Four tugs tugs pulled the American Courage free around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday
The grounded American Courage was released Tuesday around 6:15 p.m. by a quarter of tugs after running aground on the St. Clair river off Marie City, MI, nearly 12 hours earlier.The Port Huron-based tug Manitou was first on the scene and was joined in the late afternoon by the Detroit-based tugs Ontario, Pennsylvania and Tenacious.
The American Courage was anchored north of Marine City in the St. Clair River late Tuesday and is expected to dock at Marine City between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. Wednesday. There were no injuries to crew members or those that responded and no pollution was observed or reported.
The Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Detroit will verify the proper position of all aids to navigation affected and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will conduct an underwater survey to verify channel depth and to determine if there are any impacts from the grounding.
There was no word on damages or the cause of the incident. The vessel was turning to dock at the Marine City Terminal to unload 20,000 tons of stone when the incident happened.
Investment Firm Acquires McKeil Marine
GREENWICH, CT – Astatine Investment Partners (“AIP” or “Astatine” formerly Alinda Capital Partners), a private equity firm focused on infrastructure investments, today announced that it has acquired McKeil Marine Limited, a Canadian marine transportation business, from TorQuest Partners.
Founded in 1956, McKeil is one of Canada’s largest marine transportation and project service providers. The company operates a modern and customized fleet of 13 dry and liquid bulk vessels as well as the largest in-class fleet of tugs and barges on the Great Lakes in Canada. McKeil delivers customized transportation and project services to a wide range of customers and industries across the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Seaway, East Coast and the Canadian Arctic.
“We are excited to partner with one of the most innovative and trusted marine service providers in Canada,” said Jim Metcalfe, CEO and Co-Managing Partner of Astatine. “McKeil provides meaningful downside protection through its long-term inflation-linked contracts. There is also a tremendous opportunity to evolve its service offerings and strategically expand its diverse fleet. We look forward to working closely with McKeil’s management team and talented crew to further build upon its market leadership and historical growth.”
Astatine has invested in more than 30 infrastructure businesses across North America and Europe that serve over 100 million customers annually in more than 550 cities globally. With investments across the digital, transportation, utility-related and essential services sectors, Astatine’s other current investments include ACL Airshop, a global leader in air cargo unit load device logistics; PECO Pallet, a transportation and logistics company; and Virginia International Gateway, the most highly automated container terminal in North America.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Astatine Investment Partners on the next chapter of McKeil’s growth journey and look forward to working together in pursuit of our long-standing mission to become Canada’s premier marine transportation provider,” said Scott Bravener, CEO of McKeil Marine. “We are confident that Astatine’s track record helping to scale marine transportation and logistics businesses makes them the ideal long-term partner for McKeil.”
Astatine Investment Partners is an independent, mid-market private equity firm focused on infrastructure investments. Based in Greenwich, CT, and London, AIP manages three funds that invest in infrastructure in North America and Europe. It target investments in the digital, transportation, utility-related and essential services sectors, with the objective of generating attractive risk-adjusted returns for investors through a combination of capital appreciation and a strong focus on cash yield.
AIP
Study Highlights the Positive Economic Impacts of Ontario’s Marine Industry
Tuesday during a virtual press conference, Hardeep Singh Grewal, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Transportation, and Steve Salmons, President and CEO of Windsor Port Authority and Chair of the Ontario Marine Council (the “OMC”), announced the release of a comprehensive independent study of the economic impacts of Ontario’s marine industry in 2022.
Titled “Economic Impacts of Maritime Shipping in the Province of Ontario,” the study identifies the economic impacts created by all cargo and vessel activity in Ontario in 2022.
The study revealed that last year maritime commerce in Ontario:
• supported 67,154 jobs
• provided $3.95 billion (CAD) in wages
• generated $1.95 billion (CAD) in taxes
• created $9.6 billion (CAD) in economic activity.
Being able to provide such data to the Government of Ontario will help achieve the OMC’s strategic priorities to strengthen the Ontario marine industry’s competitiveness, job creation and training, environmental sustainability, and capacity for economic development and growth, while also supporting continued growth and success across binational and global markets.
The study was developed from a larger project undertaken by a public/private sector committee of American and Canadian maritime organizations. The intent with that larger project was to provide the navigation community, transportation planners, government policy makers, and the public with a credible, independent assessment of the economic contributions made by commercial maritime shipping throughout North America.
The industry’s vital contributions to jobs and wages, supply chain strength, business competitiveness across key commodities, and tax revenues provide strong rationale for major governmental initiatives aimed at strengthening marine’s multimodal networks, supporting infrastructure and economic development, investing in education, labour, and training, and greening marine transportation. Such initiatives include the recent release of the first ever Ontario Marine Transportation Strategy by the Government of Ontario.
“Clearly, marine shipping on the Great Lakes – St Lawrence Seaway System drives the heartbeat of the economy in Ontario. Our industry offers the most reliable and sustainable mode of moving what matters in North America. That includes grain, salt, cement, iron ore, construction materials, petroleum, and steel products – all of which are central to our quality of life and to the needs of consumers around the world. I am eager to build on this strength and create opportunities, in partnership with the Government of Ontario, in the near future,” said Steve Salmons, President & CEO of Windsor Port Authority and Chair of the Ontario Marine Council.
“”Fitzgerald Experience museum tour gives historical insights into Great Lakes shipwreck
TOLEDO, OH – This Saturday and Sunday the National Museum of the Great Lakes will honor the 48th anniversary of the loss of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald by offering special tours.
“The Fitzgerald Experience” is a guided tour of the Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship, using the lake freighter and its similarities to the Edmund Fitzgerald to discuss the events of November 10, 1975. Tickets for the 75-minute tour are $20 for members and $25 for non-members, which includes museum admission. Advance registration is recommended.
Due to its historical accuracy, the Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship is not handicap or wheelchair accessible and may pose difficulties in accessibility for some. Guests are encouraged to dress appropriately for the weather. If it is determined that the tours are impossible due to the weather, a refund of the ticket price (minus fees) will be provided. No make-up date is planned.
WHAT: Fitzgerald Experience
WHEN: Saturday, November 11 – Sunday, November 12, 2023 – 10am-5pm (Saturday) and 12pm-5pm (Sunday)
WHERE: National Museum of the Great Lakes, 1701 Front St., Toledo, OH 43605
ADMISSION: $20 Museum Members / $25 Non-Members
National Museum of the Great Lakes
