Top hat ceremony marks the start of shipping at Thunder Bay for 2025

THUNDER BAY — The shipping season is officially underway at the Port of Thunder Bay. The Captain Henry Jackman was the first vessel to make port in 2025.

Captain Aaron Brunelle and Chief Engineer David Michalowicz received the traditional top hat in a ceremony Tuesday morning — a first for Brunelle.

“It’s a long-standing tradition on the lakes, and it’s nice to be a part of the Thunder Bay community and know that we’re appreciated for supporting the community and the Canadian economy,” said Brunelle.

The Captain Henry Jackman came up the St. Marys River from Sarnia and arrived in Thunder Bay yesterday. But due to ice in the harbour, Brunelle said they had to anchor while the ice breaker made a path. They crossed the breakwall at 12:12 p.m. Monday.

The ship’s crew was loading grain before leaving for Quebec later Tuesday evening.

Chris Heikkinen, chief executive officer of the Thunder Bay Port Authority, said the “symbolic” event represents “the resurgence of the economy in the harbour.”

“The port represents a lot of jobs for the community, but it also represents so much more. It’s a vital transportation route for Canada to get its products to international markets and to also bring in products from international markets,” said Heikkinen.

Heikkinen said the port had a shorter off-season than in previous years. The port closed in mid-January. Typically, the port opens on March 25, he said. This year, it opened four days earlier.

“It really is a quick turnaround, and actually, the (shipping) seasons have been getting longer in the last few years. Even this year, the date that we’re having this ceremony is a couple of days earlier than we would typically see.

“That’s all due to both the climate conditions but also the efficiency of the lock systems and getting the winter maintenance programs done,” said Heikkinen.

Last year, the port saw a 12 per cent growth overall, with the highest volume of cargo moved through the port since the 90s. Heikkinen said this year the port is projecting similar volumes of cargo.

“No slowdown in the grain movement and good potash volumes anticipated as well. On the inbound side, we’re looking at strong steel shipments at Keefer. So things a

View a video of the Top Hat ceremony here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBjeu4plDwI

TBNewswatch

Exhibit “Steam and Steel: Propelling the Future of the
Great Lakes” Opens May 23 at Great Lakes Science Center

Cleveland, OH – Explore the history of Great Lakes shipping as Great Lakes Science Center celebrates the centennial of the Steamship William G. Mather with a special exhibit, Steam and Steel: Propelling the Future of the Great Lakes, from May 23 through September 1. Once the flagship of the Cleveland Cliffs, Inc., the Mather is now a museum allowing guests to explore the ship and see its huge cargo holds, brass and oak pilot house, elegant guest quarters, and four-story engine room.

Entering the Steam and Steel exhibit inside the museum, guests will first encounter a 14-by-10-foot replica of the front hull of the ship, providing the perfect place to snap a selfie before embarking on your journey into the history of the Mather and the world of Great Lakes shipping. Displays of artifacts from the Mather, and historic photos chronicling Cleveland’s shipping history, will showcase how Lake Erie and access to the other Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway, and the Atlantic Ocean helped shape the growth of Cleveland as a hub for commerce, industry and innovation.

Interactive exhibits will allow guests to experience what it was like to steer the mighty Mather, load and unload cargo, and raise and lower the drawbridges on a model canal lock. Other exhibits will allow guests to see how technological innovations in shipping, including the addition of radar, dual propeller bow thrusters, and the automated boiler system, contributed to the Mather’s long and successful run as a Great Lakes freighter and helped it become “the ship that built Cleveland.”

Great Lakes Science Center

Federal Yoshino departs Thunder Bay drydock

The Fednav Inc. saltie Federal Yoshino departed Ontario Shipyards Saturday after undergoing repairs to her rudder, which was damaged in an incident last December, forcing the vessel to remain at Thunder Bay until repairs could be made. She is now at anchor off Thunder Bay.

Kathy McKeil getting closer to Canada

McKeil Marine’s Kathy McKeil is now at the Pacific Anchorage Area near Panama City and is scheduled to transit the Panama Canal Sunday. Once through, her next stop will be the Dominican Republic, where she will load gypsum before heading to the Seaway to unload at Côte-Sainte-Catherine, QC. She is the former Algoma tanker Algosea.

Amy Daggett via Ship Junkies – Lakes, Locks & Rivers (LL&R)

VIDEO: CCGS Amundsen in Midland
releasing the Whitefish Bay

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I9dxgdQjgg

Exhibit “Steam and Steel: Propelling the Future of the
Great Lakes” Opens May 23 at Great Lakes Science Center

Cleveland, OH – Explore the history of Great Lakes shipping as Great Lakes Science Center celebrates the centennial of the Steamship William G. Mather with a special exhibit, Steam and Steel: Propelling the Future of the Great Lakes, from May 23 through September 1. Once the flagship of the Cleveland Cliffs, Inc., the Mather is now a museum allowing guests to explore the ship and see its huge cargo holds, brass and oak pilot house, elegant guest quarters, and four-story engine room.

Entering the Steam and Steel exhibit inside the museum, guests will first encounter a 14-by-10-foot replica of the front hull of the ship, providing the perfect place to snap a selfie before embarking on your journey into the history of the Mather and the world of Great Lakes shipping. Displays of artifacts from the Mather, and historic photos chronicling Cleveland’s shipping history, will showcase how Lake Erie and access to the other Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway, and the Atlantic Ocean helped shape the growth of Cleveland as a hub for commerce, industry and innovation.

Interactive exhibits will allow guests to experience what it was like to steer the mighty Mather, load and unload cargo, and raise and lower the drawbridges on a model canal lock. Other exhibits will allow guests to see how technological innovations in shipping, including the addition of radar, dual propeller bow thrusters, and the automated boiler system, contributed to the Mather’s long and successful run as a Great Lakes freighter and helped it become “the ship that built Cleveland.”

Great Lakes Science Center

CCGS Amundsen working upper Great Lakes ice

Sault Ste. Marie, MI – The 322-foot-long Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Amundsen passed upbound through the Poe Lock Friday afternoon on her way to assist with ice operations in Whitefish Bay. Homeported in Quebec City, this is her first visit to the upper Great Lakes.

She earlier broke out the harbor at Midland, ON.

Soo Locks Visitor Center Association

Exhibit “Steam and Steel: Propelling the Future
of the Great Lakes” Opens May 23
at Great Lakes Science Center

Cleveland, OH – Explore the history of Great Lakes shipping as Great Lakes Science Center celebrates the centennial of the Steamship William G. Mather with a special exhibit, Steam and Steel: Propelling the Future of the Great Lakes, from May 23 through September 1. Once the flagship of the Cleveland Cliffs, Inc., the Mather is now a museum allowing guests to explore the ship and see its huge cargo holds, brass and oak pilot house, elegant guest quarters, and four-story engine room.

Entering the Steam and Steel exhibit inside the museum, guests will first encounter a 14-by-10-foot replica of the front hull of the ship, providing the perfect place to snap a selfie before embarking on your journey into the history of the Mather and the world of Great Lakes shipping. Displays of artifacts from the Mather, and historic photos chronicling Cleveland’s shipping history, will showcase how Lake Erie and access to the other Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway, and the Atlantic Ocean helped shape the growth of Cleveland as a hub for commerce, industry and innovation.

Interactive exhibits will allow guests to experience what it was like to steer the mighty Mather, load and unload cargo, and raise and lower the drawbridges on a model canal lock. Other exhibits will allow guests to see how technological innovations in shipping, including the addition of radar, dual propeller bow thrusters, and the automated boiler system, contributed to the Mather’s long and successful run as a Great Lakes freighter and helped it become “the ship that built Cleveland.”

Great Lakes Science Center

Shipping, port officials say fees
on Chinese-built ships would cost jobs

 DULUTH — Great Lakes shipping officials are pushing back on the Trump administration’s proposed port fee on Chinese-built ships, arguing the move could lead to less cargo moving through U.S. ports and threaten domestic port jobs.

 The Office of the United States Trade Representative last month proposed charging stacking fees of up to $3 million every time a Chinese-built ship stops at a U.S. port, regardless of what country’s flag it sails under or where the cargo originated or is destined.

 The proposed fees came nearly a year after a coalition of U.S. labor unions filed a petition requesting an investigation into the Chinese shipbuilding industry’s trade practices, alleging that actions like its government’s subsidization of the industry hamper domestic shipbuilding.

 Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, sent a letter Monday to United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. While the port supports the Trump administration’s goal of revitalizing domestic shipbuilding, noting Fraser Shipyards in Superior, she said the potential port fees would divert vessels to Canadian Great Lakes ports and pose “significant and irreversible economic damage and job loss” at the Port of Duluth-Superior.

 “We are deeply concerned that the proposed fees on Chinese-constructed vessels, ranging from $500,000 to $3 million per vessel per entry, will disproportionately harm U.S. Great Lakes ports and industries, inadvertently creating economic advantages for nearby Canadian port competitors and undermining critical U.S. strategic objectives,” DeLuca wrote.

 Last year, 58 oceangoing vessels, or “salties,” arrived at the Port of Duluth-Superior, but the seaway doesn’t track where each ship was built, Jayson Hron, a spokesperson for the Port Authority, said in an email.

 The ships carry anything from grain exports to windmill imports and other bulk or containerized cargoes.

 An estimated 30% of the vessels operating in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, which connects the lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, are built in China, Bruce Burrows, president and CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce, wrote in his organization’s comments filed Monday.

 Several lakers — ships that stay on the Great Lakes — have also been built in China.

 That was spurred by Canada’s repeal of duties on imported ships in 2010. According to Burrows, Canada now has 17 Chinese-built lakers.

 In opposing the proposed fees on Chinese-built ships, Burrows said growing a domestic shipbuilding industry with the capacity to build vessels designed for the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes will take time.

 “A well-planned transition, rather than abrupt regulatory burdens, is essential to ensuring that ship operators can contribute to U.S. shipbuilding efforts while maintaining the efficiency and competitiveness of cross-border trade,” Burrows wrote.

 In its public comments, the United States Great Lakes Shipping Association echoed Burrows’ call for a measured transition to domestic shipbuilding. The association wrote that the ships moving through the St. Lawrence Seaway are often smaller bulk and general cargo vessels serving a single customer, making absorbing fees more burdensome; the ship will likely make multiple U.S. port stops in a single voyage; and the ship’s only connection to China may be that it was built there years ago.

 “Because of these factors, local maritime commerce is likely to suffer and because of the delay before U.S. shipbuilding and maritime industry could catch up, it might never return,” the association wrote. “This would decimate the marine terminals, ports, towing companies, vessel agencies, ship chandlers, farmers, and the local ancillary services that support these industries.”

 The trade office’s proposals do have supporters.

 In addition to the unions that filed the petition last year, the steel industry also backs the Trump administration’s recommended measures.

 “The proposed actions, such as requiring an escalating percentage of U.S. products to be exported every year on U.S. flagged ships, will not only help curb the use of Chinese built ships, but drive demand for domestically produced ships as well,” wrote Kevin Dempsey, president and CEO of the American Iron and Steel Institute, an industry group that represents steelmakers. “This will directly benefit the American steel industry as one of the primary suppliers of critical raw materials in the American shipbuilding supply chain.”

 Duluth News Tribune

American proposal could devastate Canadian Great
Lakes shipping industry, says union and marine chamber

A measure intended to strengthen America’s shipbuilding industry could devastate Canadian shipping companies, say both the union representing Canadian seafarers and Chamber of Marine Commerce.

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has proposed up to a $1.5-million duty on Chinese-made vessels arriving at U.S. ports, as it looks into China’s dominance in the maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors.

USTR is an agency of the American government responsible for developing and promoting foreign trade policies. Its proposal started under U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration and has continued under President Donald Trump. Hearings on the proposal were to get underway this week in Washington, D.C.

“It’s devastating for the whole integrated North American supply chain. That’s the point we made when we were (recently) in Washington,” said Chamber of Marine Commerce president and chief executive officer Bruce Burrows.

The chamber is a binational, private sector, not-for-profit association representing marine industry stakeholders — ship operators, ports and terminals, shippers of vital commodities — on both sides of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System.

The Great Lakes region accounts for more than 50 per cent of bilateral trade. A 2022 study by Martin Associates showed marine shipping contributes $66.1 billion to the Canadian and U.S. economies and supports nearly 360,000 jobs.

If the Great Lakes region stood on its own, it would have a gross domestic product (GDP) of $6 trillion (U.S.), making it the third-largest economy in the world. GDP is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced in a specific period by a country.

Burrows said the goal should be to strengthen the supply chain between the two nations and having more vessels available, not fewer.

“It should all be about reducing costs to U.S. consumers, not increasing. We suggest the integrated supply chain across the Great Lakes and coastal markets be protected. Any movement under 3,200 kilometres shouldn’t be subjected to these onerous fees.”

He said one problem with the proposal is just about every global fleet has Chinese-built vessels, and the port fee would be another tariff on top of other Trump-imposed tariffs.

“One of the options (in the proposal) is to extend the fee to almost any fleet by association with Chinese ships in it. Any ship arriving from Canada to a U.S. port would be subject to a $1 million to $1.5 million, in some cases, extra costs per vessel transit, which would knock out many, if not all, Canadian goods going across the border by ship into the U.S.,” said Burrows.

Seafarers’ International Union of Canada (SIU Canada) president Michael Given said the USTR proposal doesn’t just punish Chinese-flagged vessels.

SIU Canada represents thousands of qualified seafarers working aboard vessels on the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River, and the East and West coasts through affiliated unions.

“Even if it has a Canadian flag on it, or any other nation’s because it was built in China, they’re going to put a fee on it. It would cripple the Canadian industry, and affect the supply chain,” said Given.

Burrows said part of the proposal is geared toward older vessels built in China and delivered to customers years ago. St. Catharines-based Algoma Central Corp. and Montreal-based Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) have Chinese-built vessels in their fleets.

“China has no interest in those ships once sold to other owners worldwide, including Canada,” said Burrows. “It doesn’t achieve the objective of trying to target China, quite frankly. They’re older ships that shouldn’t even be affected anymore.”

He said Canadian fleets are the dominant player in the cross-border market on the Great Lakes. Those players include Algoma, CSL, Lower Lakes Towing Ltd. and McKeil Marine, among others.

“American fleets (on the Great Lakes) are primarily trading internally. Their ships, generally, are far too large to fit through the Welland Canal and St. Lawrence Seaway,” said Burrows.

The most recent purpose-built American laker to carry cargo through the canal was Interlake Steamship Company’s 195-metre-long River-Class M/V Mark W. Barker, launched three years ago.

Built at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wisc., it was the first new build for Interlake since 1981 and the first American bulk carrier to be built on the lakes in more than 35 years.

Before the hearing date, Given wondered if the Americans would start to look beyond Chinese-built vessels.

“It starts with China. What’s the next thing?”

Canadian fleets have taken delivery of ships built in places such as Turkey, Croatia and Korea.

Given said the union is in favour of North American shipbuilding, but not by doing it through the port fee. Building vessels on the Great Lakes would take infrastructure, investment and training. “We don’t have the expertise right now on the lakes to do it on either side of the border,” said Given.

Burrows said North America is not competitive in the commercial shipbuilding space and hasn’t been for decades.  “We have been going to the offshore markets, not just China. It’s different in the defence, security, coast guard space. Those vessels are constructed domestically and they’re much more expensive ships,” he said.

When it comes to Canadian fleets on the lakes, whether the vessels were built in China or not, they carry needed raw materials such as stone, iron ore, cement, steel, coal, road salt and more to the American market.

Burrows said with the proposed port fee and tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, Americans who rely on imports could see increased prices and possible supply chain shortages.

He said American municipalities and ports are concerned about the proposal.

The fee could drive up the price of road salt for cities that depend on the Canadian supply for the winter. Increased steel and cement costs would drive up public project costs, for things like roads, bridges and buildings.

Burrows said the auto industry has expressed its concerns at the highest levels, and parts shipped back and forth across the border would see tariffs slapped on every time, including the port fee.

“I don’t think people are aware of what crosses the border.”

American ports rely on Canadian and other foreign vessels to take their products out of the country, he said.

Foreign fleets — ocean-going ships colloquially called salties — carry cargo to and from American and Canadian Great Lakes ports.

The union is in close contact with the shipping companies on the issue, said Given.

“We’re working with stakeholders, and as many government officials as we can get to listen to us. We need to have a united front on this one to make sure we survive four years of Donald Trump.”

He said if the proposal goes through it would be devastating for union members. There are up to a thousand on the lakes.

“Our members are concerned. We receive dozens of calls every day wanting to know what’s going on. This is the time of year when most are coming back to work. It’s a short season, nine or 10 months, and that’s when they make their money.”

The shipping season on the Welland Canal and Montreal-Lake Ontario sections of the St. Lawrence System usually runs late March through to early January the following year. Most vessels tie up for the winter season and undergo maintenance with seafarers off work until the shipping season starts.

The 2025 shipping got underway Saturday with vessels moving through the canal.

Seafarers’ International Union of Canada (SIU) is affiliated with Seafarers’ International Union of North America, serving unlicensed sailors since 1938. It has been representing the majority of seafarers working aboard vessels on the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River, East Coast, West Coast and Arctic since 1954. It represents thousands of qualified seafarers across Canada.

Dave Johnson, Welland Tribune

Vessels loading at Thunder Bay

The 2025 shipping season has begun in the Port of Thunder Bay. Algoma Guardian was loading at Richardson International Terminal (Current River) on March 25, 2025. Federal Yoshino (2001 Marshall Islands) was in dry dock at Ontario Shipyards. Capt. Henry Jackman was loading wheat for Baie Comeau at Richardson International Terminal (Main).

Micheal Hull

Cleveland-Cliffs to lay off 600 at Dearborn Works plant

Detroit, MI – Cleveland-Cliffs confirmed Tuesday it will lay off 600 workers at its Dearborn Works plant as part of plans to temporarily idle parts of the facility, a decision the steel producer says was driven by weak automotive production in the United States.

As part of an effort to adjust to the market, the company says it will halt operations at the blast furnace, BOF steel shop and continuous casting facilities in Dearborn. The company said it has issued WARN notices and that the layoffs will begin July 15.

Ore for the blast furnace is brought in by lake freighter, potentially bad news for the Great Lakes shipping industry.

The finishing facilities will remain in operation at Dearborn Works, including the pickling line tandem cold mill and continuous galvanizing line. These facilities will continue to employ 550 employees.

“These actions will allow the company to operate more efficiently and in a more cost competitive way for the current market environment,” the company said in a statement. “We believe that, once President Trump’s policies take full effect and automotive production is re-shored, we should be able to resume steel production at Dearborn Works.”

The idling in Dearborn will come as the company expects to resume full operation at its Cleveland Works’ C6 blast furnace, which was idled last year.

The Detroit News

A New Season Begins: St. Lawrence Seaway Opens for 2025

ST. CATHARINES (March 25, 2025) – The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC)
officially launched its 67th navigation season today with a ceremony held at the St. Catharines
Museum and Welland Canals Centre. This marks the first Opening Ceremony led by Jim Athanasiou,
who assumed the role of President and CEO in July 2024. He was joined by elected officials,
industry leaders, community members, and partners, including the Great Lakes St. Lawrence
Seaway Development Corporation.

The ATB Everlast and Norman McLeod, operated by McAsphalt Marine Transportation Limited, had
the honour of serving as the ceremonial opening vessel, symbolizing the start of the 2025
navigation season.

In his address, Mr. Athanasiou highlighted the Seaway’s enduring strength and resilience, stating:
“While today is a moment to reflect on the history, partnerships, and people who built this system,
it’s also about momentum, about where we go next.”

During the previous navigation season, the Seaway moved nearly 37 million tonnes of cargo,
including essential commodities such as grain, potash, iron and steel. The 2024 season was also the
longest on record, reinforcing the Seaway’s commitment to adaptability and meeting the evolving
needs of its users.

“The Seaway is open and has the capacity today to move more cargo, strengthen supply chains,
and support trade across North America. We’re here to help businesses grow and move goods
efficiently – now and into the future.”
As the 67th navigation season begins, the SLSMC remains committed to innovation, collaboration,
and sustainable development within this shared waterway, which connects the Atlantic Ocean to
the Great Lakes and supports economic activity across North America.
About the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation

Michigan’s Mackinac Bridge among 68 in US

NTSB recommends be evaluated for risk of collapse

Michigan’s Mackinac Bridge is among the 68 bridges across 19 states that the National Transportation Safety Board recommended be assessed to determine “the risk of collapse from a vessel collision.”

This comes as part of the ongoing investigation into last year’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore. The bridge collapsed after the Dali, a containership, struck one of its supports. Six construction workers were killed.

Over the last year, the NTSB identified 68 bridges that don’t have a current vulnerability assessment.

Each bridge on the list is classified as “critical/essential” or “typical.”

Bridges that “serve as important links” are categorized as “critical/essential.” The Key Bridge had this classification, and so does the Mackinac Bridge.

This list doesn’t mean that these bridges are “certain to collapse,” but the board is recommending that the 30 bridge owners evaluate if the bridges are above the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ acceptable level of risk.

“The NTSB found that had the Maryland Transportation Authority, or MDTA, conducted a vulnerability assessment on the Key Bridge based on recent vessel traffic, MDTA would have been aware that the Key Bridge was above the acceptable risk and would have had information to proactively reduce the bridge’s risk of a collapse and loss of lives associated with a vessel collision with the bridge,” the according to a release from the NTSB.

The Mackinac Bridge opened in 1957 and is owned by the Mackinac Bridge Authority.

The bridge connects the state’s upper and lower peninsulas and spans the Straits of Mackinac, which connects Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.

WDIV

Port Colborne top hat ceremony starts shipping season

Port Colborne officially welcomed the start of the 2025 shipping season on the Welland Canal Monday with its annual top hat ceremony at Lock 8 Gateway Park. The outdoor ceremony, originally scheduled for opening day of the canal Saturday, was postponed due to poor weather.

The St. Catharines top hat ceremony at Lock 3, presented by St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp, is being held Tuesday starting at 10 a.m. While no vessel passed through the canal during Monday’s celebration, the City of Port Colborne pressed ahead with the public festivities.

Mayor Bill Steele, who presented a ceremonial top hat to Algoma Sault Capt. Nathan Mayo on Saturday as he captained the first downbound vessel of the season, said the event reflects the city’s close ties to the marine industry.

“This event marks our commitment to our marine industry and its contribution to our local, provincial and national economies,” Steele said.

He described the canal as central to Port Colborne’s identity and future. “It’s no exaggeration to say the canal is the heart of Port Colborne,” he said. “Its bridges and our position on Lake Erie are our defining physical features.”

The Welland Canal has been a key part of Canada’s trade and transportation network since its opening. Over decades, it has evolved to become a critical link between the Great Lakes and international markets.

Addressing attendees, Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey emphasized the canal’s enduring importance, particularly in maintaining the efficiency of supply chains amid trade instability.

“Since the (fourth) canal opened on Aug. 6, 1932, its operations have only grown in importance,” he said. “Today, in our turbulent and rapidly changing times, the Welland Canal remains a critical part in ensuring that our supply chains remain efficient and intact.”

Badawey also spoke highly of significant new investments in the canal and surrounding infrastructure that are expected to boost the city’s and region’s economy.

“A shining example of the seaway’s commitment is the significant investment being made into managing the federal government’s asset,” Badawey said. “The announcement by the city, the seaway and the federal government of a $44-million investment in a cruise ship dock, that will also accommodate Port-related opportunities.”

Steele echoed Badawey’s excitement for the city’s growing role as a stop for cruise ships, with the hopes to bring increased economic activity and tourism to the area this season.

“We’ll be up to around 80 stops this year in downtown Port Colborne,” Steele said. “We’ve got an overwhelming number of both ships and their passengers taking our tours around the city and other events we’ve put together for this season.”

The federal government has committed $350 million over the next three years for infrastructure upgrades in the marine industry, with $180 million earmarked for improvements specifically for the Welland Canal.

Nathan Infantino, operations supervisor for St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp., said the investments reflect the canal’s importance to Canadian trade and transport.

“This investment will ensure the seaway’s continued reliability and efficiency while creating jobs and strengthening local communities,” he said. “The upgrades include (the) bridges right here in Port Colborne and preparing Lock 8 for our hands-free mooring system.”

Mike Haines, representing Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch, outlined the broader impact the marine industry has on the Canadian economy and its trade partners.

“The marine industry supports 329,000 jobs and $59 billion in economic activity in Canada and the United States,” he said. “Something Donald (Trump) should remember.”

The top hat ceremony reflects the historical and cultural importance of the canal. The event dates back to 1970 when then-mayor John Buscarino established it as a way to honour the first downbound ship of the season.

Tami Nail, assistant curator at the Port Colborne Marine and Historical Museum, said the ceremony is a symbol of the city’s connection to the canal and the broader Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System.

“The top hat ceremony recognizes the importance of the canal system for Port Colborne and the Niagara region, as well as the St. Lawrence Seaway’s 67th navigation season on the canal,” Nail said.

The ceremony revolves around a preserved turn of the century, beaver felt hat made by Tress & Co. in England, which was donated anonymously to the city.

The hat, after being presented to the captain of the canal’s first downbound, is stored at the Captain John W. Sharpe Heritage Resource Centre in Port Colborne.

Niagara This Week

New Corps Tug Named After Michigan Tech Alumnus Ronald J. Pearce

Michigan Tech University alumnus Ronald Johnston Pearce [1929–2020] had a lifelong connection to the Soo Locks and the St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, beginning as a child and encompassing a 35-year career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

Now, the USACE is honoring his legacy, expertise, and impact on the region with the deployment of the R.J. Pearce – a 76-foot tugboat with a 28-foot beam – that will be commissioned in Sault Ste. Marie this fall.

Growing up in the Soo, Pearce’s admiration for the St. Marys River ran deep. As a 13-year-old boy, Pearce remembered returning across the frozen river from neighboring Soo, Canada, when he heard the newsboys shouting that the United States entered World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Barely a teenager, Pearce joined the war effort by working for the Civil Defense where he would ride his bike in the dark of night to deliver messages to the 15,000 troops who were stationed to protect the locks. The following summers of 1942 and 1944, Pearce ran an outboard and inboard cruiser, respectively, for the boundary surveyor along the river. In 1945, he traveled with the survey from northern Minnesota to New York. He was in Erie, Pennsylvania, on V-J Day, the day that marked the end of World War II.

The opportunity to work at an early age, especially at a tumultuous time in the country, instilled Pearce with a strong work ethic that would transcend throughout his entire life. While he had a long and successful career, Pearce was most well known for his humble integrity and dedication to his family.

Pearce’s collegiate career began in 1946 at Fort Brady—what would become the Sault Ste. Marie Residence Center of the Michigan College of Mining & Technology, and ultimately Lake Superior State University. He transferred to Michigan Tech’s Houghton campus during his third year, and graduated with his Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1951.

After graduation, Pearce held positions at the Chicago Northwest Railroad and the International Boundary Commission. He was drafted into the Army in February 1953 and served in Korea from May 1954 through February 1955, where he spent his time rebuilding Korean villages with public buildings, dams, and electric power.

In the summer of 1956, Pearce was accepted into the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a civil engineer, returning to the Soo with his wife, Margaret, and their children, Ronald and Sharon—later to be joined by David, Barbara, Ruth, Joseph Edwin, Murray, and Marilynn. Pearce spent 35 years at the St. Marys River Branch and was appointed chief in 1967.

Pearce’s career resulted in mastery of the area and its operations. His expertise was provided in countless projects that still have an impact on the region to this day. In 2009, USACE awarded Pearce the Distinguished Civilian Award because of his work building relationships with stakeholders, managing contracts and surveys, and managing the development and implementation of the acoustic hydrographic survey vessel James Bray. He retired from the USACE in October 1990.

In recognition of Pearce’s lifelong service and dedication to his country and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a new vessel will be named in his honor as the tug R.J. Pearce. The tug will have the American Bureau of Shipping classification of Maltese Cross A-1 Towing Vessel, Ice Class C0, Great Lakes Service with Maltese Cross AMS and UWild.

The R.J. Pearce will be used primarily to support marine maintenance activities at the Soo Locks and St. Marys River. The vessel will move crane barges around the lock facilities, supporting material and equipment deliveries for routine and emergency work. Additionally, the boat will move crane, excavator, and material barges up and down the St. Marys River, supporting removal of strikes in the federal navigation channel—a critical function that ensures safe commercial navigation between our Lake Superior ports and the lower Great Lakes, as well as many overseas ports.

The tug captains, engineers, and crews (including members who Pearce previously worked with) traveled to the Lower Atchafalaya River in Morgan City, Louisiana, to witness the first launch, when the TB Ronald J. Pearce was released into the water by sinking the barge and then cutting it loose to float. The vessel will make its maiden voyage to the Soo later this year, traveling around Florida, up the North Atlantic, into the St. Lawrence Seaway, and through the Great Lakes until it reaches Sault Ste. Marie.

Soon-to-be-scrapped Cuyahoga takes on water at Ashtabula

ASHTABULA, OH – Reliable waterfront reports indicate the laid-up Canadian-flagged laker Cuyahoga took on water in the engine room over the weekend. On Saturday she was down by the stern and showing a noticeable port list, although some of that had been evened out by Sunday. A containment boom was placed around the vessel as a precaution. Cuyahoga, seriously damaged in a fire nearly a year ago, is expected to be towed away for scrap in the spring.

REPORT: New Wolfe Islander IV ferry was
off course when it struck bottom last December

KINGSTON, ON – The Wolfe Islander IV (WI4) was off its regular course when it’s believed to have struck bottom, tearing a roughly 30-centimetre gash in its hull and causing the ferry to take on water, according to documents obtained by CBC.

The collision happened just before noon on Dec. 4, when the long-awaited boat had only been carrying passengers for about three months.

After limping to dry dock in Hamilton with the help of tugboats, the ferry has been out of commission for the same length of time. Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has yet to provide any information about what caused the vessel to leave its standard route, or what’s being done to prevent a repeat.

MTO describes a 30-centimetre by two-centimetre tear in the hull, a large scrape on the port side below the waterline and dents in the hull, along with damage to two propellers (thrusters) on the port side, with an estimate of $1 million to $2 million for the repairs.

The document also warns staff to “anticipate delays” when it comes to securing materials, noting the metal needed is unavailable in the required thickness in Canada having been built in Romania.

It is not clear why the ferry was off course. A map of the regular routes the ferry follows was attached to the note. It shows the course the vessel took on Dec. 4 swings outside of the typical path after leaving Wolfe Island, highlighting the suspected area of impact in red and an area where the ferry slowed down in purple.

Weather data from Environment Canada shows winds of 40-45 km/h in Kingston at 11 a.m. on Dec. 4 and noon, but it’s not clear from the documents CBC viewed if the weather was a factor in the collision.

As part of the new ferry project, significant dredging was completed to deepen and widen the channel between the two docks. The notes mention working with an engineering firm to carry out a new marine survey of the channel as soon as possible.

The other two documents obtained by CBC cover much of the same material, but include one significant piece of new information. They describe the need to develop “training enhancements” to avoid similar incidents, before offering the following instruction for ferry crews in the meantime: “Marine Services managers have also advised captains to ensure diligence in staying within the dredged channel while operating Wolfe Islander III.”

Crews would have steered the ferry along that same route dozens of times a day, but familiarity alone doesn’t prevent problems, according to John Dalziel, a ship designer by training and an adjunct professor of industrial engineering at Dalhousie University.

Based on his review of the MTO notes, Dalziel said it’s possible more training could have made a difference.

“Maybe there was some lack of familiarity with how that vessel handled, and perhaps a gust of wind took them quickly across to the side,” he said.

CBC

Maritime industry opposition continues unabated
against Trump-proposed fees on Chinese-built vessels

Prominent maritime industry stakeholders are flooding the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) with comments opposing the proposed measures targeting Chinese-built and operated vessels, warning of potentially disastrous effects on U.S. trade and consumer prices.

The measures seek to counter China’s dominance in maritime sectors by imposing port fees of up to $1.5 million on Chinese-built ships and operators, while promoting U.S. vessel usage and the U.S. shipbuilding industry. A public comment period ends on March 24 when a public hearing is scheduled at the International Trade Commission.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), which represents over 80% of the global

merchant fleet, states that the proposed fees could severely disrupt U.S. trade and

increase consumer prices. The fees could potentially affect 98% of container ships

calling at U.S. ports.

“The proposed remedies could have an overall net negative impact on the U.S. economy, and result in a decline in U.S. exports,” asserts ICS in its written submission to the USTR.

Leading ro-ro carrier Atlantic Container Line (ACL) projects dramatic cost increases. Export container rates could soar from $500 to $2,500, while import rates could climb from $2,500 to $4,500. ACL warns it would be forced to “terminate its US service, close its American offices, lay off its American staff and redeploy its ships to non-US trades.”

The Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA) cites data showing U.S.-built ships cost four times more than foreign-built vessels, with delivery times exceeding 10 years for specialized vessels.

“Due to decades of neglect, the US maritime industry has seen a steady decline…we necessarily must rely on vessels registered in other nations,” CSA states. It stresses that imposing port fees alone won’t revitalize U.S. shipbuilding or the U.S.-flagged fleet. Instead, proactive legislation like the SHIPS for America Act is required. Among other submissions, the East Coast Stevedore Company warns that implementing the fees as written would “destroy trade across the entire United States.” This sentiment is echoed across the industry, with particular concerns about impacts on agricultural exports, energy trade, and regional shipping services.

The Louisiana Maritime Association (LaMA) warned that American maritime workers could lose out in the near term, even if the fees eventually succeed in boosting future U.S. shipyard activity. “The fallout will affect railroads, pilots, towage (tug) companies, barge companies and many small, independent businesses such as line handling companies, dock, terminal and facility workers. The myriad of United States companies dependent on the shipping industry could (and reportedly already are) lose business based on the anticipation of the implementation of this USTR action.”

Master Mariners of Canada

Vessel with wind-powered mast to cut emissions sets sail to Canada

A pioneering rigid shipping mast has set off on its first journey, harnessing the wind to propel a cargo ship – Carisbrooke Shipping’s Vectis Progress – from England to Canada and using less fuel to help reduce emissions.

After a night of work and a short nap, George Thompson, the founder of GT Wings — the startup that produced this 20-metre-high mast — was back on the ship’s main deck.

“We haven’t had much sleep over the last few days,” Thompson told AFP, as he looked out onto the shipyard workers in white helmets and fluorescent vests, still making adjustments a few hours before departure.

“This is very high-tech,” said GT Wings product manager Martin Harrop, pointing to the imposing white and red structure on the bow of the cargo ship in Hull, northeastern England.

Like several other wind propulsion systems, this one works like a vertical aeroplane wing. It harnesses the wind that hits its surface to propel the ship.

However, its internal fans set it apart. They accelerate the air passing through it to speed up the ship, Harrop explained.

“There was a gap in the market for a new type of technology,” said Thompson, a sailing enthusiast. “One that was able to produce a lot of thrust but from a much smaller, much more compact size.”

Since it was set up three years ago, GT Wings has attracted funding from private investors as well as the British government, which has invested £3.7 million ($4.8 million) as part of its maritime decarbonisation programme.

It now has nine employees, including those who have taken part in the America’s Cup, a high-level sailing competition, and those from the Formula 1 racing world.

“The aerodynamics and all the science behind the America’s Cup really plays a big part in what we’re doing,” Thompson said, adding the same was true for motor sports and Formula 1.

But building the project within 12 months was a challenge.

It required modifying the ship’s structure using an additional nine tonnes of steel, installing over 7.5 kilometres (4 and a half miles) of electric cables and finding space for the AirWing.

“We had a very small footprint on the bow of the ship to install the wing, where it wouldn’t impact on the ship’s operation,” said Simon Merritt from Carisbrooke Shipping, which owns a fleet of vessels including the cargo ship, Vectis Progress.

To overcome the lack of visibility, the company had to fit navigational cameras, a radar system on the bow and navigation lights, Merritt explained, squinting his eyes in the winter sun.

During the first phase of the project, the company managed to use eight percent less fuel.

It now hopes to target up to 10 percent fuel savings on the vessel.

“This ship trades on transatlantic voyages between Europe and Canada, and we hope to harness more wind on these longer voyages with stronger wind conditions,” Merritt said.

Depending on the price of fuel, Carisbrooke estimates that it could save nearly $1,000 per day in fuel costs.

The project is one of only around 80 ships globally that use this type of propulsion system, Thompson said.

He hopes that new European legislation — that requires a reduction of the carbon intensity of ships — could make technology like the AirWing more appealing.

The International Maritime Organization hopes to achieve carbon neutrality in the maritime sector by 2050 — and is expected to present measures in April to support this aim.

“The industry was a bit slow to start,” said Lise Detrimont, who runs the Wind Ship association, a specialist maritime wind power group.

“But the number of wind-related installations is expected to double every year in coming years.”

France 24

Shipping season opens at Duluth

ATB Clyde S VanEnkevort/Erie Trader received the honor of being the first ship arrival to Duluth of the 2025 shipping season, arriving in the piers March 22, 2025 at 18:22. Coming in at a good clip of about 9 MPH with a NE tailwind pushing them, they arrived light, heading to the CN Dock to load iron ore pellets.

Paul Scinocca

G3 Marquis opens Welland Canal

On Saturday, G3 Marquis became the first upbound vessel entering the Welland Canal this season, clearing lock 8 about 3:30 PM headed for Thunder Bay. The first upbound vessel past Brockville will be the CCGS Amundsen on her way to Midland, ON, closely followed by Kamenitza on her way to Hamilton.

Helen Cooper, Amy Daggett