Furetank’s intermediate tanker Fure Vasa was given her name in Uddevalla, Sweden, on August 28, in front of more than 300 invited guests. Along with news of new investments and a 40th-anniversary celebration, the day brought several encouraging signs for the state of Swedish tanker shipping. Furetank is a cooperative venture between Sweden’s Furetank and Canada’s Algoma Central Corp.

Tanker Fure Vasa. [Furetank]

Fure Vasa, number 18 in the VINGA vessel series, has just arrived in Europe from the China Merchants Jinling shipyard in Yangzhou.

“This vessel is the result of close cooperation between

, Algoma Central Corporation, FKAB Marine Design, the shipyard, and our dedicated employees and partners. The vessel represents our shared ambition to continue developing sustainable and efficient transport solutions. She meets all environmental regulations set for the next 20 years, and demonstrates how innovation and responsible shipping can go hand in hand,” said Lars Höglund, CEO of Furetank.

The day offered several highlights: it marked 40 years of joint vessel design between Furetank and FKAB Marine Design, and brought the announcement of four new VINGA vessel orders, taking the series to 26 vessels in total. Two go to Furetank and Algoma Central Corporation in joint venture FureBear, one to Älvtank and one to O.H. Meling.

The ships will be constructed at the China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Yangzhou, China, with delivery expected between 2028 and 2029. They will be entered into the Gothia Tanker Alliance and managed commercially by Furetank Chartering.

All four vessels are to be registered under the Swedish flag, meaning the VINGA series will account for almost a fifth of the Swedish merchant fleet, which currently stands at just over 105 vessels.

Furetank, Algoma Central Corp.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration has awarded $35.18 million to 45 shipyards in 24 states and 1 U.S. territory through the Small Shipyard Grant Program. The funds will help awardees modernize, increase productivity, and expand local employment opportunities while competing in the global marketplace.

See the list here.

North Shore Marine Terminal at Escanaba, MI.

Please see the job announcement links below for XH-5782-11 Mate, Tug, Class 1 position within the Detroit District.  These announcements will be used to fill the vacancy at the Detroit Project Office on the Tug DEMOLEN.

Tug Demolen. [Windsor Aerial Drone Photography]

• Ensures vessel is prepared to sail at the scheduled time, is seaworthy, properly crewed and fitted to accomplished assigned mission.
• Serves as timekeeper for the crew members and assists the Master to evaluate the crew’s performance.
• Navigates the vessel during assigned watch.
• Observes weather conditions, forecasts, barometer, wind velocity, and other weather indicators to determine suitableness for operation.
• Works from plans or field notes showing location and extent of work to be performed in removing shoals from channel. Locates area and makes necessary arrangement for accomplishing work.
• Enforces safety regulations and instructs crew both on safety work procedures and work practices peculiar to floating plant.
• Assigns port watches for safety and security of vessel and creates the schedule and insures equitable assignment of these duties to employees.
• Sets port watch schedule for safety and security of vessel. Ensures equitable assignment/rotation of workers.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Conditions of employment
• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• Must have a current U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Marine Credential endorsements of: a Mate of Self-propelled vessels not including auxiliary sail of less than 500 gross register tons (GRT)upon Great Lakes and Inland Waters (or greater/equivalent).
• Must have a current U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Marine Credential endorsements of: Master of towing vessels upon Great Lakes and inland waters (or equivalent).
• Must have a current U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Marine Credential endorsements of: Radar Observer (Unlimited)
• This position is covered by the Civilian Drug Abuse Testing Program. Incumbent is required to sign a DA Form 5019-R. Individual must pass drug test.
• This position requires a pre-employment physical exam AND annual physical due to the physical requirement of the position.
• Must possess and maintain a valid state issued motor vehicle driver’s license.
• This position requires incumbent to obtain and maintain a First Aid Certification
• This position requires incumbent to wear safety equipment and/or use personal protective equipment (PPE) when needed.
• This position requires Temporary Duty Travel (TDY) up to 75% of duty time.
• Shift work is required during open-water (lake) towing operations.

OVERVIEW:

Accepting applications

Open & closing dates: 08/20/2026 to 09/21/2026

Salary $48.44 – $56.50 per hour

Pay scale & grade XH 11

Location 001 vacancies in the following location: Detroit, MI

Remote job: No

Telework eligible: No

Travel Required: 75% or less – You may be expected to travel for this position.

Relocation expenses reimbursed: Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.

Appointment type: Permanent

Work schedule: Full-time – Seasonal

Service: Competitive

Promotion potential: None

Job family (Series): 5782 Ship Operating

Supervisory status: No

Security clearance: Not Required

Drug test: Yes

Position sensitivity and risk: Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process: Suitability/Fitness

Financial disclosure: No

Bargaining unit status: Yes

DHA:

Open & closing dates: 08/20/2026 to 09/21/2026

Link: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/881462600

M/V American Century  took one of the last clean-up loads of coal from the Midwest Energy dock in Superior on Saturday. There was at least one more load of coal remaining after the Century departed for DTE St. Clair/Monroe, MI. David Schauer

American Century at the SMET dock on Saturday. [David Schauer]

EAGLE HARBOR, MI – A remarkable chapter in Great Lakes maritime history was commemorated Tuesday as the Keweenaw Historical Society marked the 100th anniversary of the wreck of the City of Bangor – and the extraordinary rescue of its cargo of brand-new automobiles. The Keweenaw Historical Society received a framed original painting by noted Upper Peninsula artist Clyde Mikkola, depicting the dramatic 1926 shipwreck and the unusual operation that followed: salvaging automobiles from a wrecked freighter in the depths of a cold Lake Superior in January.

City of Bangor ashore. [Marine Historical Society of Detroit]

The painting was presented to the society’s maritime chairman, Mark Rowe, and will become part of an effort to preserve and share the story of the City of Bangor and other historic sites throughout the Upper Peninsula.The Keweenaw Historical Society plans to auction the valuable original artwork to raise funds supporting its continuing historic-preservation efforts. Bids will be accepted through fall 2027. Before the auction, the painting will be displayed at the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse history building gift shop, where visitors will have an opportunity to see the artwork and learn about the remarkable shipwreck story firsthand. The painting is also featured on the cover of “Shipwreck and Rescued,” an award-winning book by Upper Peninsula author Larry Jorgensen, which tells the story of the City of Bangor, its wreck, and the remarkable rescue of its automobile cargo.

One of the rescued automobiles survives today and is displayed at the lighthouse museum, along with several historic photographs documenting the rescue.

The centennial offers an opportunity to revisit a little-known piece of Great Lakes history: a shipwreck that became notable not simply because a freighter was lost, but because of the extraordinary effort to save its valuable cargo. The 100th anniversary commemoration, the original Mikkola painting, the surviving automobile and the historic photographs together provide a rare opportunity to experience this dramatic episode of Lake Superior history.

The Iron Mountain Daily News

Capt. Paul LaMarre III, president, AGLPA (left), Patrick Kelly, CEO Fraser Industries and Brian Oszakiewski, executive director, AGLPA.

The American Great Lakes Ports Association (AGLPA) today announced a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Great Lakes Alliance of Shipyards (GLAS), bringing together leading organizations representing Great Lakes ports and American shipyards around shared priorities in domestic shipbuilding, commerce, workforce development, infrastructure, and federal policy. The agreement was signed during AGLPA’s 2026 Annual Conference in Chicago.

The MOU marks the first formal partnership between the U.S. Great Lakes port and shipyard communities. By connecting public port authorities with leading American shipyards, the organizations will work more closely to expand the region’s industrial capacity, pursue new cargo and export opportunities, develop the next generation of skilled maritime workers, and advance national priorities to restore American shipbuilding and strengthen the maritime industrial base. The partnership also recognizes the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System’s critical role in connecting American industry to domestic and global markets.

Under the MOU, the organizations will coordinate on priorities that include shipbuilding, vessel repair and modernization; fleet renewal and the construction of American-built vessels; cargo growth, export opportunities and trade development; port and shipyard infrastructure; workforce recruitment and training; and federal policies and investments affecting the Great Lakes maritime economy and broader national maritime priorities.

Although voluntary and non-binding, the agreement creates a standing mechanism for ports and shipyards to coordinate on shared priorities and pursue initiatives of mutual benefit. The founding organizations envision an expanding coalition capable of advancing U.S. shipbuilding, improving the region’s transportation network, supporting industrial growth, and generating economic activity throughout the Great Lakes. Additional shipyards and maritime organizations may participate in the future with the approval of the original signatories.

