U.S. Coast Guard to take part in “Cutter Olympics” at the Soo

See the gallery at the bottom of the post for the full U.S. Coast Guard press release.

USCG

Seaway monthly traffic results: August 2023

See the gallery at the bottom of the post for a table of monthly tonnage results.

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation

Maritime museum on Lake Michigan shoreline offers interactive exhibits for all ages

LUDINGTON, MI – A maritime museum on the shore of Lake Michigan takes visitors on a journey around the Great Lakes, exploring shipwrecks, piloting a car ferry, testing their strength against a manpowered steamship wheel and hearing stories from long-passed ship captains.

The Port of Ludington Maritime Museum in Ludington offers three levels of interactive and informative exhibits for all ages set in a former U.S. Coast Guard station built in 1934. The current USCG Ludington Station is next door.

“You don’t often find a museum of this caliber in this small of a community,” said Rebecca Berringer, executive director of the Mason County Historical Society.

…

Click here for full article – MLive

NACC Antigua nears Seaway for first time

A cement carrier partially owned by Algoma will soon enter the Seaway for the first time, the NACC ANTIGUA, OMI No. 9512587. Destination Detroit from Djen Djen, Algeria. NACC is the abbreviation for Nova Algoma Cement Carriers.

The vessel is currently due south of Newfoundland with a Motor City ETA of September 19.

René Beauchamp

More Great Lakes cruises stopping in Cleveland

Another luxury cruise line docked in Cleveland this weekend.

Driving the news: The Connecticut-based Tauck, which operates chartered cruises on ships owned by third parties, brought 180 passengers to town on the French vessel Le Dumont-D’Urville as part of its Chicago-to-Toronto itinerary.

• Tauck is planning to stop in Cleveland a total of 10 times in 2023 and 2024.

State of play: While the ship was docked, tourists spent Saturday at the Rock Hall, local craft breweries, Playhouse Square, Edgewater Park and University Circle, Tauck said in a press release.

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Click here for full article – Axios Cleveland

Great Lakes steel production ticks down

Steel production dipped by 5,000 tons in the Great Lakes region last week, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Locally, steel mills in the Great Lakes region, clustered mainly along the south shore of Lake Michigan in Northwest Indiana, made 555,000 tons of metal in the week that ended Sept. 9, down from 560,000 tons the previous week.

Steel mills remained below 80% capacity, but have been inching back toward that key threshold for financial success for the steel sector.

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Click here for full article – The Times of Northwest Indiana

Great Lakes lighthouse won at auction by magnates who will preserve it

The Cleveland Harbor West Pierhead Lighthouse has been sold at auction, and the new owners are two Clevelanders who intend to preserve the historic part of Cleveland’s skyline.

The lighthouse fetched a price of $425,000 when the auction closed on Sept. 6, and the winning bidders were Heather Moore, a designer of personalized luxury jewelry, and Jim Brown, the owner of Classic Auto Group.

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Click here for full article – Scripps News Cleveland

Retired Canadian Coast Guard vessel to become Airbnb restaurant

There’s something new coming to the waterfront in Amherstburg!

Perhaps one of the most anticipated and unique business ventures to materialize in Southwestern Ontario in decades!

The new owners of this vessel are proposing a floating restaurant along with on board accommodations as an Air BnB located on the Amherstburg Channel of the Detroit River.

The M/V Miss MJ (retired Canadian Coast Guard vessel) CCGS Matthew will now be permanently moored at the Amherstburg Yacht Club after being towed to her new home by McKeil Marine’s tug Ecosse.

Kudos to Terry Jones on this remarkable project!

Windsor Aerial Drone Photography

New Federal Hamilton joins Fednav’s laker fleet

The Federal Hamilton (IMO 9975363), a new Fednav vessel built in 2023 at the Oshima Shipbuilding Yard in Oshima, Japan, has joined the Fednav Ltd. fleet of vessels. Federal Hamilton departed on its maiden voyage from the Oshima Shipyard on August 31 and has since visited several ports in China.

Federal Hamilton is 199.98 meters in length and 23.760 meters in width and Is equipped with four deck cranes for unloading. The ship’s namesake is the city of Hamilton, Ontario, where Fednav Limited vessels frequently call. It is the first time that Fednav has chosen Federal Hamilton for one its vessels.

A second, yet unnamed vessel built at Oshima is expected to be delivered to Fednav sometime in October 2023.

