Mark W. Barker to undergo sea trials Friday morning

STURGEON BAY, WI – Interlake Steamship Co.’s newest vessel, Mark W. Barker, will depart Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding Friday morning with assistance from tugs Donald Sarter and Ontario to undergo her sea trials.

The 639’ vessel is the first Great Lakes bulk carrier to be built on the Great Lakes in over 35 years, and the company’s first since 1981. Pending her sea trials results, the Mark W. Barker will enter active trading and eventually be officially christened Sept. 1 in Cleveland, OH.

Olive L. Moore/Menominee grounds at Stoneport

STONEPORT, MI – In the early hours of June 30th, the tug/barge combination Olive L. Moore/Menominee ran aground while attempting to dock in Stoneport to load limestone. By late Thursday night the pair had been freed without assistance from any additonal tugs and was tied up at the dock waiting for inspection. The extent of the damage, if any, is unknown at this time. 

Menominee is the former powered laker Sparrows Point/Buckeye.

Engineer Kevin Sprague says ‘Goodbye’ after 30 years

After a 30 year career serving the Soo Locks, US Army Corps of Engineers Area Engineer Kevin Sprague’s last day on the job was Thursday, June 30.

The soon to be retired area engineer devoted his entire career to the navigation industry, donning many different hats along the way.  After working as a project engineer fabricating armor components for military vehicles in the private industry, Sprague took a federal position with the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1992.  “I worked as part of a hydrographic surveying crew,” said Sprague.

He conducted survey work on the Army Corps of Engineers’ James Bray and Derrick Boat Nicolet to later become Assistant Chief of the St. Marys River Branch. “I was able to work on a wide range of projects from vessel maintenance to maintenance of the navigation channels, in addition to surveying and marine construction,” Sprague said.

Shortly thereafter, he became Chief of the Lock Operations Branch in 2000 to eventually head Soo Lock maintenance and operations.  “In 2010, I was selected as the Sault Area Engineer,” said Sprague, who went on to lead staff members in Soo Locks operations and maintenance for the next 12 years. “It’s the most important and largest navigation project in the Great Lakes – the Soo Locks.”

Sprague deployed his skills throughout Michigan’s Upper Peninsula into the St. Marys River Federal Navigation Channel and Sault Ste. Marie hydroelectric power plants, along with thirteen harbors and off-shore channels. “I was the onsite representative for the International Joint Commission’s Lake Superior Board of Control,” said Sprague, who spent an unspecified amount of time and effort supporting the economic study for construction of a new Soo Lock. “I emphasized the importance of the Soo Locks as the lynchpin and single point of failure for the Great Lakes Navigation System,” he said.

Sprague was recognized by many in the navigation industry as an exemplary leader.

“I worked closely with US and Canadian shipping companies, and industry groups,” said Sprague, who also excelled at mobilizing the necessary resources to manage scheduled and unscheduled lock outages and/or channel closures to mitigate stakeholder impacts. “I engaged with US Army Corps of Engineers leadership and navigation users including local, state, federal, and bi-national groups and agencies to communicate navigation impacts.”

To begin his career, Sprague graduated from Lawrence Technological University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is a Michigan state licensed professional engineer.

To read more about Sprague’s personal life, click on this link: https://www.sooleader.com/local-news/engineer-kevin-sprague-says-goodbye-after-30-years-18-photos-5528997?utm_source=SND&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=AutoPilot&fbclid=IwAR2Tt9R34yiQFq6nAZBZyzMz3EvH41js1mbwuZAL5dtiovH-mWP9oKsm57o

SooLeader

—

Have a good extended weekend everyone!

-Jack

Bayfield welcomes Viking Cruise ship

BAYFIELD, WI – Passengers traveling the Great Lakes aboard Viking Cruises’ Octantis explored Bayfield and the Apostle Islands on Tuesday.

The ship carrying 334 passengers and about 200 crew members parked just beyond the Bayfield Harbor breakwall. Tenders transported passengers to and from the 665-foot vessel to the Bayfield City Dock. The Red Cliff Drum and Dance Troupe welcomed visitors to shore at the Bayfield Lakeside Pavilion.

Bayfield city, county, and state tourism representatives explored the state-of-the-art cruise ship and presented the captain with gifts representing Bayfield.  “We have been working to make this happen for about three years, so it’s great to see it come to fruition,” said Ted Dougherty, Chair of the Bayfield Harbor Commission.

Items presented to the captain included a framed print of “Voyage of the New World” by Rabbett Strickland, an artist and member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Dignitaries also gave the ship captain a copy of Jeff Rennicke’s book “Jewels of the Water: Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands.” Rennicke is a nationally renowned landscape photographer and writer.

Mary Motiff, Tourism Director for Bayfield County, gave the captain a print of the Octantis made by local photographer and graphic designer Jamey Penney-Ritter. She is also the owner of Bemused Gallery and Studio in Washburn.

Visitors from the cruise ship took advantage of a local excursion or opted to explore downtown Bayfield on their own.

“Many passengers are going back to the ship with bags from local shops and I’ve heard positive comments about the good food…Several people said they would love to come back. This is great exposure for Bayfield,” said Ruth Goetz, Dock Lead for the Great Lakes Excursion, Milwaukee Foods Group.

The Octantis will make five more stops in Bayfield this summer. The next stop is scheduled for Tuesday, July 26.

BusinessNorth

Duluth Seaway Port Authority ranks favorably in Green Marine environmental rating

DULUTH, MN – The Duluth Seaway Port Authority and its terminal operations on Rice’s Point ranked among the nation’s top performers in the recently released Green Marine 2021 environmental performance report, posting a 3.8 score on Green Marine’s five-point scale. The overall average for port authority participants was 2.97.

