Boatnerd News
Boatnerd News – April 5
Introducing: The Mark W. Barker
Sturgeon Bay, WI – Scheduled to launch its working life later this year, the Mark W. Barker will enter sea trials soon this spring. It’s the first Great Lakes ship to be built by an American company since 1983, which marked the end of a lengthy boom time that included the arrival of the immense 1,000-footers.
Duluth News Tribune reporter Brady Slater, photographer Steve Kuchera and digital producer Samantha Erkkila visited Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding on Lake Michigan’s Sturgeon Bay to tour the new vessel and see what makes it different from a standard bulk-cargo hauler like those built four decades ago.
Read the story and see images at this link: https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/introducing-the-mark-w-barker?fbclid=IwAR2fH9E3imZY4ymwtxuMxvOeY6F3M9yJUJQmq3pJkM0HE69IeSGvS301w4E
Tall ship Denis Sullivan won’t sail in 2022 while Discovery World explores options for its future
Milwaukee, WI – Tall ships fans will have to wait at least one more year to see the S/V Denis Sullivan sailing on Lake Michigan again.
The 137-foot ship — the world’s only replica of a 19th-century three-masted Great Lakes schooner — will remain docked at Discovery World again this year, according to museum President and CEO Bryan Wunar. And its future at the museum is being reevaluated as Discovery World begins the process of seeking ways to use and care for the ship.
The decision to not sail this year was mostly a product of the Sullivan not having a captain.
In February 2021, Capt. Tiffany Krihwan, who had been the ship’s captain since 2008 and Discovery World’s director of marine operations since 2014, accepted a new job as captain of the schooner Ernestina-Morrissey at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
When Krihwan became the Denis Sullivan’s captain in 2008, she was one of only a handful of female tall ships captains in the industry; today, women represent 10% of all tall ships captains. In 2019, Krihwan won the Tall Ships America Sail Trainer of the Year award, which is given to a member “who has made a significant contribution to sail training through the demonstration of leadership by means of empowerment and inspiration.”
After not sailing in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Krihwan and Chief Mate Jonny Slanga — the ship’s only year-round crew, who are responsible for maintenance of the boat in the winter — were furloughed indefinitely in October of that year. With the future of the Sullivan uncertain, both pursued new opportunities in 2021.
As Discovery World began talking to those other organizations, they also began exploring other possibilities for the Sullivan.
“Right now, as we’re going through this period, we’re exploring — is the approach that we’ve used in the past, is that the right approach? Are there other organizations that we need to be working with? Are there opportunities to sort of share resources with other partners?” Wunar said. “So right now, rather than just simply moving forward with the thought of, let’s go back to where we were, maybe the path forward looks a little bit different.”
Wunar doesn’t know what that path looks like, but they started their exploratory process with Tall Ships America, a nonprofit focused on North America’s maritime heritage. Through that organization, Discovery World began looking at what other groups similar to theirs do with their tall ships — from some that operate the ships year-round to others that only have dockside programs to others whose entire focus is maritime education and history.
The process has Discovery World thinking about new opportunities for the ship, including some that other organizations might take on.
Simultaneously, the museum is undergoing a strategic planning process to be completed by the fall, according to Wunar. “It’s giving us a chance to sort of redefine what is our scope of content. … How do we engage people from communities that we have not had a direct impact on and that, in some cases, have been historically excluded from STEM education opportunities?” he said. “So as we go through that and redefine that scope, there’s that chance for us to think about not just the Sullivan, but all of the kinds of resources we have here. … What are the things that are very uniquely Discovery World, and then how do we use that to make sure that everything we do is guided by our educational mission, and that we’re not just adding on side projects, but instead, they all try to meet some of those common goals.”
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Manistee namesake vessel’s final port is Canadian scrapyard
Port Colborne, ON – The M/V Manistee has made its final voyage, arriving under tow last week to a scrapyard in Canada. Lower Lakes Towing Ltd.’s bulk carrier departed from Toledo, OH on March 29 and arrived at the Marine Recycling Corp. scrapyard in Port Colborne Ontario the following morning.
The nearly 80-year-old ship had been laid up at the former Hocking Valley Dock in Toledo for more than five years, before being escorted by McKeil Marine’s tug, Beverly MI to its final destination.
The voyage was delayed, however when the Manistee ran aground while traversing the Maumee River in Toledo. “…social media reports from the area around noon reported that the Manistee had gone aground near Grassy Island at the mouth of the river,” stated a March 28 update from boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/. Eventually, the Beverly MI managed to release the Manistee and the ships resumed their voyage.
Marine Recycling Corp. moved another ship, the former St. Clair, to accommodate the massive vessel’s arrival.
Among the largest ships to bear the name Manistee, the 676-foot bulk carrier was built by Great Lakes Engineering Works, River Rouge at a cost of $2.2 million, according to boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/.
Ordered by the U.S. Maritime Commission during World War II and launched in 1943, this laker was originally christened the Adirondack. Predominantly a coal-carrying vessel, the ship would undergo a number of name changes as it passed between owners. It was rechristened Manistee in March 2005.
The ship visited Manistee for 10 years under the name Manistee, delivering coal to TES Filer City Station in March 2005 to August 2015 when it delivered sand and aggregate for Reith-Riley. It went into permanent layup at Toledo the same year.
Lake levels drop drastically for 2nd straight year
The past few years we’ve been plagued by record high waters on the Great Lakes. The Lake Huron shoreline in the ABC12 viewing area has seen its fair share of erosion and flooding because of that, especially during storms. Record high water levels were routinely exacerbated by high winds blowing onshore. Those winds created an additional water rise, at times on the order of several feet, inundating our lake shore region.
Record rainfall in 2019 and 2020 was largely the cause. Not only in Mid-Michigan experience wet conditions but “upstream” areas did as well. Lake Superior being just such an area. Lake Superior drains through the St. Mary’s River into Lakes Michigan-Huron. Therefore, above average rainfall up north, in addition to our own record rain, can lead to water rising twice as fast on the Great Lakes to the south.
Thankfully, in 2021, we saw a substantial drop in water levels. But, is that trend continuing? The answer is yes, and in fact, even faster than last year!
Every week the US Army Corps of Engineers releases water level data for all five Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair every week. The data for the week of April 1st, 2022 is as follows.
Lake Michigan-Huron experienced a decline of 15 inches in water level in the past year – Lake Superior fell about 11 inches. The year before brought about an 11 inch decline on Lakes Michigan-Huron and about 8 inches or so on Lake Superior.
The record high for water, in April, in Lakes Michigan-Huron was set back in 2020. As of April 1st, 2022, we are 29 inches lower. That is a massive drop in water levels in two years. Beaches will be expansive this summer for all to enjoy!
Ever since 2020, many areas to the north saw annual precipitation fall around 10 inches. That’s a lot less water being put into the Great Lakes Watershed. Whereas in 2019, much of the area experience record rain in the fall, winter, and spring for a second year in a row.
Currently, there drought conditions have developed across much of the Lake Superior and Lake Michigan regions due to the lack of moisture.
Doing some fun math, we can calculate how much water was removed from Lake Huron due to natural processes. The lake has a surface area of 23,012 square miles. We know that one square mile equals 640 acres. Therefore, the coverage of the lake is 14,727,680 acres.
One inch of water across an acre equates to 27,154 gallons. The lake being down 26” as of March puts the totals gallons lost at 706,004 per acre. Now, we simply multiply that by the 14,727,680 acres and hope our calculators don’t melt. The number we get, just for Lake Huron, is an astounding loss of 10,397,800,990,772 gallons. Yes, that’s TRILLIONS. Or, more than 10 million millions. Crazy, huh?