On September 2, 2021, Fednav Limited signed an agreement with Sumisho Marine Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation Group) and Oshima Shipbuilding to build 10 new ocean-going lakers. Federal Hamilton is the first of these.

The new Fednav-Oshima designed represent the most efficient vessels to date for Fednav. Their carbon emissions will be 33% less than the vessels that they will replace, including a nitrogen oxides (NOx) footprint at least 87% smaller. They will be delivered equipped with the latest technology, including Tier III engines and the capability to burn biofuels.

Denny Dushane

What to know about the Port of Green Bay’s $217 million economic impact

GREEN BAY – A strong, regional economy helped fuel a “remarkable” 47% increase in the Port of Green Bay’s economic impact in a five-year span.

Dean Haen, director of the port, said a recent study of the economic impact of shipping in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway region provided the port specific details on the value of commodities coming through Green Bay, wages generated, taxes paid and economic activity that results.

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Click here for full article – Green Bay Press Gazette

Expedition cruise ship Ocean Explorer aground in Greenland

A modern expedition cruise ship with 206 people on board has run aground in Greenland’s Alpefjord, located within the Northeast Greenland National Park, Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command (JAC) reported Tuesday.

Currently, the Ocean Explorer is the stable with no immediate threat to the environment or safety to those on board. However, the vessel is unable to free itself and there are no assets in the area capable of assisting.

“A cruise ship in trouble in the National Park is of course worrisome. There is a long way for immediate help, our units are far from that and the weather can be very unfavorable. In the specific situation, however, we do not see acute danger to human life or the environment, which is reassuring. Of course, we are following the situation closely and take this incident very seriously,” JAC Commander Captain Brian Jensen said.

Arctic Command’s closest vessel, the Knud Rasmussen, was located approximately 1.200 nautical miles from the stranded ship. The earliest it can arrive in the area is on Friday morning, depending on weather.

A second cruise ship is nearby and will remain in the area to help if needed. The Icelandic Coast Guard may also be called into assist.

“As soon as we realized that the Ocean Explorer couldn’t get free on its own, we sent a ship,” said Jensen. The JAC is also expected to send an airplane to assess the situation.

“We have reached out to relevant partners in the operation area to investigate whether other units can have a shorter and faster route to the grounded ship,” Jensen added.

The JAC is assessing multiple options for freeing the ship.

“They can either try to get out on their own help when the tide becomes high, they can get help from a nearby cruise ship, they can get assistance from Knud Rasmussen, or they can get help of one of our collaborators. No matter what, the most important thing for us is that everyone arrives safe,” Jensen said.

An initial attempt to refloat the vessel at high tide was unsuccessful.

The Ocean Explorer is an ‘Infinity-class’ expedition cruise ship owned by SunStone Ships and built in 2021 by Ulstein at its partner yard China Merchants Heavy Industries (CMHI). The vessel measures 104.4-meters in length and features Ulstein’s patented “X-Bow”. It can accommodate 165 passengers and up to 300 included crew.

The vessel is currently operated by a subsidiary of Aurora Expeditions, which acquired the business of its former operator Vantage Deluxe Travel last month as part of bankruptcy proceedings.

The Infinity-class previously made headlines for being the first cruise ships to feature the X-Bow from Ulstein.\

Ocean Explorer was a visitor to the Great Lakes in 2022.

gCaptain

Boardman/Harriman rechristened at DeTour

Last Wednesday, the John W. Boardman/Lewis G. Harriman was rechristened on the 100th anniversary of her 1923 launch during a ceremony at DeTour, Mich., where the ship’s forward end now resides. Jill Vander Meulen, who owns the structure along with husband Marc, did the honors, smashing a bottle of champagne against the bow. The rain held off just long enough for the guests to finish lunch after the ceremony. Amy Miller, the great-granddaughter of John W. Boardman, was there for the event, as was Bob Larsen, who sailed aboard the boat. The salute was sounded by a Tyfon 425 whistle which came from the USS Ranger, an aircraft carrier scrapped in Brownsville, TX, but is the same model that was once used on many Great Lakes vessels.

Click here to download a short video of the event.

Marc Vander Meulen

S.S. Norisle to be scrapped

An historic ship that once sailed the Tobermory to Manitoulin Island ferry route on Canada’s Georgian Bay is going to be scrapped.

Township of Assiginack council voted at a recent meeting to accept a proposal from Marine Recycling Corporation to dispose of the S.S. Norisle. It’s going to cost the township’s local taxpayers more than $743,000.