The annual report rates port authority participants in seven categories: air emissions, community impacts, dry bulk handling and storage, environmental leadership, underwater noise, waste management, and a revised performance indicator for spill prevention and stormwater management. A record 50 North American port authorities participated in the 2021 evaluation process, with the Duluth Seaway Port Authority ranking No. 6 in the United States and No. 1 among U.S. Great Lakes ports.

“Green Marine provides a tangible annual scoreboard for environmental stewardship, with performance criteria that become increasingly robust each year,” said Jeff Stollenwerk, Duluth Seaway Port Authority director of government and environmental affairs. “The process raises awareness of our work to minimize environmental impacts and it inspires us to continually improve our environmental stewardship.”

The voluntary Green Marine certification program began in October 2007 and now includes more than 170 participating ship owners, port authorities, seaway corporations, terminal operators and shipyard managers. Program participants must adopt practices and technologies that continually reduce their environmental footprint on the land, air and sea. The Duluth Seaway Port Authority has participated since the program’s inception.

Duluth Seaway Port Authority

Great Lakes water levels could increase on average from 19 to 44 centimeters in the next few decades, study says

New research into Great Lakes water levels looks farther into the future to predict how much climate change will increase lake levels in four of the five Great Lakes.

The predictions for the levels between now and 2050 show average increases from 2010-2019 levels of Lake Superior rising 19 centimeters (7.5 inches), Lake Erie 28 centimeters (11 inches) and lakes Michigan and Huron by 44 centimeters (17.3 inches). Lake Ontario wasn’t included because the outflow from the lake is regulated and at the time, the model used did not incorporate the regulation plans of Lake Ontario.

These forecasts are a big departure from others, many of which only extend less than a year. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, for example, puts out a six-month forecast bulletin every month based on current conditions and anticipated future weather. The reason these new projections can go out so far and so confidently is the advanced modeling used in the study, applied for the first time to the Great Lakes.

Presented at the Frontiers in Hydrology Meeting on Thursday and awaiting publication, the research – led by Michigan Technological University associate professor Pengfei Xue – used advanced climate modeling with a 3D hydrodynamic model to simulate the lakes more accurately. The modeling Xue used is more typically applied to oceans.

“We were able to develop a coupled modeling system that not only accounts for the interactions between the lakes, atmosphere and surrounding land, but also presented a more realistic and accurate representation of the Great Lakes hydrodynamic processes in climate modeling,” Xue said. “This is a necessary step to ultimately improve the long-term lake level projections.”

Read the full article at this link: https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/great-lakes-water-levels-increase-next-few-decades/

Great Lakes Now

U.S. Steel to invest $150 million dollars for a DR grade pellet system in Minnesota

U.S. Steel is moving into the DR grade pellet market. The company announced Tuesday they have plans to invest $150 million dollars into a DR pellet system in Minnesota this fall.

The company owns Minntac and Keetac. The announcement does not say which plant would be making the DR grade pellets. DR grade pellets have a higher iron content, and are used in Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) processing. That material goes into the electric arc furnaces, which are different than the traditional blast furnaces.

“This is the biggest announcement in four decades. The fact that U.S. Steel is investing $100-$200 million in Minnesota Ore Operations, and with steelmaking in this country moving towards electric arc furnaces, the steelworkers are extremely excited for this news,” shared John Arbogast, from the United Steelworkers District 11.

The announcement also said they are working with SunCoke Energy to repurpose two blast furnaces at Granite City. SunEnergy would then build a pig iron production facility there. DR grade pellets can be used to make pig iron as well.

Cleveland-Cliffs began making DR grade pellets at their Northshore plant in Silver Bay in 2019. But they have moved production of that pellet to Minorca.

WDIO-DT

Toronto could soon receive a high-speed ferry service to Niagara Falls

A planned ferry service from Lake Ontario EXPRESS would run two zero-emission passenger boats from Toronto’s waterfront to the lower Niagara Peninsula and would cost $25 per ride.

Bruno Caciagli, president of Lake Ontario Express plans to start with two boats, with a 50 – 80 passenger capacity. So far, he has acquired the necessary permits on the Niagara end and is working on securing a docking space in Toronto, but it hasn’t been entirely smooth sailing.

Once they’re up and running, the boats will be operational during the tourist season of April to mid-fall. Because of the technology the boats use — an Artemis eFoiler, which enables the boats to glide over the water — they can’t operate in the winter when there’s ice in the lake. The Artemis eFoiler is based on the integration of a high-power density electric drivetrain into an autonomously controlled hydrofoil.

This won’t be the first attempt at a Toronto to Niagara ferry. Specifically, 2 Katran hydrofoils (Seaflight I and II) operated on Lake Ontario between Toronto and Queenstown, Niagara from1998 -2003. Other companies have tried to operate similar routes in the past, but a lack of passengers taking the service made the boats unprofitable.

Having looked at studies done by Metrolinx in 2015 on the GO Train service between Niagara and Toronto, Caciagli is confident that a robust customer base wanting to go between the two cities is there.

Construction of the boats, built by Artemis Technologies LTD in the UK, is expected to start in 2023

blogTO

NOAA award the University of Michigan’s Great Lakes research center $53M

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has awarded the University of Michigan a five-year, $53 million grant to continue and expand the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, which leads research for sustainability in the Great Lakes.

Scientists and students at the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research work alongside researchers at NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor to find solutions to pressing Great Lakes issues, such as climate change, extreme weather events, invasive species, harmful algal blooms and ecosystem protection. The institute is hosted by U-M’s School for Environment and Sustainability.

