CLEVELAND, OHIO – The 105-foot-long tug Golden Anchor (IMO # 81160250) arrived at on Cleveland April 9. A social media post indicated the 1981-built tug, most recently based in Louisiana, will eventually enter service for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo, NY, District.

Tug Golden Anchor headed for Cleveland. [Alan Wooler]

AIS shows her currently moored near the U.S. Coast Guard base in Cleveland.

Viking Octantis at Duluth in 2022. [Roger LeLievre – Click on image to enlarge]

That price tag actually is likely a low-ball estimate of what the true cost will be, according to Dan Hartman, executive director of the DECC. At a Thursday evening agenda session meeting, he told councilors the city may need to spend more like $800,000 on the proposed facility improvements. Before the city obligates that money, Hartman encouraged councilors to consider whether they risk going overboard in their efforts to promote Duluth as a cruise ship destination, especially given recent developments.

“A few years ago, we had 15 cruise ships coming through in one season, and the year before that we had 12. So, it looked like it was progressing. But now, it’s gone hard in the other direction,” he said, pointing out that Duluth is included in just six cruise ship trip itineraries this year.

The Twin Ports remain a popular destination, with voyages to the western tip of Lake Superior continuing to sell out quickly, according to Hartman.

While recent developments do not bode well for Duluth at present, Hartman noted that interest in Great Lakes cruising continues to grow, as evidenced by the 64 cruise ship stops scheduled in Milwaukee this season. To stay in the game, Hartman said Duluth has made commitments to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials that it will invest in a passenger terminal properly equipped to process international travelers. Those accommodations include designated and secure baggage-handling operations — processes that currently occur in a makeshift curtained-off area of the DECC that formerly served as a locker room. “We are obligated to put this baggage facility in if we want to do cruising,” Hartman said, adding: “The contract will be voided if the city doesn’t.”

Yet, Hartman suggested councilors would be wise to pause and consider whether it would be wise to invest an additional $500,000 to $800,000 in a cruise terminal, on top of about $1.2 million or so the city already has spent on the facility and dredging to accommodate cruise ships. Hartman said the DECC does not profit from the cruise passenger terminal it hosts, with collected fees used to cover service expenses and repay capital improvement costs over time.

The city has relied on tourism tax proceeds — a 1% charge collected on sales of food, drink and lodging — to fund cruise ship infrastructure, to date. But Hartman noted the payback has been slow. “These are finite dollars, and we have to ask if this investment offers the best return for our community, overall,” he said.

At large Duluth City Councilor Terese Tomanek pointed out that the amount of money required for proposed passenger terminal upgrades would equate to more than a 1% increase in the city’s property tax levy, if that were the funding mechanism, versus a sales tax.

Duluth News Tribune

TOLEDO, OH – This Earth Day, the National Museum of the Great Lakes invites you to experience a powerful new chapter in Great Lakes storytelling. Opening April 22, Currents of Change: The Living History of the Great Lakes, presented by the John & Virginia Hankison Foundation, explores the dynamic relationship between people and the freshwater systems that define our region. From the beavers that shaped early economies to the ongoing challenges of invasive species and harmful algal blooms, this immersive exhibit reveals how natural forces and human actions have continuously intersected across time.

Located in the Temporary Exhibit Gallery, Currents of Change is open April 22 through October 18, 2026 and is included with museum admission.

Find out more here.

National Museum of the Great Lakes

MARINETTE, WI – Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) has been awarded a $30 million U.S. Navy contract in support of construction of four Medium Landing Ship (LSM) vessels under the Navy’s new acquisition framework. The award supports the immediate procurement o

Medium Landing Ship. [Damen Shipyards – Click on image to enlarge]

The design selected for the LSM is the Damen Landing Ship Transport (LST) 100 design. In a post on X l, Secretary of the Navy Phelan announced that the Navy would “competitively award a vessel construction manager (VCM)” to oversee the LSM program. He argued that with the VCM-model and selection of an existing design (LST-100), the Navy is “embracing commercial practices and speed” — aiming to reduce costs, avoid repeated delays, and limit the kinds of design changes that have historically complicated U.S. shipbuilding.

Fincantieri Marinette Marine says that, within the initial production phase, it is designated to build at least four vessels, reinforcing its role as a central industrial player in the program’s execution.

By adopting the VCM model, the U.S. Navy is reshaping naval shipbuilding through the application of commercial best practices, parallel production, and disciplined industrial execution. Fincantieri as that, within this context it brings a uniquely scaled industrial platform in the U.S., combining advanced shipyard infrastructure, production depth, and globally integrated technical expertise to deliver complex naval programs with certainty and momentum.

