PORT HURON, MI – Tug Ocean Tower towing barge OG 723, loaded with crane P-82, was downboud on the the St. Clair River Sunday, day two of a long trip from Manitowoc, WI, to Hawaii.
Rod Burdick
Tug Ocean Tower towing barge OG 723, loaded with crane P-82, down the St. Clair River, day two of a long trip from Manitowoc, WI, to Hawaii on May 31, 2026. [Rod Burdick]
The latest addition to the McKeil Marine fleet, the Ontario Venture was upbound at the Soo Tuesday. She is headed for Thunder Bay. Originally built in 2004 as a tanker, the vessel underwent a major rebuild in China before arriving in Canada in late March 2026.
Ontario Venture on the St. Marys River Tuesday. [Roger LeLievre]
Kaye E. Barker came out of drydock at Fraser Shipyards on Sunday and headed over to the Superior Midwest Engery Terminal dock to load coal for the Graymont dock in Superior. With the SMET dock scheduled to close, this may be one of the last loads for the facility.
Paul Scinocca
Kaye E. Barker departing the Fraser Shipyartds drydock. [Paul Scinocca Photography]
The passenger boat Island Queen V was upbound on the St. Marys River Saturday. Flying not one but two pirate flags, she stopped at the Bondar Dock in Sault Ste. Marie, ON, then she moved over to the MCM Marine yard in Sault Ste. Marie, MI, the following day. Transport Canada shows her owned by Thirty Thousand Island Cruise Lines Inc. of Parry Sound, ON. Also heading upbound over the weekend was the USCG buoy tender Buckthorn, fresh from a several months-long refit at North Shore Marine in Escanaba, MI. She is expect to begin placing summer aids to navigation soon, joining with her Canadian counterpart Samuel Risley.
Island Queen V upbound on May 17. [Roger LeLievre] More images in the gallery.
Expected in Montreal this weekend is the American cruise ship American Patriot, built last year. From Montreal, it will enter the St. Lawrence Seaway, and its first port of call will be Oswego, NY. This will be its maiden voyage.
American Patriot is headed for the Great Lakes. [American Cruise Lines]
Kaye E. Barker easing into the dry (graving) dock at Fraser Shipyards. [David Schauer]
David Schauer
Lee A. Tregurtha unloads stone in Erie, PA, Friday evening. [Peter Groh]
OWEN SOUND, ON – The ferry Chi-Cheemaun has left its winter berth in Owen Sound to begin the 2026 summer sailing season. The “Big Canoe” left the Owen Sound harbor at around noon on Thursday on its sold-out Spring Repositioning Cruise to Tobermory. The ferry began ferrying passengers and vehicles between tip of the Bruce Peninsula and South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island on Friday, with daily sailings scheduled to run until Oct. 18. This year, a Sail Through Time exhibit is being featured on board the ship, including historic photographs and artifacts. The exhibit is free to visit during sails.
On June 13, there will be a festival cruise aboard the ferry, which includes a night of evening sailing along Tobermory’s shoreline, complete with a barbecue meal and fireworks display, weather permitting, held in partnership with Tobermory’s Chi-Cheemaun Festival Committee. Additional information, including when tickets will go on sale, will be announced on the OSTC website at www.ontarioferries.com.
A fall repositioning cruise for the Chi-Cheemaun has not been scheduled, as the ferry is slated for its five-year dry dock inspection at the end of the season in October.
As one of the most recognizable ferries in Canada, the MS Chi-Cheemaun continues to be an integral symbol of Georgian Bay and has carried an estimated 10 million passengers and 3 million vehicles, completing 24,000 voyages between Tobermory and Manitoulin Island since 1974.
Owen Sound Transportation Co. and Owen Sound Sun Times
The Chi-Cheemaun. [Owen Sound Transportation Co.]
Intergrity entering the Saginaw River on Sunday. [Gordy Garris]
Gordy Garris