Over the next five years, a key focus for scientists and engineers at the institute and GLERL will be the further development of autonomous monitoring systems, stationary and mobile, for the Great Lakes.

Since 1989, NOAA has awarded eight consecutive multiyear cooperative agreements to UM to help the federal office at the institute. The latest grant more than doubles the funding level of the previous five-year period and is the largest sponsored award in the school’s history.

“The renewal of our cooperative agreement will allow us to expand our research to meet key scientific challenges in the Great Lakes,” said UM environmental microbiologist and Cooperative Institute Director Gregory Dick, a professor at the School for Environment and Sustainability and the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Effective July 1, UM’s renewal agreement of $3.6 million over five years to the Cooperative Institute triples its previous funding level.

Besides research, the institute also leads a regional consortium of universities and private-sector partners.

The renewal agreement adds Lake Superior State University as the 10th university in the regional consortium. LSSU, in the Upper Penninsula, will facilitate collaborations with the  U.S. Coast Guard National Center of Expertise for the Great Lakes, which will conduct research on the effects of and responses to oil spills.

The Detroit News

Free museum vessel admission on Ding Schoonmaker Day; Launch of museum ship HistoBrick LEGO® kit

The National Museum of the Great Lakes will be holding “Ding Schoonmaker Day” on July 1st—offering FREE admission to museum vessels with the purchase of museum-only admission. In addition, the day will include the public launch of a new HistoBrick Kit featuring an exclusive, limited edition brick model of the Col. James M. Schoonmaker.

Ding Schoonmaker Day was developed to be both a celebration of the Anniversary of the rechristening of the Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship and to honor the late Ding Schoonmaker, grandson of the vessel’s namesake who was instrumental in the boat’s restoration. HistoBrick creates custom historical models out of LEGO® bricks and has partnered with the museum to feature the Col. James M. Schoonmaker. Model kits are made of new-condition LEGO® bricks and can be ordered online directly through HistoBrick with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the National Museum of the Great Lakes.

Please note that pre-order tickets will not be available for Ding Schoonmaker Day on July 1, admission will be walk-in only. For additional information on HistoBrick and to pre-order the limited edition kit of the Col. James M. Schoonmaker ship visit: histobrick.com/collections/building-kits/products/ss-col-james-m-schoonmaker

National Museum of the Great Lakes

Mesabi Miner returns to service after six-day absence

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – On Sunday morning, Interlake Steamship Co.’s 1,004’ vessel Mesabi Miner unmoored from the West Pier of the Soo Locks and resumed its down bound trip to St. Clair, MI., following engine repairs.

On June 20th, the Mesabi Miner tied up at West Pier. The following day fleet mate James R. Barker tied up alongside the Miner’s port side and delivered engine parts. Seven days later the Miner would finally reach St. Clair. 

‘A key part of our economic opportunity’: Great Lakes mayors united in call for a provincial marine strategy

They were there for a purpose, and it wasn’t to look at the ships passing by in the Welland Canal.

Walter Sendzik, mayor of St. Catharines and chair of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, was joined by Port Colborne Mayor Bill Steele, Township of Tiny Mayor George Cornell, and marine industry representatives to announce they want to see the Ontario government develop a strategic, well-funded vision for the maritime industry in the province. “We urge the Province of Ontario to move forward on a marine strategy for our province,” said Sendzik. “It really is a key part of our economic opportunity”

The group represents more than 150 Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River mayors.

Steele said a marine strategy is “more than just a transportation initiative. “A strategy focused on supporting our maritime industry is relevant for international trade and community economic development, but it also has important ties to tourism and recreation as well as natural resources and the environment,” Steele said. 

J. Wesley Newton, executive vice-president of strategy and business development for Algoma Central, said “we see the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Seaway as a jewel in our national infrastructure.” Newton said the lakes and seaway “allows industries and the Great Lakes region to compete internationally and export their goods to the world.”

He said the use of marine shipping “is more environmentally friendly than transport trucks”. “I would ask you to consider, with all the focus on carbon reductions in our world today and need to find immediate solutions, there’s a solution staring us in the face available today — it’s moving goods from other modes to the marine mode,” he said. According to Newton, for every ton you remove from a transport truck and ship on an Algoma Seaway Max Laker “we reduce carbon by 85 per cent”. “That’s nearly net-zero impact,” said Newton.

“We are extremely grateful for the Ontario government’s commitment to developing an Ontario marine strategy and we look forward to working with our industry and government colleagues on the details. Federal shipbuilding contracts represent a multi-billion-dollar opportunity for Ontario shipyards. An Ontario marine strategy will ensure Ontario is competitively positioned to capture this work and bring shipbuilding back to the province,” said.

Ted Kirkpatrick, director of business development and government relations, Heddle Shipyards, said Ontario “was a shipbuilding mecca in this country.”

He said, “in its heyday, the shipbuilding industry employed thousands of people across the province and supported hundreds of businesses in Ontario from communities like Port Colborne to Thunder Bay.”

Kirkpatrick said the federal government is offering a “generational opportunity” with the number of federal shipbuilding contracts available. An estimated 35 Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy vessels will be built over the next two decades, he said. “A marine strategy will ensure Ontario shipyards are positioned to execute on this one,” said Kirkpatrick.

According to the Chamber of Marine Commerce, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region is an economic powerhouse and the industrial heartland of both the United States and Canada. The chamber estimated the region has a combined GDP of over $6 trillion, making it the third largest economy in the world if it were a country.