A letter outlining the plan says the Norisle will be towed to a recycling facility on Lake Erie in Port Colborne before the end September.

“It’s a situation that nobody likes, and the few alternatives weren’t necessarily good,” says Assiginack Chief Administrative Officer Alton Hobbs. “Council made an informed decision that was the best decision for the community.”

The 215-foot Norisle was built in Collingwood in 1946. It served as a ferry between Tobermory and Manitoulin from 1947 until 1974, when it and the M.S. Norgoma were replaced by the M.S. Chi-Cheemaun.

The Norisle has been moored in Manitowaning on Manitoulin Island since the township purchased it in 1975. It used to be a floating museum and tourist spot, but has been deteriorating and become a safety and an environmental concern. There are a number of issues that require ongoing maintenance of the vessel and pumps, according to minutes from the Aug. 29 meeting.

It’s also located within about a 100-feet of the township’s water supply intake, another risk discussed by Assiginack councillors when they voted to dispose of the ship.

A group known as the S.S. Norisle Society was trying rehabilitate the vessel and turn it into a Great Lakes tour ship. But the estimated costs — tens of millions of dollars — were too prohibitive. Bayshore Broadcasting News attempted to contact the Norisle Society, but was unable to connect prior to publication deadline.

Hobbs says about 90 per cent of the Norisle will be able to be recycled into metal that will be used in other ships.

Bayshore News

Ferry Pelee Islander strikes dock at Sandusky

Sandusky, OH – Waterfront reports indicate that at 3:45 p.m. Friday the ferry Pelee Islander hit the Sandusky dock at a 24 degree angle on the starboard side of the stern and a 12-14″ gash was opened slightly above the water line. Passengers were eventually allowed off at 5 p.m. About seven vehicles were on board. Great Lakes Towing is sending a tug from either Toledo or Cleveland, whichever can respond the quickest. Coast Guard personnel and a diver hadn’t arrived as of 8 p.m.

According to the Sandusky Register, the stern of the ship could be seen wedged into the edge of the west end of the pier. It wasn’t immediately clear how the collision occurred or if there were any injuries. The extent of damage to the ship and pier also was not immediately clear. U.S. Customs and Sandusky police officers were at the scene.

John Clark, Sandusky Register

Great Lakes iron ore trade up 8.6 percent in August

CLEVELAND – Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes in August increased by 8.6 percent compared to 2022 to a total of 5.5 million tons. Shipments were also above the month’s 5-year average by 3.5 percent.

Year-to-date the iron ore trade totals 31.2 million tons, an increase of 28.9 percent compared to the same point last year.

Through August iron shipments are 6.5 percent above their 5-year average for eight months of the year.

Great Lakes Iron Ore Shipments: August 2018-2023 and 5-Year Average (net tons)

Includes transshipments to Quebec City for shipment overseas (net tons)

*Marquette = Presque Isle in previous reports

**Transshipments within Cleveland Harbor

Year-to-Date 2018-2023

Lake Carriers’ Association

Lakes limestone trade up 4.4 percent in August

CLEVELAND — Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 4 million tons in August, an increase of 4.4 percent from a year ago. Limestone cargos were above the month’s 5-year average by 3.7 percent.

Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 3.3 million tons, an increase of 5 percent compared to 2022. Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 754,178 tons, an increase of 1.9 percent.

Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at 16.2 million tons, a decrease of 7.4 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings from Michigan and Ohio quarries total 13.1 million tons, a decrease of 5.1 percent. Shipments from Ontario quarries total 3.1 million tons, a decrease of 15.6 percent.

Great Lakes Limestone Trade: August 2018-2023 and Long-Term Average (net tons)

Year-to-Date 2018-2023 and Long-Term Average (net tons)

U.S. ports: Calcite, MI; Cedarville, MI; Drummond Island, MI; Marblehead, OH; Port Inland, MI; and Presque Isle, MI.  Canadian ports: Bruce Mines, Manitoulin Island, Port Colborne (from August 2017 on), and Smelter Bay (all Ontario).

Lake Carriers’ Association

Rapids flow setting to stay same through September

Little change is expected at the head of the St. Marys River Rapids concerning water flow in September.

The International Lake Superior Board of Control says that gate setting at the head of the river will remain status quo for this month.

Additionally, the Board says that Lake Superior has likely reached its seasonal water peak level.