Putting it in a way more folks might understand, that would be equivalent to over 14 million Olympic sized swimming pools.
The US Army Corps of Engineers also releases a forecast through the season. Granted, it is totally dependent on how much rainfall the whole Great Lakes Basin receives, but it’s possible water levels could be below average by this fall if the current trend continues
Boatnerd News – April 4
Ojibway sails on her final trip
The classic laker Ojibway, left its berth in Sorel, QC, Saturday morning headed to Port Colborne where she’ll end her career. According to Seaway guestimates, her second last stop will be Lock 8 on Tuesday at 7:29 a.m. This year marks the 70th anniversary of her launch at Bay City, MI.
800 gallons of paint make Lake Michigan car ferry look like new
Ludington, MI – After sandblasting and 800 gallons of paint, the 69-year-old S.S. Badger looks like new again. The exterior of the moving historic landmark has been restored to its original glossy black, white and red aesthetic, said Sara Spore, general manager of Lake Michigan Carferry, Inc., which owns the Badger.
“There wasn’t a complete paint job done since the railroad owned it,” she said. That was more than 40 years ago. There had been touch up, she said. Several layers of paint came off when the ship was sandblasted.
Painting the ship coincided with its five-year drydock inspection, which is required by the U.S. Coast Guard. The ship finished its 2021 season in October, docked and turned off its coal-fired engines in Ludington and then was towed by tugboat to a dry dock in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. on Nov. 3.
Read more and view images and a video at this MLive link: https://www.mlive.com/news/2022/04/800-gallons-of-paint-make-lake-michigan-car-ferry-look-like-new.html?utm_campaign=mlivedotcom_sf&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR34lf_mCG7ImzyzACOcldA5uK4-6RuWf8f-Wy0GDAHtcqoTLr57KEBRrL4
Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron expected to rise over the coming weeks
Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron water levels are typically near their seasonal low point at this time of the year. Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron water levels are expected to rise over the coming weeks in response to spring rainfall and snowmelt runoff. Lake Superior water levels remain below the seasonal long-term average while Lake Michigan-Huron water levels remain above the seasonal long-term average. Lake Superior outflows continue to be set in consideration of water levels upstream and downstream.
The Board expects the total outflow to be 1,530 m3/s (54 tcfs) in April, which is as prescribed by Lake Superior Regulation Plan 2012. The gate setting at the Compensating Works will be maintained at the setting equivalent to one-half gate open (Gates #7 through #10 partially open 20 cm (7.9 in)). There will be no change to the setting of Gate #1, which supplies a flow of about 15 m3/s to the channel north of the Fishery Remedial Dike.
Lake Superior declined 1 cm (0.4 in), which is the average decline in March. Lake Michigan-Huron rose 5 cm (2 in) last month, while on average the lake rises 4 cm (1.6 in) in March.
At the beginning of April, Lake Superior is 9 cm (3.5 in) below the long-term average water level (1918 – 2021) and 29 cm (11.4 in) below the level of a year ago. Lake Michigan-Huron is 24 cm (9.4 in) above average, 36 cm (14 in) below the level from last year, and 70 cm (28 in) below the record-high level set at this time in 2020.
Depending on the weather and water supply conditions during the next month, Lake Superior may rise by as much as 16 cm (6.3 in) and Lake Michigan-Huron water levels may rise by as much as 18 cm (7.1 in) in April.
The International Lake Superior Board of Control is responsible for managing the control works on the St. Marys River and regulating the outflow from Lake Superior into Lake Michigan-Huron. Under any outflow regulation plan, the ability to regulate the flow through the St. Marys River does not mean that full control of the water levels of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron is possible. This is because the major factors affecting water supply to the Great Lakes (i.e. precipitation, evaporation, and runoff) cannot be controlled, and are difficult to accurately predict. Outflow management cannot eliminate the risk of extreme water levels from occurring during periods of severe weather and water supply conditions. Additional information can be found at the Board’s homepage: https://ijc.org/en/lsbc or on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/InternationalLakeSuperiorBoardOfControl
Boatnerd News – April 2
Ojibway will make trip to scrapyard under her own power
Confirming what has been rumored since late last fall, the 1953-built Ojibway will be scrapped. She will sail under how own power from winter quarters at Sorel, QC, and is expected to arrive at the Marine Recycling Corp. scrapyard April 5. The information comes from the Facebook page of MRC owner Wayne Elliott.
Built by the Defoe Shipbuilding Company in Bay City, MI, in 1952 as Charles L. Hutchinson for the Pioneer Steamship Co., ownership passed to the Ford Motor Co. in 1963, where she was renamed Ernest R. Breech. Early in 1988, the vessel was purchased by Kinsman Lines (Great Lakes Associates Inc.) Rocky River, Ohio, to replace one of the Kinsman fleet’s 600-foot, coal-burning straight-deckers in the grain trade. She was renamed Kinsman Independent, the third vessel of the fleet to bear the name.
Kinsman Independent laid up for a final time in Buffalo, N.Y., on Dec.16, 2002. In 2004, she was bought by McKeil Work Boats Ltd. of Hamilton, ON, and towed there. In late May 2005, the bulker was officially registered and renamed Voyageur Independent on behalf of Voyageur Marine Transport Ltd., Ridgeville, ON, (after being acquired by them from McKeil Work Boats). The vessel received an extensive refit in Hamilton including the installation of a new General Electric V-16 four stroke, turbo-charged 7 FDM EFI diesel engine rated at 4,100 continuous b.h.p. at 1,050 R.P.M. (3,015 kW), a new propeller shaft, new propeller with a controllable pitch propeller control system and two new Caterpillar diesel generator sets. On Nov. 14, 2005, Voyageur Independent departed Hamilton on her maiden voyage in ballast to Thunder Bay.
On Aug. 28, 2007, Rand Logistics of New York, NY, announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Lower Lakes Towing Ltd of Port Dover, ON, had acquired the Voyageur Independent and fleet mate Voyageur Pioneer. On Feb. 29, 2008, Lower Lakes registered the bulker with Transport Canada under the new name Ojibway out of Nanticoke, ON. She has been busy since then in the grain trades, however an inspection last fall revealed that the hull needed significant steel work. The repairs were deemed not economically feasible, and Ojibway entered layup for the winter at Sorel.
According to Elliott, “MRC anticipates Ojibway will follow St Clair out of the water, before Manistee.”
Port of Oswego to export grain to Europe to combat shortages amid Ukraine conflict
Oswego, NY – The Port of Oswego is helping to combat a major worldwide grain shortage due to the war in Ukraine. On Thursday, a major export of grain was scheduled to happen sending more than 18,000 metric tons of grain to Europe, according to the Port of Oswego.
The grain comes from more than 100 Central New York farmers and is the first of at least six shipments scheduled for this year, the port said. The shipment is bound for Brussels and Ireland.
Port of Oswego
Cuyahoga first vessel of the season at Johnstown
Johnstown, ON –The Port of Johnstown, ON, welcomed the Cuyahoga as the first vessel of the 2022 shipping season Friday. She is taking out a load of soybeans. Edwardsburgh Cardinal Councilor Stephen Dillabough, Captain Tim Pryor and Port General Manager Robert Dalley.