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River waterway is the longest inland deep-draft navigation system in the world, connecting more than 110 commercial ports in Canada and the United States. Every year, ships deliver more than 230 million metric tons of cargo, worth over $100 billion on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence waterway.

The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative is a bi-national coalition of U.S. and Canadian mayors from more than 150 cities and municipalities working to advance the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.

The Star

Museum temporary exhibit will showcase America’s only floating post office and other Great Lakes service vessels

TOLEDO, OH – On Thursday, June 30, the National Museum of the Great Lakes

welcomes a new temporary exhibit titled “By the Pail: J.W. Westcott and Great Lakes Service Vessels.” The exhibit takes an indepth look at the J.W. Westcott Co. and other vessels that serviced the sailors of the Great Lakes through the years including bumboats, grocery providers, and a butcher boat.

“Most people don’t know the Detroit River is home to America’s only floating post office, which was the inspiration for the exhibit’s name,” shares lead curator Carrie Sowden. “In the early days, a rope would be tossed to a waiting rowboat by a passing ship. While being towed along the ship’s side, service boats would load correspondence and supplies into a bucket lowered by the ship’s crew. Long coined “mail-by-the-pail,” the system remains little changed today.”

Life aboard a Great Lakes vessel can be isolating and lonely. A note or package from a loved one or access to personal items and food were real morale boosters. In 1948 the J.W. Westcott Co. began delivering mail to sailors passing by on vessels as an official postal service which still operates today under the zip code 48222. “By the Pail” uses images, video and artifacts to take a deeper look at service vessels including the J.W. Westcott II and the important role they played through the years.

Exhibit admission is FREE for members and included with any museum admission purchase. The temporary exhibit will be open during regular museum hours through August 14. Individuals can purchase same-day tickets at the door or online in advance. For additional information visit nmgl.org/events or call 419-214-5000.

National Museum of the Great Lakes

Sault Ste. Marie celebrates Engineers Day at Soo Locks

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – It’s been a tradition since 1975 in Sault Ste. Marie, opening up the historic Soo Locks to the public.

Engineers Day wrapped up Friday afternoon with thousands of people getting up close to the freighters. It is the only day of the year the interior of the Soo Locks is open to the public.

Visitors were able to see how the locks work as several freighters passed through during the event. There were also dozens of vendors at the park, as well as the City Hall grounds.

The Coast Guard also had their open house. One boat-nerd travelled from Minnesota to partake in the day’s events.

“It’s really cool to see everyone interested in it and no one is on their phones,” said Nick Stenstrup, a boat-nerd from St. Paul, Minnesota. “Where I am from, everyone is on their phones when they go to do something fun. The only time a phone is out here is when to take a picture of something that is really cool.”

It was a great day as five freighters locked through during the event.

9&10 News

10k enjoy up close look at the famous Soo Locks

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – Despite gas prices pushing record highs, thousands of visitors descended on the famous Soo Locks Friday for the 28th annual Engineers Day offered by the US Army Corps of Engineers.

For just one day a year, the agency opens the gates to let visitors stroll across the MacArthur Lock to a grassy common between the Mac and the Poe Lock.

“It been busier than we thought it would be,” U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District Public Affairs Specialist Carrie Fox said. “We were anticipating between 8 and 10,000 people. It looks like attendance will be on the high side.”

Fox said the locks employ about 140 people, 90 of whom were on duty in red shirts to answer questions and steer visitors. The remaining 50 or so were running or supporting operations at the locks for regular ship traffic.

“We started Engineers Day in 1975, to mark two bicentennial anniversaries,” Fox said. “The US Army’s birthday is June 14, 1775, followed by the Army Corps of Engineers on June 16. Over the years we have settled on the last Friday of every June to mark the birthdays and welcome an up-close look at the locks.”

This year’s observance was the first full-fledged open house since 2019.

Fox thanked tourists who made the trek to the Sault, as well as the city and other agencies who pitched in to make it a banner day.

“The city closed Portage Avenue for vendors, the Coast Guard had an open house and demos, city hall hosted a craft fair, and LSSU showed off its new Center for Freshwater Research and Education,” said Fox. “Linda Hoath of the Sault Area Convention and Visitors Bureau deserves a big shout out for helping us organize and pull this off.”

Next year’s Engineers Day is June 30.

Read more and view photos at this Soo Leader link: https://www.sootoday.com/local-news/10k-enjoy-up-close-look-at-the-famous-soo-locks-70-photos-5517937?utm_source=SND&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=AutoPilot&fbclid=IwAR1-FF_QXIbuVgcZkvcGmbVpYEbVZ4qgdJJhrOfZdzhpf_FBdz1DP3xA8o4

Fincantieri Marinette Marine to build the third Constellation-Class Frigate

*FINCANTIERI PRESS RELEASE*

The US Navy announced it has exercised the option to have Fincantieri U.S. subsidiary, Marinette Marine (FMM), build the third Constellation-class guided-missile frigate, USS Chesapeake (FFG-64).

The option value stands at approximately 536 million dollars. This announcement follows last month’s successful design review of the first-in-class USS Constellation (FFG-62), which is nearing the start of construction.

The Constellation program was awarded to FMM in 2020, through a contract for the lead frigate and 9 option ships. The contract, including post-delivery availability support and crew training, has a cumulative value of 5.5 billion dollars. Under the same program, the U.S. Navy plans to build 10 additional vessels, for a total of 20 units.

Fincantieri succeeded in such a high-profile tender, distinguishing itself among several major U.S. shipyards thanks to a project considered as the most innovative and cutting-edge. The Group’s proposal is based on the FREMM frigate platform, globally recognized as the most technologically advanced, and the backbone of a 10-unit program for the Italian Navy which Fincantieri is currently completing.

Furthermore, the upgrade of Fincantieri US shipyards is nearly completed, enabling the subsidiary to build two frigates each year.

FMM is the spearhead of Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG), which controls two other shipyards also located in the Great Lakes (Wisconsin) – Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Fincantieri Ace Marine. The company serves commercial and government customers in the US. 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.

Naval News

Engineers Day this Friday at Soo Locks

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – On Friday, June 24, Sault Ste. Marie is celebrating its annual Engineers Day event by opening up the locks to visitors. Since 1975, the last Friday in June has been Engineers Day in Sault Ste. Marie. It is a day for celebrating the work that local engineers do all year long to keep the Soo Locks running.

As part of the celebration, visitors will be able to walk right up to the locks and see them up close. From 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., visitors will have access to the Soo Locks facility and be able to watch as ships pass through.

“They can walk right across the MacArthur lock and the Poe lock and be right up close when the ships are coming in,” said Carrie Fox with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

This is the first time that visitors have been able to see the locks up close since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sault Area Convention and Visitors Bureau expects upwards of 9,000 visitors to the locks on the day of the event.

During this time, the Soo Locks Visitor Center and Observation Deck and the Soo Locks Canal Park will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The day celebrates the engineers who built the Soo Locks along with the men and women of the past and present who maintain the Locks. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers invites people of all ages to come explore the Soo Locks for free. Visitors are invited to stroll the Soo Locks Park, explore history in the visitor center and climb observation platforms as mammoth freighters ply the waters of the St. Marys River system. Be sure to stop into the Visitors Center to explore all of the new displays and test your hands at being a Lock Master.

Many local businesses will be celebrating Engineers Day too. On Portage Street, from Magazine Street to Ferris Street, there will be vendors and merchants lined up. Traffic will be closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will also be a craft show taking place in front of city hall from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The new Lake Superior State University Center for Freshwater Research and Education will also be open for visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The center is home to educational exhibits about the Great Lakes.

The Chippewa County Historical Society will be having an open demonstration pf their train display. Stop by anytime between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to see this highly detailed display.

“There’s not a better day to come up and see the locks, especially to get across the locks and see up close the ships that are coming in and out,” said Fox.

U.S. grain shipments up 39% through the Seaway; new capacity coming

U.S. grain shipments via the Great Lakes-Seaway system totaled 312,000 metric tons from March 22 to May 31, up 39% compared to the same period in 2021.  Much of the increase is due to exports of corn and soybeans out of the Port of Toledo and some new trade starting at the port of Oswego this shipping season.

The rise in shipments, which are predominantly heading to Europe and North Africa, are in part due to shifting global grain trading patterns as the conflict between Russia and the Ukraine — both major grain exporters — continues.

“The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system is proving its worth as a reliable trade gateway for the U.S. agricultural sector amidst continuing global transportation disruptions,” said Bruce Burrows, President and CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce.  “U.S. ports and their grain company partners are continuing to up their ‘transportation and trade game’ with new container capability and investments in shore-side grain storage and handling.”

The Port of Toledo had a successful month of May with total tonnage for the season surpassing 3.2 million short tons.  Strong grain and iron ore shipments propelled tonnage to eclipse 2021 totals by nearly 18%.  “Agricultural products seem to be big movers so far this year,” said Joseph Cappel, VP of Business Development for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.  “We are seeing robust corn, soybean, wheat, oats, DDGs, and fertilizer shipments moving through the port fairly early this year as global trade patterns continue to shift. With a good 2022 harvest, we can expect that these agricultural products will continue to be among the leading commodities for the Port of Toledo throughout the year.”

The positive numbers come as new investments in grain terminals at U.S. Great Lakes ports continue to be announced. Earlier this month, the Hansen-Mueller Company finalized the acquisition of General Mills Elevator A in Duluth, Minnesota, completing a deal that will bring the grain-handling facility back into active service. Nebraska-based Hansen-Mueller plans to bring the facility back into operation in time for the 2022 harvest season. The facility will import and export primarily small grains grown in the United States and Canada to domestic and foreign destinations.  Construction is also going strong at the future site of Port Milwaukee’s new DeLong agricultural maritime export facility, expected to open in 2023.  The Andersons Inc. also leased a grain storage facility at the Port of Oswego in 2021, with their first shipment by vessel starting this season.

Overall, activity through the St. Lawrence Seaway improved in May after a slower start due to ice conditions in Lake Superior. Total cargo tonnage shipments (from March 22 to May 31) via the St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 7.6 million metric tons, down 10.8% compared to 2021 but gaining ground in comparison to April. Other system-wide highlights include an increase in shipments of project cargo such as wind turbines, road salt to replenish winter reserves and coke exports to Europe for cement production.

In May, the Port of Monroe loaded its first bottom ash vessel of the season. The material was unloaded at the Lafarge cement plant in Alpena, Michigan and is used to create more sustainable cement mixtures. The port has also received over 91,000 short tons of steel products from Canada for regional automotive manufacturers. Starting in late June/early July, the Port will begin moving wind tower sections on US-flagged vessels outbound in support of wind energy projects within the Great Lakes/Seaway region.

Port Milwaukee kicked off the 2022 international cruise ship season in May. The Viking Octantis was the first cruise ship arrival to Milwaukee, beginning a summer season where 33 port calls by various cruise ships are planned that will bring more than 10,000 passengers to Milwaukee. Fednav Limited became the first accepted participant in Port Milwaukee’s StewardSHIP environmental sustainability program with the Federal St Laurent vessel.