Following is a release from the Board with additional details:

The gate setting of the Compensating Works at the head of the St. Marys Rapids will be maintained at the current setting in September, which is equivalent to approximately five gates fully open. The St. Marys Rapids flow is approximately 773 m3/s. At this flow, some low-lying areas of Whitefish Island including recreational trails may still be flooded. Users are encouraged to use extreme caution.

The Board expects the total St. Marys River flow in September to be 2,820 m3/s (99,600 cfs) which is the same as the flow prescribed by Regulation Plan 2012. Actual hour-to-hour and day-to-day flows may vary depending on hydrologic conditions, as well as variations in flow from the hydropower plants.

The International Lake Superior Board of Control (Board) received approval from the International Joint Commission (IJC) to temporarily deviate from Regulation Plan 2012 through November 2023. This deviation strategy is like the strategy employed in 2019. As necessary over the next few months, the Board will continue to adjust the gate settings at the Compensating Works to offset the flow limitations caused by repairs and maintenance at the hydropower plants. Since May, the total amount of water released through the St. Marys River has been approximately equal to the flow prescribed by Plan 2012.

Water level changes over the month of August

Water supply conditions were drier than average in Lake Superior basin and wetter than average in the Lake Michigan-Huron basin in August.

• Lake Superior declined by 1 cm (0.4 in.) last month, while the seasonal long-term average pattern is for Lake Superior to rise 1 cm (0.4 in) in August.
• Lake Michigan-Huron declined by 2 cm (0.8 in) last month, while the seasonal long-term average pattern for Lake Michigan- Huron is to decline 4 cm (1.6 in) in August.

Water levels as of the beginning of September

• At the beginning of September, the lake-wide average water level of Lake Superior is 12 cm (4.7 in) above the seasonal long-term average (1918-2022) and 3 cm (1.2 in) above the level of a year ago.
• At the beginning of September, the lake-wide average water level of Lake Michigan-Huron is 13 cm (5.1 in) above the seasonal long-term average and 8 cm (3.1 in) below the level of a year ago.

Forecast outlook

It is likely that Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron have reached their seasonal peak water levels.

• If weather and water supply conditions are near average, both Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron are expected to decline in September (by ~3 cm or 1.2 in and 5 cm or 2 in, respectively).
• If conditions are wetter than average, Lake Superior may rise by as much as 6 cm (2.4 cm) and Lake Michigan-Huron may rise by as much as 2 cm (0.8 in).
• If dry conditions continue, the water level of Lake Superior is expected to decline by as much as 10 cm (3.9 in.), and Lake Michigan-Huron is expected to decline by as much as 11 cm (4.3 in.)

SooLeader.com

A ship that sank in 1881 is found nearly intact in Lake Michigan

On the early morning of May 11, 1881, Capt. John Higgins and his eight-man crew scurried onto a lifeboat and caught a final glimpse of their schooner, Trinidad, as it disappeared into the icy waters of Lake Michigan.

After 142 years, its wreckage has finally been discovered.

In July, the shipwreck hunters Brendon Baillod and Robert Jaeck found the impressively intact wreckage of Trinidad lying underneath roughly 300 feet of water, about 10 miles off the shoreline of Algoma, Wis. That concluded a two-year search for the little-known vessel Mr. Baillod said was “little more than a floating coffin” at the time of its final voyage.

Trinidad was built at Grand Island, N.Y., in 1867 and was used as a cargo ship in the lucrative grain trade between Milwaukee, Chicago and Oswego, N.Y., according to a news release.

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Click here for full article – The New York Times

Still tickets left for MHSD’s Detroit River cruise this Saturday

Join members of the Marine Historical Society of Detroit aboard the passenger vessel DIAMOND QUEEN (captained by the MHSD’s very own Mike Nicholls and with MHSD member Ken Borg as narrator) for a Detroit River cruise 1-4 p.m. Saturday, September 9. We will do our best to get up close to freighter traffic. Snacks and refreshments will be available on the boat.

Tickets are $30 at the dock (cash or check only) if space is still available. We are limiting the number to 100 passengers so there will be plenty of room to move about the boat. The cruise leaves at 1 sharp from the Stroh River Place Dock located at 2680 Atwater St, Detroit, MI 48207 at the foot of Joseph Campau St., one block east of Chene St. and Chene Park (approximately half way between GM Renaissance Center and Belle Isle).

