Maurice D. Smith, 87, a long-time member of the Association for Great Lakes Maritime History, recently passed away. He was also the director and founding curator of the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston, Ont. from 1979 until 2004. During his tenure, Smith helped the Marine Museum develop one of the largest maritime history collections in Canada. Its holdings were well in excess of 3,000 artifacts, 11,000 titles, 40,000 ship plans, and over 15,000 photographs, nautical charts, paintings and drawings.

An early pioneer in the use of Internet technology for maritime history research, Smith co-founded MARHST-L, listserv in 1994.  The listserv promoted worldwide communication among professionals and individuals with a serious interest in maritime history and maritime museums. After his retirement, Smith was named Curator Emeritus of the Marine Museum, which was the forerunner of today’s Great Lakes Museum. In 2011, he was honored with the Association for Great Lakes Maritime History’s Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Preservation.

The Ontario Historical Society award Smith its prestigious Carnochan Award for his nearly 40 year of service to the heritage community and efforts to preserve and promote Ontario’s heritage.

Association for Great Lakes Maritime History

At Sarnia, ON, the Robert S.Pierson’s stack is being repainted in Algoma Central colors. Meanwhile, the Lower Lakes Towing stack logos have been removed from Michipicoten.

David Schauer, Bill Moran

 

LANSING, MI – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is urging Mackinac Island officials and the island’s primary ferry operator to enter mediation as a legal dispute raises concerns about future ferry service. Hoffmann Marine, which controls both Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry and Mackinac Island Ferry Company, recently sent letters stating that it may discontinue operations next year. Litigation between the ferry operator and City of Mackinac Island started in March 2025 over the ability of the city to regulate rates. In a recent court order (PDF), the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan warned that current litigation is counterproductive and urged a “sensible business solution” before the current agreements expire in 2027.

Attorney General Nessel issued the following statement in response: “Mackinac Island is vital to our state’s tourism industry. With more than one million visitors each year, the continued vitality of the Island and access to natural wonders depend on a collaborative relationship between the city and the owner of the ferries that serve as the primary gateway to its shores. “With the current agreements expiring next year, both sides should not be consumed by a long legal battle that serves no one – not residents, not business owners, and not the tourists who boost Michigan’s economy. I urge the City and Hoffmann Marine to prioritize a ‘sensible business solution’ that preserves the Mackinac Island experience for years to come.”

WPBN/WGTU – Listen here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjKbhQFCxfo&t=1s

TORONTO, ON – Lake Ontario might not be the ocean, but cruise ship companies continue to target the city as a destination. The Great Lakes Cruise Association (GLCA) says a robust legacy of sea freight across the Great Lakes has made it relatively easy for pleasure cruising to make an entry over the past 20 years.

“We have pilots who know how to move ships around, we have the St. Lawrence seaway authority with all of its locks, between the ocean and the Great Lakes, they know how to handle ships, and then when it comes to activity on shore, we have a very sophisticated tourism industry,” said GLCA executive director Stephen Burnett

The CEO of Victory Cruise Lines says his investments in Great Lakes routes are paying off and he anticipates more growth. “We’re basically starting to scratch the surface of the market,” says John Waggoner. “For us to be 100 per cent full, we only need 7,000 guests per season, that’s one Oasis of the Seas out of [Fort] Lauderdale in a week. “When I look around, what I’d sure like to see is a cruise terminal right downtown so people could get off there.”

That is something the Toronto Port Authority confirms it is looking into. “We’re actually looking at a feasibility study to move the cruise ship terminal into a downtown location, but we’re in the very early days of that, just to see if we can make it work,” TPA CEO RJ Steenstra tells CityNews.

James Maloney, the MP for Etobicoke-Lakeshore, adds support for future growth in the sector is gaining momentum. “This is a huge economic opportunity, not just for the City of Toronto, but for the ports all along the Great Lakes, so the short answer is yes, it is on the government’s radar.”

While big infrastructure developments like this take time, the cruise association did also point out the region could handle up to 110 per cent growth before being held back by the facilities, adding there are up to eight cruise lines seriously considering entering the Toronto market.

Toronto City News – Listen to the story here

SUTTONS BAY, ON – The finish line is in sight for the Inland Seas Education Association (ISEA) and its $11.1 million Campaign for the Future of Great Lakes Education. An anonymous foundation has come forward with a $250,000 matching challenge grant and will match any donations made to the campaign between now and June 30. With “a hair under $500,000 left to raise” toward the final fundraising goal, ISEA Executive Director Fred Sitkins says the matching grant has the potential to bring the years-long effort to its culmination.

ISEA went public with the Campaign for the Future of Great Lakes Education last summer, but the eight-figure fundraiser actually launched back in 2021. Throughout its four-year quiet phase, the campaign raised the funds necessary for ISEA to purchase a property to the south of its existing Suttons Bay headquarters, acquire a new schooner, and take over stewardship of the nearby Leo Creek Preserve. Last year’s public launch coincided with the announcement that ISEA would be purchasing another neighboring property, the Millside building in Suttons Bay, and converting it into a new educational facility.

