New Soo Lock construction gets $480M in president’s 2022 budget

Sault Ste. Marie, MI – The construction of a huge, new lock at Michigan’s Soo Locks was awarded $480 million in federal funding in President Joe Biden’s 2022 federal budget proposal.

While the budget has a long way to go – and is likely to undergo many changes – before it’s approved by Congress, Biden’s proposed budget includes a large allocation for the new lock that will cost an estimated $922 million. The proposal includes about $595 million for projects within the Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District. Construction the 1,200-foot long, 110-foot wide and 32-foot deep lock is already underway. Phase one began in May 2020. After a winter break, construction resumed in April. Phase two is set to begin this year.

The new lock will be a twin of the Poe, which is the largest current lock. Poe is used by about 85% of vessels navigating the 21-foot elevation change between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. The engineering system in the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie is the only way ships can travel between the upper and lower Great Lakes.

The first phase of construction involves deepening the upstream approach to the Sabin and Davis Locks, which will be replaced by the new lock; it is expected to be complete in November 2021. Phase two, rehabilitating and stabilizing the upstream approach walls to allow modern vessels to tie up and wait their turn to pass through the new lock, will begin this year. Construction on the lock itself is expected to begin in summer 2022.

The Soo Locks are a nationally critical infrastructure and the reliability of it in the Great Lakes Navigation System is essential to U.S. manufacturing and national security, according to a 2015 Department of Homeland Security study.

2022 budget includes $6.793 billion in discretionary funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Program, which is the largest annual budget ever proposed for the Army Corps. That includes about $595 million for Detroit District projects, including high water studies and monitoring; beach nourishment; harbor dredging; flood risk management and more.

Soo News

Algoma Central will build another Equinox 2.0 Class self-unloading vessel

6/1 – St. Catharines, ON – Algoma Central Corporation has announced that it has entered into a contract with Yangzijiang Shipyard in Taicang City, China to build a new Seaway Max self-unloading vessel for its domestic dry bulk fleet.

The as yet unnamed vessel will be the first of the new Equinox 2.0 Class, a design that builds on the original Equinox Class standards to achieve better fuel efficiency, improved speed at lower engine power, and enhanced deadweight capacity.

The new vessel is scheduled to replace the Algoma Transport, one of the oldest vessels in the Algoma dry bulk fleet. Triggering the option now enables Algoma to lock in a building slot with ideal delivery timing. Construction of the ship will begin in late 2022 and the vessel is expected to join the fleet at the beginning of the 2024 navigation season. Algoma also reports that the Captain Henry Jackman, the Company’s new Equinox Class gearless bulk carrier, is making good progress on its homeward journey. As previously announced, Algoma took delivery of the vessel in early April and its voyage to Canada commenced on April 29th.

The new Equinox 2.0 incorporates a number of design changes, including various weight saving innovations and a reconfigured stern that incorporates a dual rudder design to increase cargo hold size, resulting in an increase in the capacity of the vessel by approximately 1,440 metric tonnes. Other design improvements include an efficiency upgrade to the propeller and changes in the shape of cargo holds to improve the handling of certain “sticky” cargoes.

“We are very excited to exercise one of our options at the YZJ shipyard for the first Equinox 2.0 vessel”, said Gregg Ruhl, President and Chief Executive Officer of Algoma. “Our in-house design team is relentless in their pursuit of improvements in our vessel designs. Each previous Equinox Class ship incorporated modest improvements over its predecessors, as we learned more about the vessels during construction and as they entered operations. The changes made for this vessel were such an improvement over the previous design that we feel adding a version number to the design name makes sense”, Mr. Ruhl continued.

The Captain Henry Jackman is expected to arrive in Montreal around June 19th and will join the Algoma dry bulk fleet as an operating vessel following a flag change and completion of inspections and other Canadianization procedures.

Both the Captain Henry Jackman and the new Equinox 2.0 ship feature important sustainability advantages that will help Algoma meet its greenhouse gas targets, reducing the amount of emissions per cargo tonne kilometre.

Algoma Central Corporation

Engineer’s Day set for late June, with re-engineered look

6/2 – Sault Ste. Marie, MI — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Sault Ste. Marie are reengineering 2021 Engineer’s Day to protect vessel crew members and essential lock workers while complying with COVID-19 guidelines.

The city will host an event focusing on downtown city merchants, vendors, the Soo Locks and water safety. The city and the Sault Area Convention and Visitors Bureau welcome the public and visitors to attend Engineer’s Day Re-Engineered from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 25.

Downtown Portage Avenue will close to vehicle traffic and open for pedestrians and vendors from Ferris Street to Osborn Boulevard from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on June 25.

“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. “It is a great time to expand the event beyond the Soo Locks complex.”

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 Engineer’s Day visitors will not be permitted to cross the Soo Locks gates as tradition, however, the Soo Locks Canal Park, viewing platform, and visitor’s center are open to the public from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

For more information on the event or to register to be a vendor, contact the Sault Area Convention and Visitors Bureau at (906) 632-3366, pr@saultstemarie.com, or visit@saultstemarie.com

Know Your Ships book signing Saturday in Port Huron

6/2 – Port Huron, MI – “Know Your Ships” guide editor and publisher Roger LeLievre will be on hand at the Great Lakes Maritime Center Saturday at Vantage Point in Port Huron, selling/signing copies of the 2021 edition. The event runs from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. this Saturday.

Joining LeLievre will be KYS contributing editor Matt Miner, as well as Great Lakes cartoonist / illustrator Don Lee. Lee’s nautical cartoons have often appeared on various Facebook shipping sites, and he will have his easel on hand and will sketch your likeness (with or without freighter – tips appreciated).

The event also marks the release of an unusual second printing for the 2021 edition, which features a different cover photo, the steamer Alpena.

The Maritime Center is at 51 Court St. at the mouth of the Black River.