Buoyed by the season’s first maritime container exports and the first inbound cement shipment of 2022, total tonnage for the Port of Duluth-Superior topped 5.7 million short tons through May 31. That cumulative total still trails the five-season average by 18.5%, but May’s total float (3.2 million tons) represented a 31.8% increase over a very slow April 2022.

Kidney beans made May’s biggest headlines, with 4,500 tons sailing in containers to Europe from Duluth’s Clure Public Marine Terminal. This marked the port’s re-entry into the maritime container business, and hopefully, the first of many such shipments for Duluth Cargo Connect.

“Greater cargo diversity and more multimodal shipping options make our port and our region more vibrant,” said Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. “It’s a team effort to create these kinds of solutions for helping regional producers and manufacturers compete in the global marketplace, and we’re excited to see those efforts coming to fruition.”

Beyond the very broad general cargo category, iron ore made the biggest gains in May, with 1.9 million tons transiting the port. This eclipsed the April 2022 figure by more than 30%, but the season-to-date total still lags the five-season average by almost 24%. Coal and petcoke also moved briskly in May, topping 773,000 tons for the month and 1.4 million tons season-to-date.

“Total tonnage climbed 8% closer to the five-season average in May. It was good to see that early-season deficit diminish, but it continues to be a slower-than-normal start to the shipping season,” said DeLuca. “We’re hopeful that global supply chains normalize, which would also help normalize Duluth-Superior tonnage totals, but these continue to be unusual times. With that said, we’re pleased to see containerized cargo moving now, plus the season’s first shipments of wind energy components, so that cargo diversity continues to be a benefit.”

Chamber of Marine Commerce

Tour Boat grounds at the Soo

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – The Soo Locks tour boat LeVoyageur grounded above the locks on Monday afternoon after the water in the area dropped a foot in a short time. Passengers were safely taken aboard fleetmate Nokomis, with the local tugs Adenac III and Tammy on scene to help free the tour boat. LeVoyageur safely returned to her dock in the afternoon and divers were sent down to inspect the hull. She was back in service Tuesday morning.

Study identifies Waukegan coal plant as potential flooding, contamination risk

LAKE MICHIGAN – Community concerns of Lake Michigan contamination from a Waukegan power plant’s recently shuttered coal-fired units heightened last week after an environmental study identified the facility as a potential flood risk, citing rising lake levels due to climate change.

The report, released by Chicago’s Environmental Law and Policy Center, comes months after state legislation that would have required the removal of pollutants near the lake’s shorelines stalled in the House, but environmental advocates say they are not giving up on complete removal.

“The study shows that there are neighborhoods, facilities and communities that are going to be drastically affected by water encroaching onto industrial sites,” said Kiana Courtney, center staff attorney and co-author of the report. “It’s important that we are prepared, that there are nature-based solutions to manage when this happens, and that any potential contaminants won’t get carried into communities.”

The study’s scope includes four states, extending north to Two Rivers in Wisconsin, down to Gary, Indiana, and around to South Haven in Michigan. The report covers six locations in Illinois, including multiple Waukegan sites and Zion’s retired nuclear plant.

The Environmental Law and Policy Center examined potential flooding based on four water levels, from 584 feet to 589 feet. Over the last four decades or so, the highest lake level came in 2020 when it reached 582 feet.

The lake hasn’t reached 584 feet for about 1,500 years, but predictions of Great Lakes levels come with uncertainty, said Robin Mattheus, a coastal geologist with the Illinois State Geological Survey.

Read the full article at this link: https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20220620/study-identifies-waukegan-coal-plant-as-potential-flooding-contamination-risk

Daily Herald

Ore trade lags on Great Lakes

DULUTH, MN – While shipping leaders were thankful of a diverse flow of cargoes buoying May’s shipping totals, there was no denying iron ore shipments remained off pace.

Shipments of iron ore from U.S. Great Lakes ports totaled 4.4 million tons in May — a decrease of 20.4% compared to the same month a year ago, and 21.9% below the month’s five-year average, according to the Ohio-based Lake Carriers’ Association last week.

It was better than April’s 40% gap, and officials seized upon the industry closing the gap. “It was good to see that early season deficit diminish,” said Deb DeLuca, Duluth Seaway Port Authority executive director. “But it continues to be a slower-than-normal start to the shipping season.”

So far this season, the iron ore trade stands at 9.9 million tons, a decrease of 33.9% compared to the same point in 2021, and 31.4% below the five-year average.

DeLuca praised gains made in areas like container cargoes and cement. “We’re hopeful that global supply chains normalize, which would also help normalize Duluth-Superior tonnage totals,” DeLuca said. “But these continue to be unusual times.”

Containerized cargoes moving through the Clure Public Marine Terminal on Rice’s Point in Duluth, and the season’s first inbound cement shipment helped Duluth’s total tonnage top 5.7 million short tons in May — a 31.8% increase over a “very slow April,” a Port Authority news release said last week.

Kidney beans made headlines in May, with 4,500 tons leaving in containers for Europe. It marked the port’s reentry into the maritime container business. “Greater cargo diversity and more multimodal shipping options make our port and our region more vibrant,” DeLuca said. “It’s a team effort to create these kinds of solutions for helping regional producers and manufacturers compete in the global marketplace, and we’re excited to see those efforts coming to fruition.”

South of the Clure, at Duluth’s Ash Grove/CRH terminal, some 22,046 tons of cement arrived in May to be used in infrastructure projects throughout the Twin Ports and beyond. The shipment moved total cement tonnage within 11.7% of the five-season average.

Despite trailing five-year averages, iron ore made the biggest gains in May, with 1.9 million tons transiting the port. The total eclipsed the April 2022 figure by more than 30%, but the season-to-date total still lags the five-season average by almost 24%.

Coal and petcoke also moved briskly in May, topping 773,000 tons for the month and 1.4 million tons season-to-date. The total ranks within 7.6% of the five-season average.

All told, 75 ships arrived in the Twin Ports in May 2022, outpacing the May 2021 total by two ships.

A bigger picture of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system also came into view last week, when the Chamber of Marine Commerce issued a report on pandemic recovery. The report estimated 149 million metric tons of cargo movement in 2021, a figure reaching 94% of its pre-pandemic 2019 level, and 7% better than pandemic-stricken 2020. “This report paints a clear picture that the bi-national Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System supported the economic recovery and growth of many of our key industries in both Canada and the U.S.,” said Bruce Burrows, president and CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce, based in Ottawa.

With inflation rising to historic levels, Burrows noted the bi-national waterway operates without delay, and ought to be considered an even greater solution to transportation and supply chain problems. “It’s more important than ever that we focus our attention and investment on this unique inland marine highway,” he said.

Duluth News Tribune

MacArthur Lock now open after seasonal maintenance, extended repair

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – The Soo Locks’ MacArthur Lock opened to marine traffic June 19, after completing a critical repair that took longer than expected.

The MacArthur lock was set to reopen in late April but replacing the almost 79-year-old tainter valve machinery, original to the lock built in 1943, caused the closure’s 59-day extension.

“The tainter valve machinery replacement contract was a very large task,” Soo Locks Construction Chief Nicholas Pettit said. “The original machinery had to be cut into pieces and removed by crane out through a small access tunnel. The new machinery had to be fabricated in sections, lowered by crane in through the small tunnel and installed inside of the lock.”

The installation took longer than scheduled, but this critical replacement means the MacArthur Lock will continue operating long into the future, according to Pettit.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Cruising the Great Lakes: Day Two

We’re cruising the Great Lakes on the Viking Octantis, which visits Milwaukee every couple of weeks this summer as part of its ongoing journey around the inland seas.

Day 2: Mackinac Island

We’re at anchor today off Mackinac Island. This morning, I awoke to find us passing a couple solitary lighthouses and then entering the Straits and passing beneath the impressive five-mile long Mackinac Bridge, which took three years to build.

I regret that I missed Beaver Island – where much of Miles Harvey’s fabulous book, “The King of Confidence: A Tale of Utopian Dreamers, Frontier Schemers, True Believers, False Prophets, and the Murder of an American Monarch,” is set – while sleeping. I’d have loved even a peek at it in passing.

Mackinac Island feels a bit like a mix of Door County and Key West, with fudge shops and a vast array of sweatshirts for sale.

But there is also some interesting architecture and history and because no cars are allowed (though, interestingly, lots of houses have driveways and some even garages) you can still find men pushing carts around the streets sweeping up horse dung.

Read the full article at this link: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/great-lakes-cruise-viking-octantis?fbclid=IwAR3n2dccqIVWmmGGl9N8oUVn5u4mHDss6PBQRYEo5eOnn2njqeuJOuCykgA

OnMilwaukee

——

Have a good week!

– Jack

MacArthur Lock rewatered Saturday

UPDATE: The MacArthur Lock was back in service Sunday morning.
SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – The MacArthur Lock, which has been out of service while crews continued winter repairs which included replacing the tainter valve machinery, was rewatered on Saturday. The lock has yet to be placed back in service, but when it is it will be a relief for shippers and tour boat operators since there have been many long delays this season with only the Poe Lock operational.

Read more about tainter valves here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tainter_gate

Roger LeLievre

Carrying Canada Games torch to Niagara a ‘thrilling experience’ for crew of CSL St-Laurent

When Anita Lambe’s athletic career came to an end she persevered and steered her ship in another direction.

The Captain of Canadian Steamship Lines St-Laurent led her vessel to Port Colborne Friday night and arrived with the Roly McLenahan Canada Games Torch, the first time the iconic symbol of the sporting event has been carried on water. It was about a 48-hour trip from Montreal with her crew of 19 men and women.

In 1993, Capt. Lambe was selected to compete in the Games as a basketball player but that was cut short before she saw any action. “Unfortunately, my knee had other plans,” she said in an interview Friday ahead of the ceremony at Lock 8 in Port Colborne, the first of 12 stops the torch will make in Niagara before the sporting celebration starts Aug. 6. 

The 44-year-old said it’s “absolutely bittersweet” to be able to play this role in the torch relay after being sidelined years ago. “I learned from such a young age, because of sport, the importance of teamwork, commitment, and accountability,” she said, adding she took what she gained as an athlete on her course to become a seafarer. Before becoming a captain, she was a massage therapist and also worked as a fundraiser for children’s charities. She joined CSL as a first-year cadet on Pineglen in 2006 and became Captain in 2018. CSL Welland was the first ship she commanded.

Lambe said the torch was initially planned to travel with the CSL Welland, but a scheduling conflict resulted in her vessel carrying it, joined by 2022 Canada Games mascot Shelly the Turtle.

She said it’s been a “thrilling experience” for the entire crew. “We got lucky that we’ve been able to take part,” she said.

Over the next seven weekends, the Canada Games Torch will travel to every corner of the region, visiting each of Niagara’s twelve local municipalities, before completing its last leg in St. Catharines. More than 150 community members from Niagara will carry the torch through the region over the coming weeks. By the time the torch arrives at the Meridian Centre for the opening ceremony on Aug. 6 to officially commence the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games, the torch will have traveled through 21 communities in both Ontario and Quebec — covering approximately 1,200 kms by foot, bike, horse, and boat.