Boatnerd News – April Foolish Edition
Miss Tregurtha to get magical musical horns
Superiority, WI – The reigning Queen of the Lakes, Miss Paulette R. Tregurtha, will be retrofitted with new horns before fitting out this spring. They have been crafted by the same purveyors of fine maritime accoutrements responsible for the “When You Wish Upon a Star” horns for the world-famous Disney Cruise Line. Sources say the new horns will play out the first line of “God Save the Queen,” although the Jones Act requires the song be referred to as “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.” Contacts at Outerlake Shipping say that the horns will make use of the magical white steam produced by ‘the Queen,’ and hope casual onlookers stop mistaking it for smoke.
Beam us aboard: Starfleet acquires Interlake, plans service to Alpha Quadrant
Cleveland, Ohhhh – In the latest of a string of transactions designed to diversify and orient the company’s positioning for future changes in the economy, Interlake today announced it had entered into an agreement to acquire Starfleet.The Cleveland-based Great Lakes shipping company with interests in passenger transportation and tug operations said the San Francisco-based fictional space fleet with operations spread across the Alpha Quadrant offered access to new markets and cargoes that, combined with Interlake’s proven track record in logistics, positioned both fleets to take advantage of changing economies.”There are planets out there full of iron ore that our customers demand, while our unparalled access to the Inland Seas ensure that that commodity gets to where it’s needed,” said Admiral James Tiberius Tregurtha, liaison between the two fleets.”Indeed,” said fleet science officer Spocker, “the melding of the two fleets resources is entirely logical.”An immediate goal of the merged fleets will be an increased focus on safety within Interlake’s new Deep Space Operations Division. “First thing is,” said VP for Safety James L. Oberstarship, “fuses and circuit breakers for all those bridge control panels. I mean, come on.””I told you, didn’t I?” said fleet medical officer Leonard H. McBarker. “We’re gonna get a freighter.” As McBarker walked away, he could be heard muttering “I’m a doctor Jim, not a shipfitter!”
Media contact: Khr’issy K’adlekh, Q’uonos, Subspace Frequency Three (priority channel).
Crowdfunding to automatically charge account when “make it a museum” is mentioned
Port Opahtie, Michneconsin – An experiment in so-called “crowdfunding” might pay off for Great Lakes museum ships.
Social media sites are partnering with an alliance of organizations caring for retired lakeboats in a synergistic leveraging of participatory boatwatching, according to Ty Tannique, manager of marine assets for Museum-Operated Navigational Entities of Yore (MONEY).
Under a monetization program developed in conjunction with the social media giant Farceblecch, those who want to see this or that aging aquatic asset converted into a money pit will be able to finance their wishes directly, with or without their consent.
“For example, if you type in the phrase ‘They ought to make it a museum,’ our algorithm detects that and, using your online shopping history combined with personal information scraped from your answers to questions such as which breakfast food item ‘has to go,’ accesses your credit card and charges it $100 that goes into a fund that’s divided among existing Great Lakes museum ships,” said Flatulent J. “Sparky” Hindenburg, Chief Aggravation Officer of Farceblecch, which recently changed its name to Meddle.
“We’re working on another algorithm which detects the phrase ‘It looked better before they put that boom on it’ and mails the commenter a shovel and directions to the nearest freighter unloading dock,” Hindenburg said. “It’s, like, really cool.”
The latter announcement caused excitement among many boatwatchers, particularly those with degrees and certifications in navigation, ship construction, weather forecasting and multistate shipping line operation from Farceblecch University, Meddle’s crowdsourced educational institution.
“Not only can I wreck my back and lungs over the course of a week clearing all that ugly cargo out of my favorite parade float — I mean, boat, I mean, ship — I can make unnecessary that big ugly boom that could do the same job in eight hours,” said Capt. R.M. Chair, who is eagerly awaiting his shovel.
The monetization move is expected to raise dozens of dollars for the benefit of museum ships across the Great Lakes, said MONEY’s chief financial officer, Rowlan Innit.
“We’re also looking into using the same process to crowdsource maintenance supplies for museum ships and even active ships,” Innit said. “It’s too early to speculate, but it’ll probably be based on the phrase “Needs paint.”
All-go-maul plans a new series of salt shakers
Port Coalburner, ON – The fast-growing All-go-maul fleet has announced a series of new Daffodil-class vessels to be built next year in Shipwreckbeckistan. The first to be delivered will be named All-go-maul Avenger, followed by All-go-maul Conquest, All-go-maul Devastator and All-go-maul Instigator. The latter will specialize in stirring the pot.
Also announced was the new All-go-maul Terminator (her “All-go-maul” logo on the bow will be replaced with a skull and crossbones and the hull will be painted black). Another new build will be named All-go-maul Oxidier, which will come coated in a realistic-looking rusty patina.
Since the newcomers will only haul salt, life expectancy will be measured in weeks instead of years.
Museum plans to make a boat out of exhibit
Tolid-leeo, OH-hihi – Planned placement of the National Museum of the Just OK Lakes next major permanent exhibit has led to speculation among Boatnerds with too much time on their hands that the museum is planning to turn a well-worn, if beloved, boatwatching cliche on its ear.
By the end of the year, museum director Gil Crisscross said, the wheelhouse of the St. Marys Endeavour — recently installed at one corner of the museum’s building on the banks of the Toledo River in Maumee — will be fully armed and operational. “Uh, I mean, just operational,” Crisscross said.
Officials had no comment on the control linkages seen connecting the wheelhouse to the bronze propeller of the John Sherwin Williams at the opposite corner of the building. The Sherwin Williams propeller is thought to be the largest one-piece bronze cast propeller in the galaxy.”One thing it doesn’t need, is paint,” Crisscross said.
“We’re seeking to give a realistic experience of looking out the windows of a wheelhouse and down the river, almost as if museum-goers were preparing to set sail,” said Criscross. “If the view were to suddenly start moving in response to visitors working the controls in the wheelhouse, well, that’s just so much better,” he said.
“What we want to do with the museum,” he continued, “is to make a boat out of it.”
Beloved steamer Anderdaughter to get sleek new stack, enter the cruise trade
Duhloot, Minnehaha – In response to the explosioning demand for cruise ships in the Great Lakes, the much-revered steamer Arthur M. Anderdaughter will have her No. 1 cargo hold altered to carry passengers. In keeping with her new role, she will get a new stack modeled on the well-known Carnivale Cruise Circles funnel.
“The two fins on the stack will ensure the coal smoke does not dirty the seersucker suits of the suckers that buy tickets for that lash-up,” said Eddie “F. Scott” Fitzgibbons, who thunk this up in the first place. “We will be stacking passengers up like steel coils,” he added, warning that the cargo hold is not air-conditioned. “It will be a real sweatbox in there,” he chortled, adding that he expects a huge demand for tickets due to the Anderdaughter’s connection with a famous shipwreck.
“You know the one,” said Fitzgibbons. “If I have to explain it to you, you don’t deserve to ride.”
In similar news, the museum ship Milwaukee Clipper also be retrofit to ply the lakes, however as a bonus she features actual passenger cabins. As part of the rebranding effort, she will henceforth be known as Milwaukee Paperclipper and should be easily identifiable on the horizon thanks to her grossly exaggerated red-painted funnels.
Amaze.com to ship packages by ships
In order to solve shipping delays caused by the many tankers now carrying taconite on the nation’s not-always-that-freeways, the online company Amaze.com is turning to the lakes to speed up shipments. Consulting moldy deconstruction blueprints, the company has decided to build an exact replica of the 1897-vintage steamer Amazon. The only difference will be her name: Amaze.com.
“We hope to deliver 10s and 10s of packages this way” said spokeskipper Inarrears Admiral Shy-T “Smileyface” Kicker. “Work Hard, Have Fun, Make History,” he added, sucking in a lungful of fumes from his vintage meerschaum pipe. “Shipping by ship! What a concept!”
