime archaeologist.

The vessel comes in and out of view depending on the cyclical motion of sand in Lake Michigan.

It had been invisible, shrouded in sand for decades, until a tour boat operator spotted it in the late summer of 2021. The Wisconsin Historical Society surveyed the ship the next summer to get it listed as a National Historic Place, she said.

The ship, named Peoria, was built in Ohio in 1854. In its earlier years it hauled lumber on Lake Erie. After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 the ship mainly traversed Lake Michigan. Peoria and many other schooners were in high demand to transport wood to rebuild the city, Thomsen said.

That’s why Peoria had multiple accidents before its fateful final voyage, colliding with three separate ships on three different occasions. During that time the waters were crowded with large lumbering ships, she said.

“When there’s a big traffic jam on the road today there’s bound to be accidents,” Thomsen said. “It was very much commonplace for (ships) to get struck in the harbor, getting struck coming in or while waiting at the dock or lumber market.”

In 1880 the vessel blew ashore at the Baileys Harbor Lighthouse. Recovering it was initially considered a lost cause, according to Wisconsin Shipwrecks, an informational shipwreck database. However a year later, repairs were made and Peoria set sail once again.

But 20 years later, on November 10, 1901, the ship with a load of lumber was blown over by strong stormy gales in Baileys Harbor. All six crew members scrambled to shore. The ship met its end near where it was beached two decades earlier, according to the database.

The ship’s existence and location has always been local knowledge, although it isn’t always visible. A 1980s Wisconsin diving guide listed the wreck as a place to visit, but when state marine archaeologists searched for it years later to conduct a survey, the ship had been covered by sand, Thomsen said.

The 2021 report meant it was visible again for the first time in over three decades. Maritime archeologists confirmed the ship’s identity using historic documents from around the time it sank.

The wreck is easily accessible and visible for divers, kayakers, anglers and local tour boats. It’s exciting, Thomsen said. “The vantage point of a deck can get a look at not just pieces of the boat but of the whole thing.”

No one knows how long Peoria will remain visible, she said. A large storm could dredge up sand in the bay and cover it up again.

The dynamic process of sand movement in Lake Michigan covers and uncovers shipwrecks, said Adam Bechle, coastal engineering outreach specialist at the University of Wisconsin Madison Sea Grant Institute.

The littoral zone, or the area that extends from the beach to where waves begin to break is where sediment is transported by waves and currents, Bechle said. Water levels and stormy weather impact sediment movement and deposition.

“Waves break at a certain depth,” Bechle said. “As you change water levels, that changes the depth of the water and changes where the waves are going to break, so that changes where sediment is going to be moved around.”

Bechle isn’t exactly sure what specific event moved the sand covering Peoria. But he believes fluctuating water levels in Lake Michigan “probably caused quite a bit of sand movement and sandbar migration which may have made conditions right for the ship to get uncovered.”

The National Register of Historic Places is “the official list of the nation’s historic places worthy of preservation,” according to the National Park Service, which administers the register. It includes “objects significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering and culture.”

Objects on the register, like the Peoria shipwreck, receive additional state and federal legal protections.

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/—