**Please check local listing for up-to-date construction reports**

MHSD

Focus: Inside Cleveland-Cliffs’ bid to keep U.S. blast furnaces smelting

NEW YORK/CHICAGO, Sept 5 (Reuters) – High costs and environmental opposition have prevented the construction of blast furnaces at steel mills in the United States since 1980. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc (CLF.N) CEO Lourenco Goncalves is on a mission to snap up all that are left.

Since joining the U.S. steelmaker in 2014 as part of an activist hedge fund’s board takeover, Goncalves has made blast furnaces a hallmark of his strategy, positioning Cliffs as an outlier in an industry shifting towards cheaper and more environmentally friendly electric arc furnaces.

A 65-year-old Brazilian metallurgical engineer, Goncalves transformed Cliffs from an iron ore and coal miner into the largest supplier of steel to the automotive industry in North America by acquiring companies that own blast furnaces to smelt the pig iron it produces.

Now, he has his sights on acquiring U.S. Steel Corp (X.N), the other remaining U.S. blast furnace operator, which has been gradually moving into electric arc furnaces, known as mini-mills. Should his $7.3 billion cash-and-stock bid prevail, Cliffs would break into the world’s top 10 steel producers, which are mostly from Asia.

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Click here for full article – Reuters

Hard Hat Tours: Behind the scenes of NMGL Museum Vessels

Set foot in spaces typically off-limits to visitors in an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of the Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship, the Museum Tug Ohio and the St. Marys Challenger Pilothouse at the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, OH. During this 2 hour experience you have the exclusive opportunity to take a deeper dive into the ships’ inner workings and visit “hard-hat” only locations like the:

• The Schoonmaker’s Owners Galley, the lowest points of the boat, as well as a deeper look in the vessels engine room.
• The Tug Ohio’s Engine Room and Forward Cabins.
• The Interior of the St. Marys Challenger Pilothouse (currently still under restoration efforts).

From glimpses into our newest artifact’s restoration, to the Schoonmaker’s original boiler bricks—you’ll see it all from an insider’s view.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

• Hard Hat Tours are $50 for NMGL Members and $65 for non-members
• Tours last approximately 2 hours and will be offered to groups of 8 or less at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
• The spaces that we will be sharing with you on this tour are difficult to access. The tour will include a lot of climbing of steep and narrow stairways and a lot of bending to accommodate for low head room.
• We encourage you to dress appropriately including wearing closed-toed shoes, long pants, and clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. We will provide hard hats and any other safety necessities.
• Click here to order tickets on Eventbrite.

National Museum of the Great Lakes

New site at Silver Harbour facilitates shipwreck divers

It’s one thing to scuba dive in the Caribbean, where the warm water often feels as calm as a swimming pool.

Going deep in chilly and occasionally-rough Lake Superior — that’s a different kettle of fish.

Now, those taking the plunge in the big, cold lake are having an easier time of it at a popular diving spot a short drive from Thunder Bay.

A new access point east of the city at Silver Harbour Conservation Area saves divers a long swim, and having to scramble over rocks with their gear in order to reach a spot where half a dozen small, intentionally-submerged boats can be viewed.

The vessels were sunk in the 1990s after fuel and electrical equipment were removed.

“We’ve had 15 people out there on a Saturday,” Lakehead Region Conservation Authority spokesman Ryan Mackett said Monday.

The access point is reached by driving to Silver Harbour’s boat launch. Divers must be certified, or be supervised by a fellow diver who’s qualified.

The new access point helps keep divers and swimmers separate from boaters. It’s also a safe exit for intrepid types who jump into the lake from nearby cliffs.

Thunder Bay diving-business operator Wally Peterson, who was part of the effort to establish the access point, estimated the project’s cost at about $10,000. It depended on donations and in-kind labour, he said.

Plans for next year include the installation of a removable railing.

“It’s a place to go that’s close to the city for people who want to say they did a dive in Lake Superior,” Peterson said.

Because the Silver Harbour site isn’t too deep — six to 15 metres — it’s a good place to train in preparation for deeper dives required to reach Superior’s larger shipwrecks.

Accessible diving in the region also adds to Thunder Bay’s tourism appeal, the municipality says.

“Lake Superior is regarded as one of the best sites to dive in the world” and “explore shipwrecks, natural wonders and northern marine life,” says the city’s website.

The Chronicle Journal

East Flight Locks out of service

Please be advised that the East Flight Locks will be out of service on Wednesday September 06, 2023 beginning at 07:00 a.m. for approximately 12 hours. This may cause some delays as one-way traffic will be implemented.

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation