OWEN SOUND, ON. – With the 2026 sailing season wrapping up on October 18, the Owen Sound Transportation Co. reminds passengers and community members that the MS Chi-Cheemaun will proceed to dry dock for her five-year inspection following the end of the season. OSTC does not anticipate the vessel will return to Owen Sound harbor for her winter berth this year; should this change, updates will be posted at ontarioferries.com. With the vessel scheduled for inspection, there will be no fall repositioning cruise this year.

Chi-Cheemaun earlier this year. [Stephen Sostaric]

STURGEON BAY, WI – The 482-foot-long heavy lift vessel BBC Philippines is at Sturgeon Bay, WI, delivering a cargo of Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) tanks. The tanks are for the new build 3794, a bunkering barge that will be used to fuel ships at sea. On Thursday, the tug Nickelena brought a barge over to BBC Philippines for offloading the tanks. The LNG tanks were manufactured at Alcotmi Inc., a prominent Canadian industrial manufacturer that designs and fabricates large-scale industrial pressure vessels, chemical tanks, and atmospheric equipment. BBC Philippines is 482′ x 75,’ built in 2023, and sailing under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda. This is her first visit to the Great Lakes/Seaway system.

Rosann Hollinger

Tug Nickelena alongside BBC Philippines. [Rosann Hollinger]

This is a great chance to buy, sell or trade Great Lakes items including photos, books, models, artifacts and much more. See the attached poster for details.

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CLEVELAND, OH – On Sunday night, the Columbus Road Lift bridge over the Cuyahoga River came into contact with the forward mast of the self-unloading laker American Courage, bending it forward. Although nothing official has been released, it appears from video that the bridge deck was lowered onto the vessel prematurely. The Courage, which is running ore shuttles up the river, was backing under the bridge after departing the Cleveland Bulk Terminal.

Video of the incident as it happened, shot by Luis Mercado, who was in a vehicle on the bridge at the time. Warning: Profanity. View it here:

American Courage’s damaged mast. [Chuck Slusarczyk Jr.]

American Courage’s damaged mast. [Chuck Slusarczyk Jr.]

Tall cranes are part of th New Lock at the Soo Project. [Roger LeLievre

Reaching the halfway point on this mega project is a testament to the dedication of the Corps of Engineers team and the joint-venture contractor Kokosing Alberici Traylor LLC,” said Corps of Engineers Integrated Project Office Chief Mick Awbrey. “The progress made here is a direct reflection of the more than 600 people working on this project. They come to work every day committed to the successful completion of the new lock.”

Work on Phase 3 includes, but is not limited to, constructing a cofferdam at each end of the lock, demolishing the existing Sabin Lock, filling in the existing Davis Lock, excavating bedrock, constructing the New Lock chamber walls and floor, fabrication and installation of miter gates, installation of mechanical and electrical systems, installation of an innovative hands-free mooring system, rehabilitating the downstream approach walls and constructing a new pump well.

To date, KAT has completed $975 million worth of work through the end of August 2026. The current focus is on mass concrete placement for the concrete walls, the lock floor and new pump well construction. Offsite fabrication of the steel structures, including the miter gates, ship arrestors and culvert valves are also in progress.

It will take approximately 400,000 cubic yards of concrete to complete the New Lock at the Soo.

“If you were to build an average sidewalk that you see in a neighborhood, with 400,000 cubic yards of concrete, you could build a sidewalk from Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., to Orlando, Fla.,” Awbrey said. “It’s a massive amount of concrete, and we are making progress every day.”

The total quantity of concrete placed through August is 140,198 cubic yards, extending almost to Dayton, Ohio, on the ‘sidewalk to Orlando.’

Despite the harsh conditions of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the project remains on schedule for its 2030 target completion. The project is a flagship example of the Army Civil Works’ Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork’ initiative, which prioritizes speed of execution, smart risk-taking, and mission-focused results. By streamlining processes and empowering decision-makers at every level of the vertical chain, the Corps of Engineers is delivering critical infrastructure for the nation faster and at less cost.

The New Lock at the Soo is one of the highest-priority commercial navigation projects in the United States. Its completion will ensure the reliable passage of raw materials crucial for American steel production, protecting thousands of jobs and reinforcing the domestic supply chain for decades to come.

The Detroit District oversees 3,150 miles of shoreline and 81 harbors and channels across Michigan and parts of Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, ensuring the Great Lakes remain a vital resource for the nation.

SooLeader

CHARLEVOIX COUNTY, MI – A new 66-foot research vessel designed to improve the safety and efficiency of Lake Michigan fisheries research is now in service after being commissioned Wednesday in Charlevoix. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources held a commissioning ceremony for the vessel, which will serve as the agency’s primary research vessel on Lake Michigan. The vessel was named the Research Vessel Steelhead after its predecessor, the Survey Vessel Steelhead. DNR Deputy Director Shannon Lott christened the new vessel, and DNR Fisheries Division Chief Randy Claramunt formally commissioned it.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources Deputy Director Shannon Lot pours water over the bow of the RV Steelhead to christen it at the Sept. 30 ceremony. [Michigan DNR]

The RV Steelhead was designed by Boksa Marine Design and built by Moran Iron Works in partnership with Superior Boats. Funding came from appropriations in the state budgets for 2023 and 2025, along with grant funding from the Great Lakes Fishery Trust. The vessel includes updated navigation and sampling equipment, a redesigned fish-processing area and a multiuse stern platform for research activities. It also features a SeaKeeper gyrostabilizer designed to provide a more stable work platform for crews, along with a bow thruster for more precise maneuvering and an integrated solar-charging system.

Captain Pat O’Neill, who will operate the vessel, said the upgrades are intended to give field crews safer and more capable tools for fisheries research and resource management. The RV Steelhead will be used for several Lake Michigan surveys, including spring gill net, lakewide acoustic forage fish and bottom trawl surveys. Those surveys help monitor species including lake whitefish, lake trout, burbot, yellow perch, alewife and rainbow smelt, as well as invasive species.

See the original story here:

Speeches are given at the new Mesabi Metallics iron ore mine on Sept. 17 in Nashwauk. [MPR News]

The new mill in eastern Iowa will be built by Mesabi Metallics, a Minnesota-based company owned by India’s Essar Group, an industrial conglomerate. The White House said the plant will begin producing steel in 2030 and create more than 2,000 jobs in the United States. When it’s fully built out, it’s expected to produce 10 million tons of steel a year, more than any other in the U.S.

The steel plant will be supplied by the new $2.5 billion iron ore mine that Mesabi developed on Minnesota’s Iron Range and officially opened earlier this month. It’s the first new iron ore mine in the state in a half-century. The resulting steel will be produced from start to finish in the United States, the White House said

The Mesabi Metallics mine’s opening comes at a critical time in northeastern Minnesota, after closures last year at two of the region’s six taconite facilities. Mesabi has hired more than 200 workers so far, out of a planned 350 full-time employees at the mine near Nashwauk.

But news that Mesabi plans to build a steel plant in Iowa — and not in Minnesota — was called a “gut punch” by Republican state Rep. Spencer Igo, who represents the portion of the Iron Range where the new mine is located. Igo said the mine is a “big win” for the Range — but he said Mesabi’s next investment going to Iowa “should frustrate everyone who cares about the future of northern Minnesota..

Hot briquetted iron is a purer form of iron is used to feed smaller steel mills known as electric arc furnace

Minnesota Public Radio News

MICHIPICOTEN, ON – Ontario is providing C$1m ($707,000) to reactivate Michipicoten Harbour on Lake Superior, bringing marine cargo operations back to a facility that has been unused since shipping ceased in the late 1990s.

Superior Aggregates Corporation will use the funding for structural repairs, infrastructure upgrades and new equipment required to reopen the harbour for commercial shipping. The project will give the company access to Central and Eastern Canadian markets through the Great Lakes and St Lawrence Seaway.

A shared-use model is also planned, allowing forestry, mining and other regional producers to move cargo through the harbour. The funding is being provided through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation.