Federal Lexi Rose and tug New York at Toledo in 2025. [Matt Miner]

Grain crops like corn, wheat and beans are up about three times compared with this time last year. A big part of the boost comes from corn. The reason behind it might surprise you.

More than 500 freighters come in and out of the Port of Toledo carrying about ten million tons of cargo in an average year. The port has a diverse portfolio when it comes to the materials on board.

Joe Cappel is the vice president of business development for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. “We have our large-scale commodities like coal, iron ore and grain. But we also handle things like salt, cement, aluminum and steel as well as break-bulk cargo. The big items you may see being hauled on the highway,” said Cappel.

While a lot of the focus is shipping products throughout North America, the port sees ripple effects from around the world.

“Toledo is tied to global markets, so what’s happening in one part of the world in terms of geo-political events or weather can make it better or worse for exporting out of the Port of Toledo. What’s happening with Russia and Ukraine means less corn is being exported from the Black Sea region, which opens up opportunities for other regions to export more corn. Toledo happens to be one of them,” said Cappel.

When it comes to grain, the numbers have taken a big jump. “We were doing was about 100,000 tons last year. Now, we saw about 350,000 tons through May. It is a big increase from 2025 to 2026. So much of that grain number is corn being exported from the Port of Toledo,” said Cappel.

All the commodities that move in and out of Toledo have a significant effect on our economy.

“Eight thousand jobs and more than one billion in economic activity are generated as a result of the 13 marine terminals that load and unload cargo,” Cappel said.

The goal is to make sure the port continues to expand its reach, working in concert with all the important elements along our river.

“The industrial activity at the port meshes very well with all the commercial, residential, the development and the parks. We have enough waterfront for everyone. It all has a place here. It helps generate jobs and contributes to our quality of life,” said Cappel.

A new project aimed at looking ahead is about to get underway. “The port is getting ready to launch a seaport master plan that look at things like land use, opportunity for the port, infrastructure and prepare us for the future,” said Cappel.

The Port of Toledo is one of the largest land mass ports on the Great Lakes, so there is plenty of room to expand, if needed. Work on that master plan is expected to get underway in the coming weeks.

WTVG

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – Three new outdoor display cases were dedicated Thursday at the Soo Locks, bringing restored displays back to the Canal Park area after years of deterioration. The displays help the public understand more about the locks and what the Army Corps of Engineers does.

Back in 2020, US Army Corps of Engineers Chief Park Ranger Michelle Briggs noticed that the outdoor displays in the Soo Locks Canal Park were weathered and falling apart. Briggs, who has been the Chief Park Ranger for 17 years, takes pride in how the park around the Soo Locks looks as well as the Visitor Center, so she and others looked at pathways to replace the display cases and restore the contents inside them.

Historic models more than 100 years old have been restored and installed in the new Soo Locks Plaza.

Thursday, six years later, Briggs held a special ceremony to officially dedicate the three new displays in the Soo Locks Plaza.

The displays were too big to even be considered for placement inside the Visitor Center, where there are already numerous displays.

“We took the historic models that were already out here in their damaged cases, we had them professionally conserved and restored, and then we had new cases built for them so that they would be weathertight and would be better protected. We don’t have room for these models inside the Visitor Center, and it just seems like a natural thing to return them where they have always been. And this gives us an opportunity to connect with the public and help them understand more about the locks and what the Army Corps of Engineers does here. It’s a really nice addition to have here,” Briggs said. The entire project cost just under $200,000.

“This was a partnership project, and the community, through a number of donors and a crowdfunding campaign, contributed over $100,000 towards this project. The Corps of Engineers at our local office here contributed labor, and some of the funding, and then we got SEED money from headquarters, US Army Corps of Engineers, $25,000 to kickstart the project,” Briggs added.