Amaze.com
R2 will push all-electronic, un-peopled tug-barge barge DeTour
Planet Tatooine, in a Galaxy Far Far Away – Sea trials have begun for the next generation of automation in Great Lakes shipping with the sailing of the barge DeTour, pushed by the fully-automated tug R2.
“It may not look like much, but it’s got it where it counts,” said Inland Seas Spaceship Co. chief cybermechanic O. B. “Juan” Carnauba. “And I made a few … special modifications … myself.”
Asked if the new AETB (All Electronic Tug-Barge) had been built with the assistance of Great Lakes shipyards, Carnauba said he handled the construction himself. “I built it by hand,” he said. “Solo.”
The project started a long time ago in a river port far, far away but had only been able to make the jump with the admission by the Coast Guard that it had really had no idea about crew-size requirements for a ship with no people aboard.
Industry watcher Lara Organic said the new ETB should be able to make the Duluth run in less than 12 fathoms. “At least, that’s what it says on the spec sheet,” Organic said. “There’s some skepticism, given that a fathom is a unit of depth and not of time, but ISSC explains that by saying the R2 unit has worked out a method hauling more cargo at reduced draft. We’ll see.”
In a separate statement, the R2 unit emitted a series of beeps, whistles and hoots which, according to ISSC, translates as “I think I’m fast enough for you, old man.”
A trend that might be trending: Yet another ship for lakes to be built in U.S. yard
Carp Bay, WI – Toledo-Sandusky-Cliffs Shipping Co. is contemplating the building of yet another ship in an American shipyard, maintaining the breakneck building pace of recent decades.
“In keeping with the future uncertainty as to the type of cargoes to be shipped on the Lakes, this new build will feature entry doors in the side of the hull that lead directly into the cargo holds, which will be configured to hold not only dry bulk, windmill blades and (with enough duct tape) liquid cargoes, but also a rack for cars and pre-installed shelves and showcases for museum exhibits,” said T-S-C spokesman Bill Schitter.
The last option represents a unique strategy of looking forward into the past, he said.
“Sitting at dockside producing no revenue and begging for pennies so unpaid volunteers can keep the ship in paint for the edification of cargo-shorted, flip-flop-wearing loudmouths dripping ice cream all over the place is a relatively lucrative market going forward,” he said.
Delivery is expected in 2056.
Thanks to Don “Duck & Cover” Lee, Jeff “Skin & Bones” Gushman, Ethan “Severstar” Severson, Don “Beav” BeVier, Roger “Ramjet” LeLievre and others who wish to go unrecognized for reasons that should be oblivious.
Boatnerd News – April 1
CSL’s new Nukumi arrives in Canada
Halifax, NS – CSL’s new diesel-electric self-unloading ship arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on March 27, 2022, fresh from her maiden voyage. Purpose-built for Windsor Salt, Nukumi will begin servicing the Mines Seleine salt mine in late April. The ship is Canada’s first diesel-electric laker and the first single point loader to operate in Canada.
CSL
Twin Ports roll out snowy welcome mat for Spar
Duluth, MN – The latest U.S. Coast Guard vessel to call the Twin Ports home emerged Wednesday through the shipping canal and into a snow globe on Park Point. Several of the crew’s family members endured the morning’s snowfall to see their loved ones for the first time in roughly 90 days.
“This is a big deal,” said Nicole Browne, of Cloquet, as she and 16-year-old Morgan awaited the arrival of warrant officer David Browne. “Normally, they’re gone for two weeks at a time.”
Coast Guard Cutter Spar arrived after an adventurous year, bringing with it the former cast of the last vessel to call Duluth home, Cutter Alder. Sources said about 80% of the crew arriving home sailed last summer with the Alder to Baltimore, where they later joined Spar, a 225-foot buoy tender beginning its second life after a year of refurbishment and career spent in Alaskan waters.
“This was something very unnatural to the crew,” said Lt. Cmdr. Joel Wright, heaping praise on his charges, of which there are 48 assigned though it’s lighter than that at the moment.
“We are Spar as a crew, and we are Spar as a vessel,” Wright continued, “and to cross-deck, the way we call it, giving Alder away, which was a pristine ship, and taking a ship that had been up in Alaska, being used and reconstituted, that was a very difficult task.”
The crew members will enjoy two weeks of well-earned rest, Wright said, but not before having been put to the test already when Spar encountered nine vessels stuck in ice in Whitefish Bay earlier this week. Spar went to work alongside the heavy icebreaker Mackinaw, and the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Griffon to assist some of the first commercial lakers underway this season, including the Arthur M. Anderson and American Mariner — the first arrivals into Duluth and Superior, respectively, since the shipping season opened last Friday.
Lt. Kyle Hansen counted six vessels aided by Spar in Whitefish Bay. A deck hand, Hansen described the rubble field of ice. “There were parts that were at least 6 feet thick,” Hansen said.
For the captain, Wright, it was an easy choice to help. “For us to get through Whitefish Bay, we had to help others get through Whitefish Bay,” Wright said.
The Spar now takes its position as the regional buoy tender and icebreaker on eastern Lake Superior. Soon, once the ice leaves, the mission will call for aids to navigation to be set out on the lake.
Read more and view more images at this link: https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/twin-ports-rolls-out-snowy-welcome-mat-for-spar
Arthur M. Anderson opens Duluth-Superior season
Duluth-Superior – The port of Duluth-Superior welcomed their first arriving Great Lakes vessels on Wednesday in the new navigation season. The Great Lakes Fleet’s Arthur M. Anderson, the freighter famed for its search for the Edmund Fitzgerald during the 1975 storm, came into the Duluth Ship Canal at about noon CT to load iron ore pellets at CN#6. It is sporting a special decal commemorating its 70 years of service. American Mariner arrived in the afternoon at 14:05 to load wheat at General Mills.
Steve Sola, owner of the South Pier Range Light near the Aerial Lift Bridge, took this video of the Anderson’s arrival, including the two-blast salute. https://www.facebook.com/steve.sola.3/videos/505531857856316
Lake Superior Magazine
Biden’s budget includes billions in funding for Corps projects, including new Soo Lock
The President’s Budget for fiscal year 2023 includes more than $6.6 billion in discretionary funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works program, with just over $117.2 million set aside for Detroit District projects.
Of great regional significance is an additional $600,000 for the Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study, a project that includes the three Great Lakes districts: Detroit, Buffalo and Chicago. The goal is to create a plan identifying vulnerable coastal areas and recommending actions to bolster the coastal resources’ ability to withstand, recover from and adapt to future hydrologic uncertainty with respect to built and natural coastal environments. Recent high-water events across the Great Lakes brought about the study’s need.
The $117.2 million Civil Works budget is for the district’s Operation and Maintenance Program, which includes the maintenance of federal shipping channels and navigation structures within the Detroit District’s area of responsibility including the Soo Locks, Duluth-Superior Harbor, and Detroit and Saginaw rivers. These are part of the Great Lakes Navigation System, which provides significant economic benefit to the nation, in addition to added shoreline protection and flood reduction benefits to areas behind the structures.
The district operates and maintains the Soo Locks along with 81 harbors and nearly 400 miles of connecting channels on lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, St. Clair and portions of Lake Erie bordering Michigan.
The FY23 funding will be distributed among the projects as follows:
Michigan
Alpena Harbor $29,000
Channels In Lake St. Clair $248,000
Charlevoix Harbor $25,000
Detroit River $8,041,000
Grand Haven Harbor $3,425,000
Grand Traverse Bay Harbor $23,000
Holland Harbor $1,317,000
Inland Route $127,000
Keweenaw Waterway $1,458,000
Leland Harbor $22,000
Lexington Harbor $505,000
Little Lake Harbor $204,000
Ludington Harbor $1,164,300
Marquette Harbor $805,200
Monroe Harbor $1,286,300
Muskegon Harbor $980,500
New Buffalo Harbor $26,000
Port Sanilac Harbor $506,000
Saginaw River $4,058,000
Sebewaing River $68,000
St. Clair River $833,000
St. Joseph Harbor $3,033,000
St. Marys River, Soo Locks $82,566,000
Minnesota
Duluth-Superior Harbor, includes WI $6,185,000
Knife River Harbor $22,000
Wisconsin
La Pointe Harbor $22,000
Funding received also includes over $231,000 to support real estate coordination at 36 Detroit District navigation projects. Projects not funded through the President’s budget have the potential for funding through the FY22 Workplan and Infrastructure Investments and Job Act. FY22 Workplan projects and their funding amounts are scheduled to be released in early summer 2022.
Soo Leader
2022 edition of “Know Your Ships” ready for new shipping season
The new shipping season has started, and the 2022 edition of Know Your Ships, the popular annual field guide to boats and boatwatching on the Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway, has been released.
This year’s 200-page book includes information on U.S., Canadian and international-flag cargo vessels, tugs, excursion boats and barges in regular Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway service, including owner and port of registry, year and shipyard where built, length, beam, depth, cargo capacity and former names, plus type of engine, horsepower and more.
In the Spotlight section, you can read stories about the 50th anniversary of the Stewart J. Cort, check out some of the unique cargos carried on the lakes in 2021, get to know the ship-to-shore chef Catherine Schmuck and more.
Standard and spiral bindings are available. Order here: www.knowyourships.com
Boatnerd News – March 31
Long-idle Manistee reaches her final dock
Port Colborne, ON – Manistee arrived at Wharf 17 Marine Recycling Corp. in Port Colborne about 0830 March 30. She was towed from Toledo to MRC by tug Beverly M 1 and assisted by tugs Vac and John D. to the scrap yard.
Built in 1943 at Great Lakes Engineering Works, River Rouge, Michigan, Manistee sailed originally as Richard J. Reiss. Her name was shortened to Richard when she was sold to the Erie Sand fleet in 1986. A sale to Grand River Navigation Co. in 2005 saw her name changed to Manistee. She went into permanent layup at Toledo in 2015.
Two lakers arrive Wednesday to open Port of Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay, ON – Two domestic vessels arrived in the early morning hours Wednesday, March 30, marking the official opening of the navigation season in the Port of Thunder Bay. M/V Michipicoten came abeam of the light marking the Mission Bay entrance to the Port at 04:31 a.m. local time. M/V Captain Henry Jackman crossed the north entrance at 05:04 a.m.
The Michipicoten, namesake of the river that empties into Lake Superior near Wawa, Ontario, achieved the honor of being the Port’s Top Hat recipient for 2022. A seasoned vessel on the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway, this is the first time Michipicoten has received Thunder Bay’s Top Hat. Michipicoten is owned and operated by Lower Lakes Towing, subsidiary of Rand Logistics.
Both vessels are taking on grain shipments. Michipicoten is currently receiving 9,000 metric tonnes of oats at Superior Elevator and will depart overnight for Toledo, Ohio.The Michipicoten’s crew is led by Captain Adam Barnes and Chief Engineer Ralph Reeves.
Due to weather and other factors, a ceremony was not held.
Meanwhile, a winner has been declared in the Port of Thunder Bay’s Top Hats 2022 Laker Contest. With a guess of March 30 at 04:30 a.m., Michael Hull was the closest to the actual date and time of the first vessel’s arrival.
Lake Superior News
Nine Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships in commission tapped for early disposal
The Pentagon – The nine Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships currently in Navy service – built in Manitowoc, WI, the youngest of which was commissioned in 2020 – have been marked for disposal as part of the Department of Defense’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget proposal, USNI News has learned.
The ships – USS Fort Worth (LCS-3), USS Milwaukee (LCS-5), USS Detroit (LCS-7), USS Little Rock (LCS-9), USS Sioux City (LCS-11), USS Wichita (LCS-13), USS Billings (LCS-15) and USS St. Louis (LCS-19) – are part of the 24 ships the service has chosen to decommission in FY 2023 for an estimated $3.6 billion in savings.
In the Navy’s last plan for the Littoral Combat Ship program, the Freedom-class ships had been tapped to shoulder the anti-submarine warfare role with the LCS ASW mission package. The key component was a towed variable depth low-frequency active sonar that the Navy doesn’t have in the fleet. The promise behind the VDS was to give the Navy more tools to find the more sophisticated Russian submarines that have been entering service in the last several years.
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While it showed promise in early testing, the Raytheon-built AN/SQS-62 VDS suffered stability problems and had towing issues with the Freedom-class, several Navy officials have told USNI News. As a result of the poor performance, the Navy announced it had terminated the mission module on Monday.
A Raytheon spokesperson referred all questions on the sonar to the Navy when contacted by USNI News on Tuesday.
With no mission module and unexpected costs for the repair to a complex combining gear for the Freedom-class ships, Navy officials said it wasn’t worth keeping the ships in commission.
“As we look across LCS, this is a place where we have identified that there are real costs, especially – for the Freedom-class to be able to make some of the repairs that are needed on those as we measure that against what is the best contribution to the capabilities that we need,” Meredith Berger, who is performing the duties of Under Secretary of the Navy, said on Monday.
In the same briefing, Navy budget chief Rear Adm. John Gumbleton said the ASW mission would be a major part of the emerging Constellation-class (FFG-62) frigate program.
“This is about opportunity cost. ASW mission, that went away. Roughly $50 million a year support cost for these vessels and an opportunity to reinvest $1.8 billion when this ASW mission sets [are] going to be taken up by the frigate, of which we’re buying the fourth of the line in this budget request,” he said. “It speaks to a return on investment to get at the lethality we need for our near-peer competitor.”
The Navy planned to field the VDS Raytheon sonar on the frigates, but the service now intends to use Thales’ CAPTAS-4, a Navy official confirmed to USNI News on Tuesday.
CAPTAS-4 is widely in use by “anti-submarine warfare (ASW) frigates such as the Royal Navy Type 23 and Type 26 frigates, the French Navy FREMM and FDI frigates, the Italian FREMMs, the Spanish F110 frigates, and the Chilean Type 23,” reported Naval News.
The Navy intends to take the remaining six Freedom-class ships under construction and fit them with a variation of the surface warfare mission package for missions in U.S. Central and Southern commands, a service official told USNI News.
The move from the Pentagon to shed the Freedom-class ships comes days after Congress officially rejected the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2022 proposal to decommission Fort Worth, Detroit and Little Rock as part of the FY 2022 defense budget.
Freedom-class shipbuilder Lockheed Martin told USNI News on Tuesday, “we look forward to working with the administration and the Congress as the President’s Fiscal Year 23 budget receives full consideration in the months ahead.”
USNI News
New report reveals biggest barriers to recruiting younger workforce to Canadian marine sector
Ottawa, ON – A new survey of Canadian youth confirms that the biggest barrier to recruit new candidates is a lack of knowledge of the diversity of jobs available in the marine sector — with 67% of those in the millennial and Gen Z generations believing the industry is hard to get into and 60% saying they can only think of a few types of jobs.
The findings of the National Youth Report: Marine and the Next Generation, which was commissioned by the Canadian Marine Industry Foundation (CMIF) and conducted by Abacus Data, reinforce the need for the public and private sector to accelerate awareness efforts in the face of a looming labour and skills crisis.
Canada’s marine sector includes over 1,000 employers — both in the private and public sectors — and employs more than 100,000 skilled workers and professionals across Canada. The diverse sector offers job seekers exciting opportunities in everything from shipping and logistics to ports to marine services to infrastructure to government services.
However, maritime workforce recruitment and retention has become an increasing challenge with positions going unfilled both on ships and ashore — a problem expected to only get worse.
Transport Canada estimates that 43% of the marine transportation workforce (onboard commercial vessels and ferries) is expected to retire over the next 10 years. There is also the need to replace workers who voluntarily leave the marine sector or who move to shore-based positions. It is projected that there will be a need to hire approximately 19,000 new seafarers over the next 10 years. And that doesn’t include marine-related job opportunities in the public sector or in ports or other shore-based marine operations.
A first of its kind, the CMIF’s National Youth Report details the current landscape of marine sector career awareness and value in young people (aged 14 to 29) – serving as a baseline to track against over time. The report also indicates:
Overall, the marine industry is in a good starting position. Many young people think highly of the industry, especially when it comes to aligning with their own values.
Just under half of young people are open to considering a career in the marine industry, 20% have thought about a career in the industry before today and are at least open to pursuing this interest.
Compared to other industries, 69% of respondents believe that the marine industry provides interesting and fulfilling work; 67% believe it offers good pay and benefits; 56% believe that it values corporate/environmental responsibility; and 57% believe there are lots of opportunities to advance.
Millennials and those in Generation Z place a lot of importance on pay and stability. But pay and security are not their only priorities. Young people are also concerned about flexibility and finding a job that affords them a life that includes more than work. They want a job that affords a work-life balance every day, not just generous vacations, and they want a job that seamlessly fits into their goals, values, and interests.
The biggest barrier for the sector is a lack of knowledge on the diversity of jobs offered in the marine sector. 40% of respondents had “never heard anything about it.” However, among this 40%, a third still say they would consider a career in the industry.
The National Youth Report research, which was sponsored by the Chamber of Marine Commerce, is part of the CMIF’s Imagine Marine communication campaign. Through this campaign, the CMIF combines dynamic storytelling and targeted outreach to deliver marine’s substantial career offerings to students, young adults and other new candidates. The CMIF’s efforts address the marine sector’s near- and long-term talent development objectives by creating campaigns to grow awareness and providing information and resources necessary to those interested in taking the first steps toward a rewarding future in marine.
Boatnerd News – March 30
Wait ends for several upbound vessels, however ice causes more problems Tuesday
Sault Ste. Marie, MI – More favorable winds eased ice pressure in Whitefish Bay Tuesday morning, allowing Arthur M. Anderson, John G. Munson, Captain Henry Jackman, American Mariner, Michipcoten and Presque Isle to get underway. USCG cutter Mackinaw and the CCGS cutter Griffon assisted the vessels, which ran into more heavy ice at Whitefish Point.
Oakglen, Algoma Conveyor and John J Boland were upbound Tuesday, however Oakglen became stuck departing the lock in the late afternoon, which brought the other upbound traffic to a stop. CCGS Griffon got her moving in the evening, and she went to anchor for the night near Gros Cap. The Boland also indicated to Soo Traffic she planed to anchor just west of Gros Cap as well.
The downbound Burns Harbor and American Century were having difficulty near Whitefish Point Tuesday, and eventually stopped for the night.
USCG Spar, which was assisting upbound traffic Monday night, resumed her trip to Duluth Tuesday morning.
Another storm system moving in early Wednesday is expected to bring more strong winds and a mix of rain and snow.
Chestnut opens Toronto port for the season
Toronto, ON – Canfornav’s M/V Chestnut, in command of Captain Dorde Perovic and his crew, was awarded this year’s Beaver Hat while alongside Redpath Sugar, Toronto. The 161-year-old tradition celebrates the official opening of the commercial shipping season by ‘crowning’ the first ocean-going ship to arrive PortsToronto with the antique top hat.
Canfornav
Engineer’s Day 2022 will allow public across Soo Locks
Sault Ste. Marie, MI – The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers announced Monday that for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, visitors will be allowed across the Soo Locks for this year’s Engineer’s Day.
The Soo Locks have hosted Engineer’s Day since 1975. Engineer’s Day is traditionally held the last Friday in June to honor the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ June 16, 1775 birthday.
Officials say visitors are welcome into the Soo Locks facility and across the locks from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, June 24.
“Visitors are welcome to cross the gates, but the buildings will remain closed,” said Area Engineer Kevin Sprague.
According to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, visitors will also be welcomed into the Soo Locks complex, the Soo Locks Canal Park, viewing platform and Visitors Center. All will open to the public from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The City of Sault Ste. Marie is also closing a portion of Portage Avenue to focus on downtown city merchants and vendors. Officials say Downtown Portage Avenue will close to vehicle traffic and open for pedestrians and vendors on Ferris Street to Osborn Boulevard from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on June 24.
Moreover, Engineer’s Day 2022 will bring back some traditional partner events such as the United States Coast Guard open house from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Craft Show at the City Hall grounds from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the new Lake Superior State University Center for Freshwater Research and Education will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 24.
“The Soo Locks are so important to our history and our community, this annual event helps us celebrate that,” said Linda Hoath, director of the Sault Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Last year we closed the street and had great success, we look forward to combining the street closure with the locks being opened to the public.”
Boatnerd News – March 29
Icebound vessels on the move
UPDATE: With the USCG cutters Mackinaw and Spar and the CCGS cutter Griffon opening up the track in the ice, the six vessels that had been waiting to continue westbound were on the move at first light Tuesday. The strong northwest winds died down overnight and shifted to the south. They took advantage of a weather window, since another system moving in Wednesday is expected to bring more strong winds and a mix of rain and snow.
Ice, northwest winds stall upbound shipping at the Soo
Sault Ste. Marie, MI – It has been three days since the upbound vessels Arthur M. Anderson, John G. Munson, Captain Henry Jackman, American Mariner , Michipicoten and Presque Isle passed the Gros Cap Reef light, west of the Soo Locks. They didn’t get far. All of them continue to sit in the ice, thanks to Mother Nature.
NW winds have driven Lake Superior ice into Whitefish Bay and down into the Soo Locks approaches. The bad weather is expected to continue this week and there is no word on when the vessels will start to move.
“We have to lead them one by one,” said U.S. Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Services Director Mark Gill. “Because (the ice) is so thick, we can only do one at a time.” Today’s northwest wind has not helped matters,” Gill explained when calling Whitefish Bay “The drain of Lake Superior. The wind is pressing ice down,” he said, counting on tomorrow’s south wind to free things up a bit.
“This is a normal occurrence for this time of year,” Gill said. “The weather is untimely but normal.”
Meanwhile, USCG Spar, headed for her new home port of Duluth, was upbound late Monday.
Boatnerd Staff Report
Manistee released, tow resumes
By mid-afternoon Monday, the tug Beverly M 1 managed to release the Manistee from her strand and the tow resumed its voyage to Port Colborne, ON. They are showing an ETA for 6 AM Wednesday.
Sinking Lake Superior tugboat leaking oil into Duluth Harbor
Duluth, MN – The saga of the Lake Superior continues, with the U.S. Coast Guard discovering the tugboat is leaking oil.
The privately-owned retired U.S. Army Corps tugboat, named Lake Superior, began listing over the weekend while docked at its slip off Railroad Street near Pier B and the Compass Minerals dock, and by Monday morning, the stern of the vessel was underwater because ice around it had melted.
Federal certified contractors responded to the slip on Thursday morning and discovered at least one gallon of oil coming out of the vessel, Joseph McGinnis, the waterways management branch chief with the U.S. Coast Guard, told Bring Me The News on Friday.
“The contractors placed sorbent material around the vessel to absorb the oil and contain the pollution,” McGinnis said.
Meanwhile, the 7,500 gallons of fuel and oil on board the tugboat is believed to be secured but refloating the tug to drain the potential pollutants “is not possible at this time due to 6-8 feet of ice inside of the vessel,” he added.
The Coast Guard is working with the contractors to mitigate the situation and pollution responders will continue to conduct daily site visits to monitor the situation.
“Coast Guard’s focus is on protecting the environment. Once the environmental hazards are removed, the Coast Guard will have completed its mission. The fate of the vessel afterwards will be up to the owner,” McGinnis said.
It’s still not clear what caused the tugboat to start taking on water, with McGinnis telling Bring Me The News on Wednesday the hope is that question will be answered when the vessel is lifted out.
McGinnis encourages members of the public to call 218-725-3800 or 906-635-3233 if they see a vessel sinking or notice “any large sheens of oil” in the water.
BringMeTheNews.com
New Canada Steamship Line’s Nukumi arrives at Halifax
Halifax, NS – Canada Steamship Line’s newest ship, the Nukumi, arrived March 27 on its delivery trip from the Chengxi Shipyard in Jiangyin, China via the Pacific Ocean and Panama Canal.
Built to carry salt, the ship will operate from the Mines Seleine mine in the Magdalen Islands to ports around eastern Canada and into the Great Lakes. Salt is a notoriously hard cargo on ships, and this one has been purpose built, in cooperation with Windsor Salt, to withstand the rigors of that trade.
Measuring 22,715 gt, 25,800 dwt, the ship was temporarily registered in the Bahamas for the delivery tripbut will be re-flagged Canadian and registered in Halifax before entering service.
The ship is named Nukumi, pronounced “noo-goo-mee”, for the legendary wise old grandmother figure of the Native American Mi’kmaq people, traditional occupants of the unceded lands of eastern Canada.
Shipfax / Mac Mackay
Steel stock prices soaring to highest level since 2013
The stock prices of American steelmakers, including Northwest Indiana’s largest steelmakers, have been soaring since Russia invaded Ukraine, reaching their highest level in nearly a decade.
Russia’s war is expected to hobble the country’s steel exports as the world swiftly responded with a flurry of economic sanctions. The World Steel Association estimated Russia made 76 million tons of steel last year, a 6% year-over-year increase.
Russia is the world’s fifth-biggest steel-producing country, trailing only China, India, Japan and the United States.
Steel exports from Russia almost immediately halted after the attack on Ukraine at a time when steel demand in North America is growing.
Investors have become bullish in the stock of U.S. steelmakers as Russia being sidelined from the world market is likely to restrict supply and drive up prices. Some industry analysts forecast hot-rolled steel prices could again exceed $1,500 a ton.
U.S. Steel stock rose from $23.37 a share on Feb. 23, the day before Russia invaded Ukraine, to more than $38 a share during trading Friday.
Cleveland-Cliffs’ stock rose from $18.74 a share on Feb. 23 to more than $32 a share during trading Friday. It reached a nine-year high of $32.67 on Thursday.
“Russia’s invasion a month ago nearly instantly set off a butterfly effect across the steel markets,” JP Morgan analyst Michael Glick said in a note. “If we don’t see a resumption in Black Sea exports in the coming quarters, which is our base case, it’s hard to see what is going to supply that demand.”
NW Indiana Times
Boatnerd News – March 28
Manistee released, tow resumes
By mid-afternoon Monday, the tug Beverly M 1 managed to release the Manistee from her strand and the tow resumed its voyage to Port Colborne, ON.
Manistee tow leaves Toledo; runs aground
UPDATE: The Manistee scrap tow departed Monday morning as planned. However social media reports from the area around noon reported that the Manistee had gone aground near Grassy island at the mouth of the river.
Manistee scrap tow expected on Monday
Original report: Toledo, OH – The tug Beverly M1 arrived around 3 p.m. Sunday for the Manistee’s tow to the scrap yard. American Valor (the Valo technically) will need to be moved aside to get the Manistee out.
Michigan Maritime Gateway: Port saw cargo increase, expects busy year
Monroe, MI – Port of Monroe officials are working to establish the local agency as the first maritime stop in Michigan, highlighting the importance of interlake trade. As the Port of Monroe sails into the next shipping season, recent data highlighting last year’s trends shows a significant increase of inter-lake trade.
In 2021, the local port handled nearly 2.8 million tons of cargo through its dock. That’s an increase from 2020’s figure of about 1.5 million tons. Port Director Paul LaMarre III said the port continues to be shaped by its resilience and adaptability.
“We have undoubtedly had what other ports or institutions would consider insurmountable obstacles to redefine ourselves as not only an active seaport, but a public agency that puts its community first,” he added. “We try to remain purely positive and unrelenting in our efforts to ensure as much cargo and as many people working across our docks as possible.”
LaMarre said 2020 was marked by components needed for wind energy. Fourteen consecutive ships from Europe delivered wind tower components to the area to supplement wind towers built at Ventower in Monroe.
Last year, trends shifted elsewhere as a result of the pandemic, regulations and consumer needs. LaMarre said the port was fortunate to see the return of steel coil cargo. “The steel coil market is one of our most important cargos,” he added.
Much of that steel is produced in Canada, which is the country’s largest trade partner, LaMarre said, adding that such trade relations are a testament to the cross-border trade market that exists on Lake Erie.
Much of that cargo was handled by McKeil Marine, a Canada-based company. LaMarre said the company was one of the most frequent visitors to the port last year and will likely retain that designation this shipping season.
The port’s largest cargo was coal and petroleum coke, which accounted for about 1.6 million tons of cargo. The material, which is handled through the port’s partnership with DTE Energy, was an increase from 2020’s metric of about 938,000 tons.
Limestone accounted for the second largest cargo type. Another partnership with DTE, approximately 285,000 tons were handled last year. That’s down from the previous year’s total of about 345,000 tons.
Both cargo types are used at the Monroe Power Plant, which sits near the port on the city’s Lake Erie shoreline. LaMarre said there was a definite increase in vessels calling on the port on behalf of cargo resulting from its partnership with DTE.
“On some days, you have two simultaneous cargo operations going on at two different docks that had previously sat dormant for decades,” he said. “It’s about all of the activity — not just what occurs when the cargo is moving across the docks, but also elsewhere in the various supply chains.”
Liquid asphalt had a negligible change year-over-year. A partnership with Michigan Paving and Materials, about 137,000 tons of the material moved through the port. Other gains came in the port’s bulk product and project cargo categories.
Bulk product climbed to about 117,000 tons, up from 64,000 in 2020. Similarly, project cargo — mainly steel coils — accounted for 132,000 tons. That’s up from a previous total of 43,000.
“(Those cargos) have allowed us to establish our identity of efficiency, economics and … working with our vessel one partners — those continue to be at heart of our operation,” LaMarre said. “… we always look at way to attract new cargo opportunities and enhance our infrastructure.”
LaMarre said there has been a significant increase in the need for more efficient and viable options for moving containerized cargo into the Midwest. “It’s never been a more prevalent issue,” he said. “Addressing it fits very well with the Port of Monroe’s mission to establish the first maritime container terminal in the State of Michigan.”
And that’s a goal LaMarre expects to accomplish in 2023. It will be known as the Michigan Maritime Gateway, he added. The port has worked for more than seven years to be able to handle containerized cargo.
A regulatory standoff between the port and Customs and Border Patrol persisted for several years as local officials sought to handle containerized cargo. Deals spearheaded by LaMarre and other port officials were scuttled as CBP barred the port from handling such cargo.
LaMarre had secured a deal with Ford Motor Co. to export Ford Mustangs to Europe via the St. Lawrence Seaway. As the pilot program launched, CBP intervened, saying it could not regularly dedicate the needed manpower from its Detroit field office for such an endeavor. The agency also told the port it needed to acquire additional security screening equipment.
Another deal with Arauco North America was halted. As the first of several ships approached the Port of Monroe, CBP officials in Detroit diverted the vessel to the Port of Cleveland, statin no port in the state would be permitted to handle the cargo.
A study conducted by the University of Michigan found that CBP’s policies had cost the Monroe region substantial revenue and jobs. The issue prompted a bipartisan coalition of federal lawmakers to take up the cause. Democrat Sen. Gary Peters and Republican Rep. Tim Walberg pushed CBP for answers and clarifications. State lawmakers passed a bipartisan resolution calling for changes, highlighting the impact such policies had on the state economy. State Sen. Dale Zorn, R-Ida, co-sponsored the resolution.
In August, LaMarre and Peters hosted a delegation of bureaucrats from the agency, touring the port and explaining its positions and desire to be able to engage in handling more cargo. Troy Miller, the acting commissioner of CBP, and other officials were in attendance.
The port received federal grant funding to increase its security and scanning equipment.
“It is very gratifying to say that (CBP) is now our partner as we aim to establish and open that terminal,” LaMarre said. “We have had amazing support from CBP, (Peters), (Walberg) and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office.
“We have had amazing support from the city and county that are assisting the port to ensure that we continue to be and grow as one of Monroe County’s most important economic drivers.”
The venture is possible through the combined efforts of Spliethoff, Big Lift and the port’s terminal operator, DRM Terminal Services, LaMarre said. “We are strategically positioned for so many reasons, particularly because of our national cargo challenges, to really be that gateway port as the first maritime stop in Michigan.
“…While the port provides guidance, infrastructure and leadership, it is the efforts of each and every (stakeholders’) employees that keeps cargo moving across our docks with efficiency and pride.”
LaMarre, who came to the port 10 years ago, said the year ahead is a culmination of all the port team’s efforts. He expects the port will handle a record number of steel coil shipments, wind towers and bulk cargos.
The rest of the year will remain busy for the port, which is one of the busiest on the Great Lakes. Steel coils began arriving at the port earlier this month. The St. Lawrence Seaway, which has long been a strategic part of the port’s mission, and the Soo Locks opened last week. It marks the earliest opening of the seaway since 2008.
A Manitowoc Crawler Crane will set up at the port later this spring as well. The addition increases the port’s ability to handle cargo, a port official added.
The Army Corps of Engineers also will see significant dredging occur this year. It’s part of maintaining the navigability of the waterway. “The port will continue to fight for every ton of cargo that we can handle because of all the people that cargo effects,” LaMarre added.
Toledo Blade
Boatnerd News – March 27
Manistee scrap tow imminent
Toledo, OH – The tug Beverly M1 left Port Maitland early Saturday afternoon on her way to Toledo to pick up Manistee and tow her to Port Colborne. ETA for the scrapyard is Tuesday but weather is the unknown factor at this point.
Bill Bird
Authors, photographers, artists and ship lovers alike gather at Soo Locks Visitor Center
Sault Ste. Marie, MI – To accompany the opening of the Soo Locks at 12:01 a.m. Friday morning, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened the Soo Locks Visitor Center from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for its annual open house, in which out-of-staters, community members and families got together to learn all about the locks and big boats.
In the mix were boat nerds, like “Know your 2022 Ships” author, Roger LeLievre, Great Lakes Fleet deckhand Jarrett Dodge, Soo Locks Visitors Association Board Member Andrea Guerriero of DRE Designs – Great Lakes Marine Products and local woodworking artist Pat Whitehead.
Meanwhile, kids interacted and played with much smaller Soo Locks gravity elevator replicas. This enabled them to open or close the MacArthur and Poe Lock valves, filling and emptying its chambers with the 22 million gallons of water needed for ships to pass smoothly along the 21-foot drop of the St. Marys River.
Families climbed up and down the stairs of the tri-level visitor’s deck to look out to the Soo Locks, where 1,004-foot Great Lakes Fleet sister ships Edgar B. Speer and Edwin H. Gott floated through the Poe just hours prior.
After a late night of ship watching, many awoke to travel straight to the visitor’s center. Much needed chocolate-chip cookies and coffee awaited them.
At the center of all of it was club “king” LeLievre, a title bestowed upon him by U.S. Army Corps Chief Park Ranger Michelle Briggs, who, in good fun, sought to recognize him for sharing his passion and knowledge of ships with the world.
“These are the ‘boat nerds,’ LeLievre grinned, softly extending his arms up and down. “These are my subjects.”
For nearly 30 years, LeLievre has taught people about water vessels of all shapes and sizes through means of multiple visual, verbal and written works.
While at the open house, he socialized with friends and signed books from noon to 2 p.m.
Read more and view images at this Soo Leader link: https://www.sooleader.com/local-news/authors-photographers-artists-and-ship-lovers-alike-gather-at-soo-locks-visitor-center-5201109?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Email
Story behind the Top Hat at the Welland Canal opening
Port Colborne, ON – Ships’ captains do not usually wear top hats unless they’re on land at a fancy ball. So how exactly did the Top Hat Ceremony come to mark the annual opening of the Welland Canal – an event that happened March 24).
According to the City of Port Colborne, the Top Hat Ceremony was started in the early 1970s by then-Mayor John Buscarino so it’s been happening for about 50 years.
It is meant to bestow honor upon the captain of the first boat passing downbound (towards Lake Erie) through the canal each season, the nautical equivalent of the season opening game. This year, that was Captain Wilson Waters (representing Captain Jesse Vickers) of the CSL Tadoussac.
The ceremony wouldn’t exist for another 30-plus years after the Welland Canal was officially opened on August 6, 1932.
So, March 24, on the 90th Grand Opening of the canal, the captain of the first ship through was presented with the top hat.
The hat itself is the most colourful part of the ceremony as it is steeped in history. On loan from the Port Colborne & Historical Museum since 1999, it’s a beaver felt fur hat that was given to the Historical & Marine Museum by an anonymous donor.
It’s a 1900 top hat that was created by Tress and Co., a hat firm from London, England. The founder of the company was Cooper Tress Sr (1787-1869), who was joined at the company by his son Cooper Tress Jr. and later by Cooper Tress Jr.’s sons, Sidney Cooper Tress and Herbert Charles Tress.
The business was active in England for over 100 years, being established in 1846 and eventually selling to Christy’s in 1953 in the neighboring suburb of Bermondsdey. So that very specific top hat has come a long distance. After today’s ceremony, the hat was stored in an acid free box in the Captain John W. Sharpe Heritage Resource Centre, a climate-controlled building that was built in 1995 to house over 17,000 artifacts and archives.
But the captain presented with the hat isn’t left empty-handed. Every year, the first captain through is given a keepsake top hat to take with them on their downbound journey.
Inniagara.com