Over the past decade, Fincantieri has committed more than $800 million into its U.S. shipyards, transforming them into one of the most advanced and capable shipbuilding networks in the U.S. These investments underpin Fincantieri’s ability to support multiple naval programs concurrently and to respond rapidly to evolving operational requirements.

“This award signals a great start towards making good use of our advanced serial production capabilities and towards getting the first four of these important ships built quickly,” said George Moutafis, CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group. “The Navy, with tremendous support from the administration and Congress, has made shipbuilding and a leaner acquisition process a national priority, and we appreciate their confidence in our ability to deliver to the warfighter.”

Marine Log

On Wednesday afternoon, the Northern Venture was towed from London Agricultural Commodities (LAC) in Port Colborne by McKeil Marine tugs Jarrett M. and Wyatt M. with a destination of Ontario Shipyards in Port Weller for repairs to her propeller.

Janey Anderson – Ship Junkies

Tug Jarrett M. and Northern Venture about to leave for Port Weller. [Amy Daggett]

WEDNESDAY 9 A.M. UPDATE: At approximately 05:00 on April 15, 2026, McKeil Marine tugs Tim McKeil and Lois M. began the dead tow of the former Federal Yamaska  from Montreal Section 41, bound for the Marine Recycling Corporation shipyard in Edwardsville, Nova Scotia, for recycling. Groupe Ocean tugs assisted as they pulled her away from the docks.

ORIGNAL REPORT: MONTREAL, QC – At approximately 5 a.m. on April 15, McKeil Marine tugs are scheduled to begin a dead tow of the former Federal Yamaska (now “Muin”) from Montreal Section 41, bound for the Marine Recycling Corporation shipyard in Edwardsville, Nova Scotia, for recycling.

Federal Yamaska with her name painted out at Monreal awaiting her scrap tow. [Janey Anderson Ship Junkies]

The operation will involve five tugs.

Tim McKeil will serve as the lead tow tug. Lois M. will act as the tail tug as far as Les Escoumins. Beverly M1 will provide additional support. Two Groupe Ocean tugs will assist in pulling the vessel off the dock. River pilots will be onboard both the tow and tail tugs to support navigation.

Janey Anderson – Ship Junkies

Baie St. Paul shows off her new paint job. [North Coast Freighters]

More than just cosmetic, the new coatings help prevent marine growth, reduce drag, and improve fuel efficiency during everyday operations. They also provide an important layer of protection for the steel beneath the surface, helping extend the life of the vessels. Over time, their fuel performance will show just how much difference a well-applied coat of paint can make.

CSL Group Via Facebook

NOAA’s Hydrographic Vessel Thomas Jefferson heads for Lake Erie.

The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s hydrographic vessel Thomas Jefferson (S 222) (IMO 8892033) is returning to the Great Lakes. According to MarineTraffic, it left Norfolk, VA, on April 1 and is heading to Cleveland, where it is expected on April 17.

The ship was built for the US Navy as the USNS Littlehales (T-AGS-52), serving as one of the two new offshore hydrographic ships from 1992 until its transfer to NOAA in 2003, when it was named after the founding father and third president of the United States.

Thomas Jefferson also conducted hydrographic surveys in Lake Erie in 2022.

On Saturday, McKeil Marine’s Ontario Venture left Picton, Ont with a load of wheat and soybeans, bound for the Parrish and Heimbecker (P&H) grain terminal in Quebec City.  It was the first shipment from the new P&H grain terminal in Picton and the first cargo carried on the Great Lakes by McKeil’s recently-acquired vessel.  Construction of the new grain terminal was announced in August 2024.

The Picton grain terminal was built by Parrish and Heimbecker, in partnership with Picton Terminals (part of the Doornekamp group of companies).  Picton Terminals is situated on the site of the former Bethlehem Steel ore storage and loading terminal that shipped iron ore from the Marmora mine from 1955 to 1978.

The load of grain is the first cargo loaded on the Great Lakes for McKeil Marine’s Ontario Venture.  The vessel was built as the tanker Patrona in 2004 at the Qiuxin Shipyard in Shanghai. It also sailed under the names Maersk Nordenham and Patrona 1.  It was recently converted to a bulk carrier, replacing the fore body of the vessel but retaining the stern.  The conversion shipyard has not been confirmed but was possibly the COSCO Shipping Shipyard in Nantong (China).  The vessel arrived in Sydney, Nova Scotia on March 27th, after a 78 day long delivery trip.  The vessel did carry a cargo of coke breeze on its delivery trip, discharging the cargo at Port Cartier before heading to the Lakes.

[recent Parrish and Heimbecker Facebook post, and other internet sources]

Ontario Venture loads at new P&H terminal, Picton, Ont. April 2026 [James Rapinda, Parrish and Heimbecker photo]

Ontario Venture takes first load of grain from the new P&H grain terminal in Picton, April 2026. [Jason Sparks, Picton Gazette]