Soo Leader

Seven crew members aboard the Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Indianapolis received minor injuries after a fire broke out on the ship Wednesday, the service confirmed. The incident was reported at 11:30 a.m. EST while the ship was moored at Naval Station Mayport, FL. Mayport Fire and Emergency Services responded to the scene immediately and extinguished the fire. “The cause of the incident is being reviewed,” a Navy spokesperson

USS Indianapolis.

said. The service members were released shortly after arriving at local hospitals and cleared to return to the Indianapolis the same day.

The USS Indianapolis was built by Marinette Marie, Marinette, WI, and commissioned in October 2019.

Navy Times

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – Three cruise ships made stops in Sault Ste. Marie MI, on Wednesday. Victory I was at the Valley Camp dock for most of the day before departing for Mackinac Island. Viking Octantis tied up at the Carbide Dock in the morning, then left just around noon for Algoma, WI, so sister ship Viking Polaris could take the dock. The Polaris departed downbound around 8 p.m. for Mackinac Island. Shops near the Soo Locks and historic locations along Water Street and Portage Avenue enjoyed a boost in business as passengers took group tours of the locks area.

Victory l at the Valley Camp Dock with Viking Octantis at the Carbide Dock. [Jim Lehocky]

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – A U.S. Coast Guard crew evacuated a Lake Huron sailor in need of medical help over the weekend. The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Detroit says a crew was dispatched late Sunday night to Lake Huron near Alpena, MI. An American bulk freighter called the Walter J. McCarthy Jr. was in the area and had a 33-year-old sailor who “required immediate medical attention.”

A helicopter crew arrived on scene at 12:45 a.m. Monday and launched a rescue swimmer to help the man board the helicopter. The operation took more than two hours. The sailor was taken to Huron County Memorial Airport and then a local hospital where he was reported to be in stable condition.

“Thank you to the crew of the Walter J. McCarthy Jr. for their efforts in keeping their fellow mariner safe until we could transport the man to a higher level of care,” Air Station Detroit pilot Lt. Rachel McGhee said in a statement. “The aircrew did a phenomenal job in coordinating with all personnel involved.

A U.S. Coast Guard crew rescued an sick sailor aboard the Walter J. McCarthy Jr. on Monday, June 22, 2026, on Lake Huron near Alpena. [Courtesy U.S. Coast Guard]

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – The two new Corps of Engineers 76-foot-long ice-class tugs H.J. Lawson and R.J. Pearce will be christened at 9:30 a.m. Friday (Engineers Day) at the Soo Locks. The ceremony, which will include official remarks, introduction of the crews, and the traditional breaking of the bottles across the bows, can be watched from the public viewing platform inside Soo Locks Park in Sault Ste. Marie, MI.

Please remember that clear bags ONLY are allowed inside the Soo Locks Park between 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

WIth the arrival of the new tugs, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to dispose of the older tugs Whitefish Bay and Owen M. Frederick. The barge Harvey is also scheduled to be replaced. All have reached the end of their use lives and refitting or rehabilitation was deemed to not be fiscally feasible compared the acquisition of new, purpose-built vessels. The vessels will be offered for sale, then as scrap, and finally, if no buyers are found, the USACE will determine the best avenue for scrapping and disposal.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District

Dredging in Sandusky Harbor in 2020. [Sandusky Register]

Up to 110,000 cubic yards of sediment will be dredged, according to spokesman Avery Schneider, broken down like this:

• Up to 10,000 cubic yards of material will be placed at a designated open lake site in Lake Erie.
• Up to 100,000 cubic yards will be placed in a littoral placement site just northeast of the Bay Point neighborhood of Marblehead.

“Littoral placement refers to a dredged sediment management practice in which suitable coarse-grained dredged sediment is placed in an authorized near-shore placement area,” Schneider said. “The intent of littoral placement is to retain coarse-grained sediment near the shore where it provides value to habitat and coastal resiliency.”

Schneider also discussed recent dredging activity in Sandusky’s harbor. “In 2022 and 2023, we placed material in the Cedar Point Causeway wetland cells located on the west side of Cedar Point Drive. We did not dredge in 2024 due to a lack of placement area. In 2025, we dredged 9,000 cubic yards and placed it in the open lake site,” he said.

The city is working on a plan to use dredged soil to expand an existing wetland, said Josh Snyder, Sandusky’s interim public works director.

Snyder said the soil from the dredging project will be deposited in the wetlands project the city has developed next to Cedar Point Causeway, expanding the area covered by the wetland Schneider mentioned in his statement. A design plan must be completed, but the Army Corps of Engineers and another involved agency, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, seem happy with the plan so far, Snyder said. Snyder said completing the design should be done in about a couple of months.

Once the two interested agencies approve it, that would allow dredging and construction of the expanded wetlands to be carried out this fall. Snyder said the city and the Army Corps of Engineers will have to continue to work to find places for dredged soil.

U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, recently provided more details on planned Army Corps of Engineers work in Sandusky and Port Clinton.

Kaptur said the planned dredging in Sandusky discussed by Schneider will cost just over $1.8 million and will be carried out later this year. She said $250,000 of that will be used for a long-term plan for finding places for soil dredged from Sandusky’s harbor. Kaptur said another approximately $4.3 million will be spent for repairs to the east and west jetties of Port Clinton’s harbor. The harbor supports ferry service in Lake Erie and dozens of charter fishing boats, Kaptur noted.

Plans call for awarding a construction contract for the Port Clinton work this fall, with work to be carried out next year.

Sandusky Register

It is with sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Great Lakes Maritime Academy alumnus (1972) and Board of Visitors member

Captain Robert (Bob) Noffze.

Captain Noffze was in the first class to graduate from the Great Lakes Maritime Academy and sailed on the Great Lakes from 1972 until his retirement as a captain with Oglebay Norton in the year 2000. Following that retirement, he then took the position of Vice President of Operations with Grand River Navigation for many years. He enjoyed hunting, tractor work, playing on the Cribbage League at the Serviceman’s Club, helping people without the need of recognition, and most of all, loving and supporting his family in all of their activities.

Our thoughts are with his wife (Carol) and his family. Friends may visit at the Beck Funeral Home (Rogers City) on Monday, June 22nd from 1600-2000 with a service at 1900. Memorial visitation will resume at Peace Lutheran Church on Tuesday, from 1000 through time of his memorial service at 1100. Internment will take place on the family plot at Memorial Park Cemetery.

Memorials may be given to the Maritime Academy in Traverse City or to the family for a charity to be selected later.

Online condolences may be addressed through www.beckfuneralhome.org.

Great Lakes Maritime Academy

Canada Steamship Lines bulk carrier Oakglen was refloated today at Ontario Shipyards in Port Weller Saturday afternoon with assistance from McKeil Marine tugs Jarrett M and VAC, Oakglen was undocked and assisted to the wall where her fitting out will happen prior to sea trials. At the beginning of April, she went into the drydock at Ontario Shipyards for her scheduled 5-year inspection.

Oakglen being removed from the drydock, with tug Jarrett M assisting. [Amy Daggett]

LUDINGTON, MI – The S.S. Badger is now offering overnight sailings across Lake Michigan. Running from Friday, June 19, through Sept. 7, the additional night crossings offer passengers a unique travel experience and greater flexibility. The ship will also continue to offer daytime crossings through Oct. 11.

The 410-foot coal-fired car ferry, a National Historic Landmark, offers a nostalgic travel experience and a convenient shortcut across Lake Michigan; the trip takes about four hours.

Overnight crossings are scheduled to depart Ludington at 8:45 p.m., arriving in Manitowoc, Wis. at 11:45 p.m. (Wisconsin is one hour behind Michigan). The return trip departs Manitowoc at 1:30 a.m. and arrives in Ludington at 6:30 a.m.

For daytime crossings, the Badger departs Ludington at 9 a.m. and arrives in Manitowoc. The return trip begins at 2 p.m. with the ship docking in Ludington at 7 p.m.

Badger on Lake Michigan. [Brendan Falkowski]