Renovations at Millside, which will be renamed the Inland Seas Education Center, are slated to begin sometime this summer.

ALPENA, MI – This Northern Michigan harbor town is celebrating five years as a cruise ship port and expects to welcome the largest cruising vessels on the Great Lakes 20 times this year. The 665-foot sister ships Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris are scheduled to visit Alpena throughout the cruising season, which runs from April to October, NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary announced. The Viking Polaris kicked off Michigan’s cruising season on Monday, April 20, with its first call on Detroit, followed by an anchorage in Alpena’s Thunder Bay last Tuesday.

Here’s the schedule:
Thursday, April 30 – Viking Octantis
Tuesday, May 5 – Viking Polaris
Wednesday, May 6 – Viking Octantis
Thursday, May 14 – Viking Octantis
Wednesday, May 20 – Viking Polaris
Thursday, May 28 – Viking Polaris
Wednesday, June 3 – Viking Polaris
Sunday, June 7 – Viking Octantis
Friday, June 12 – Viking Polaris
Monday, June 15 – Viking Octantis
Saturday, June 27 – Viking Polaris
Thursday, July 9 – Viking Octantis
Saturday, July 18 – Viking Octantis
Sunday, Aug. 2 – Viking Octantis
Saturday, Aug. 15 – Viking Octantis
Sunday, Aug. 30 – Viking Octantis
Friday, Sept. 11 – Viking Octantis
Monday, Oct. 5 – Viking Octantis

Viking Octantis made its Great Lakes debut in 2022 and was joined by its identical sister, Viking Polaris, in 2023. The ships have a capacity of 378 passengers. When visiting Alpena, the ships anchor in Thunder Bay and passengers take tender boats to shore to participate in prearranged excursions, including lighthouse tours, nature hikes, downtown walking tours, aerial-sightseeing, fishing charters, and glass-bottom boat shipwreck adventures. Visitors will explore the region through lighthouse tours, nature hikes, downtown walking tours, aerial-sightseeing, fishing charters, and glass-bottom boat shipwreck adventures.

MLive

H.J. Lawson, a new 76-foot-long tug, arrived in Montreal April 24 enroute to Sault Ste. Marie, MI, on its delivery trip. Built by Conrad Shipyard, she will enter service for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District. She is named in honor of Harold J. Lawson (1934–2018), a highly respected engineer who dedicated 30 years of his career to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.This new tug is the sister of the R.J. Pearce, also constructed by Conrad Shipyard, delivered in December 2025. She was named in honor of Ronald J. Pearce, a longtime employee who served at the Soo Locks for 35 years. Both tugs are built to ABS Ice Class C0 standards, specifically for the Great Lakes to support critical maritime infrastructure at the Soo Locks and along the St. Marys River.

Janey Anderson

MACKINAC ISLAND, MI — The commonly owned Mackinac Island ferry lines threatened to halt summer trips next year unless new franchise agreements are reached, escalating a legal fight over who controls ferry rates and access to one of Michigan’s top tourist destinations

Jonker said the ongoing court battle is unlikely to be resolved before the 2027 contracts expire, and both the island and ferries should begin working out what happens afterward — a scenario where, he noted, either side could walk away and leave visitors and islanders in the lurch. Settlement proposals in the case are due April 30.

Last week, Shepler’s told the island council it has “no alternative” but to reserve the right to cease operations in 2027 without a contract extension on “reasonable and acceptable terms.”

Shepler’s accused the island of refusing to negotiate contract extensions in good faith, trying unsuccessfully to claim the ferry operators run an illegal monopoly and imposing retroactive regulations that Shepler’s says violate its franchise agreement and Michigan law.

Both ferry lines are owned by Hoffmann Marine, which is part of the Florida-based private equity firm Hoffmann Family of Companies. Hoffmann acquired Shepler’s in 2022 and Mackinac Island Ferry Co., now operating as Arnold Transit, in 2024.

The consolidation triggered a widening legal and political fight over whether meaningful ferry competition still exists and whether the island can regulate fares, mainland parking in St. Ignace and Mackinaw City, and other costs tied to ferry service under its state-granted 1887 charter

M Live

 PORT COLBORNE, ON – The Clarence Street Bridge, damaged in the BBC Tokyo allision (that’s when a ship hits a stationary object) earlier this month has been repaired. The bridge is fully open. Shipping through the locks was only inconvenienced the day of the incident mostly with the locals suffering longer term.

Great Lakes & St Lawrence Seaway

MANITOWOC, WI – U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin announced Friday that $20 million in federal funding is headed to the Port of Manitowoc for infrastructure upgrades. She said the investment is meant to increase storage space, update equipment and expand rail connections to move grain shipments more quickly.

“Investing in our ports is an investment in our Made in Wisconsin economy,” Baldwin said in a statement. “I’m proud to bring home this investment for the City of Manitowoc to upgrade their port infrastructure and help increase efficiency for Wisconsin businesses, farmers, and consumers.”

The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program. The program received $500 million in Fiscal Year 2025, including $450 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The $20 million will support the “Midwest Multi-Modal Development Project,” which aims to establish a midwest grain hub.

NBC 26