“The celebration of the disembarkment ceremony is an important event as we continue to inch closer to the opening ceremonies of the Canada Summer Games,” said Jim Bradley, Chair of the Niagara Region in a news release. “I congratulate each of the local torchbearers who have been selected to carry the Roly McLenahan Torch throughout our local communities — I want to thank all of the presenting sponsors for the torch relay as their contribution is making this exciting event a reality.”

Port Colborne Mayor Bill Steele honoured his city was able to host the kick-off event for the torch relay in Niagara. “The Welland Canal and shipping industry are integral to the history and success of not only our community but our country, and so it is fitting that the torch has arrived onboard CSL St. Laurent here at Lock 8 Gateway Park,” he said.

Next weekend, the torch will be carried in Thorold on Saturday and in Niagara Falls on Sunday.

The Star

Obituary: Robert John Ranusch Jr.

Robert John Ranusch Jr. of Clinton Township, Michigan, died June 12, 2022 at age 59. Bob loved the outdoors, whether it was through his passion of watching and researching freighters, enjoying his time with family and friends or being an avid fan of the Detroit Lions. For years he worked on the Detroit River mail boat J. W. Westcott II.

He often visited the Soo Locks and other freighter-watching locations and always had a smile on his face, The day before he passed away, he attended the Great Lakes Marine Mart at Port Huron where he visited with many of his friends.

Read the full obituary at this link: https://guestbook.wujekcalcaterra.com/obituaries/Robert-Ranusch-2/

———

Happy Father’s Day!

– Jack

Great Lakes shipping forecast cautiously optimistic

As on the inland waterways, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, essential workers on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway kept on working. They navigated their way through new restrictions and precautions, dealt with a drought and are now hoping for a brighter 2022 season.

“It’s amazing how each navigation season has its own character and its own characteristics that evolve through the year,” said Craig H. Middlebrook, administrator of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, which administers the U.S. side of the binational Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System. 

“The last two years of the pandemic were very, very interesting,” he said. “With all the turmoil in the world and in transportation and particularly maritime transportation in the world, one of the hallmarks of Great Lakes transportation was its consistency.”

The seaway is a continuous navigable deep water system of waterways crossing from as far east as the Atlantic Ocean to as far west as Duluth, Minn., via the Great Lakes and area rivers. It was built by the United States and Canada and opened in 1959.

More than 237,000 jobs and $35 billion in economic activity in the United States and Canada are annually supported by movement of various cargoes on the seaway system. More than 35 million metric tons of cargo move along it each year, according to U.S. Department of Transportation figures.

A ship transiting the seaway system’s 15 locks from Montreal to Lake Erie crosses the international border 27 times, and the U.S. Department of Transportation and Transport Canada work closely together to ensure that journeys are as safe and seamless as possible.

Read the full article at this link: https://www.waterwaysjournal.net/2022/06/17/great-lakes-shipping-forecast-cautiously-optimistic/

The WaterWays Journal

Great Lakes water sensors to help quickly identify oil spills

CHIPPEWA COUNTY, MI – After last week’s oil spill in the St. Mary’s River, Lake Superior State University will put numerous oil pollution monitors around the Great Lakes.

The sensors allow the school to quickly identify and react to spills.

Staff with the university say they were planning on deploying the sensors sometime soon anyway, but the recent spill moved the timeline forward.

With a rapid response grant and help from an Ann Arbor based tech company, the school was able to send one out just days after the spill.

“This is just I think providing more attention to the issue and maybe a bit more urgency to make sure that we have a system in place that can help detect, respond and recover that oil in a much faster way,” said Ashley Moerke, director of the Center for Freshwater Research and Education.

Moerke says LSSU plans on putting more of the sensors in the Great Lakes and St. Mary’s River in the coming months.

UpNorthLive

Great Lakes levels are down, but it may be too soon to celebrate

TRAVERSE CITY, MI – Great Lakes water levels are declining from their record-level highs two years ago.

And while that will be a welcome change for communities and property owners who have been trying to keep up with erosion affecting their shorelines, some experts are advising caution before folks get swept up in a wave of relief.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers data from this month indicates the height of Lake Michigan and Huron hit 577.5 feet at the start of last week — more than two feet shallower than the levels recorded in June 2020, and more than five feet less than the eight-month peak of 582.2 feet.

Those levels were so high that, even after extremely dry conditions last year, reaching drought levels in some parts of the Great Lakes basin, the waters in Lake Michigan and Huron were still well above their 100-year average. Even now, as the lakes continue their decline, coastal Michigan communities are unlikely to see a return to pre-2017 conditions yet this summer.

“Even with the driest conditions, we show the level remaining above long-term average, so at least for the next six months, it’s very unlikely that levels would dip below average,” said Keith Kompoltowicz, the Great Lakes Watershed Hydrology chief for the Army Corps.

Combined, all these factors have a number of implications for those living on or visiting the Lake Michigan waterfront, and few of them are purely hopeful. Coastlines and marinas are still likely facing another summer with waves rising above the ideal height — all it would take would be another series of sustained wet seasons for lake levels to surpass the crest seen two summers ago.

Meanwhile, the shift from 2020 to now already suggests a possible trend toward more severe fluctuations in lake conditions, cycling between high and low points on a much more condensed timescale than seen before in historical records.

Read the full article at this link: https://www.record-eagle.com/news/local_news/great-lakes-levels-are-down-but-it-may-be-too-soon-to-celebrate/article_bc589df2-ec20-11ec-bc15-13b0e81443d3.html

Traverse City Record Eagle