“The Great Lakes have long served as one of America’s most strategic maritime gateways, and their continued success depends on the strength of the industries that support them,” said Captain Paul LaMarre III, President, American Great Lakes Ports Association. “This agreement brings our ports and shipyards together around a common vision: expanding American shipbuilding, supporting economic growth, creating skilled jobs, and reinforcing the Great Lakes as a vital part of our nation’s transportation and industrial infrastructure. These capabilities are increasingly important to America’s economic and national security and the future of American maritime leadership.”

Patrick Kelly, CEO, Fraser Industries, signing on behalf of the Great Lakes Alliance of Shipyards, said: “This agreement reflects our shared commitment to building a stronger future for the Great Lakes. By working together, shipyards and ports can expand domestic vessel construction, improve supply-chain resilience, invest in skilled workers, and ensure this region remains one of the nation’s premier centers of maritime commerce and industrial capability.”

“Shipyards and ports succeed together,” said John A. Witte, Jr., president and CEO of Donjon Marine Co., LLC. “Closer coordination will help us identify new opportunities for vessel construction, repair and modernization while supporting the infrastructure and commercial activity necessary to sustain a thriving Great Lakes maritime economy.”

“The Great Lakes have the industrial capacity, skilled workforce, and technical expertise to play a leading role in the resurgence of American shipbuilding,” said Jan Allman, CEO, Fincantieri Marinette Marine. “Bringing ports and shipyards closer together will help attract investment, encourage innovation, and strengthen the region’s maritime industrial base for long-term growth.”

“This is about far more than signing a document,” said Brian Oszakiewski, executive director, American Great Lakes Ports Association. “We are building a lasting relationship between two industries whose futures are closely connected. Our organizations can work together to move more cargo, make the case for strategic federal investment, expand domestic maritime capacity, and ensure the Great Lakes play a larger role in America’s transportation and economic future. We also expect this effort to grow as additional shipyards join us, broadening the coalition and creating new possibilities for the entire region.

American Great Lakes Ports Association

Polsteam Goplo.

The Polish Steamship Co. (Polsteam) of Szczecin, Poland, has added another new vessel, its 12th in a series of Laker-class vessels, to its fleet. Recently added is the Polsteam Goplo (IMO 1027213), built in 2026 at the Chinese Dalian Shipbuilding Industry (DSIC) Shipyard in Shanhaiguan Quinhungdao (Hebei Province) in China. The vessel is 199.99 meters or 656 feet in length with a beam or width of 23.700 meters or 78 feet wide. She is registered in Portugal and flies that nation’s flag. She is named for a lake in Poland.

The first four vessels in the series, which began in 2024, have three deck mounted cranes whereas eight others in the series have four deck mounted cranes.

Denny Dushane

CHICAGO – The United States cannot rebuild its maritime strength by focusing solely on its ocean coasts. Instead, the nation’s industrial resurgence depends on recognizing the Great Lakes as one of America’s five maritime coastlines and leveraging the region’s unmatched manufacturing ecosystem, according to U.S. Maritime Administrator Stephen M. Carmel. Speaking at the American Great Lakes Ports Association’s annual meeting in Chicago recently

Stephen M. Carmel, Administrator, MarAd.

, Carmel argued that the Great Lakes should be viewed not as a regional transportation network, but as a national strategic asset that is central to rebuilding America’s commercial shipbuilding and industrial base.

“For generations, we have spoken as though the United States had three coasts—the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Gulf,” Carmel said. “That has never been true. America has five coasts: the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Gulf, the Great Lakes and the Arctic.”

While the Arctic has increasingly become a focal point for national security and geopolitical competition, Carmel said the Great Lakes deserve equal strategic attention – and funding –  because they connect directly to North America’s industrial heartland through the St. Lawrence Seaway and represent one of the country’s few remaining complete maritime ecosystems.

Carmel said Washington is beginning to embrace a broader view of maritime policy, citing the Maritime Action Plan, the SHIPS Act and renewed emphasis on shipbuilding, workforce development, financing and strengthening the domestic industrial base. Importantly, he stressed that these initiatives extend well beyond America’s saltwater coasts.

“For a long time, America talked about maritime issues as though they were simply transportation issues,” Carmel said. “The larger truth is that maritime strength is about the system they create together.”

He argued that rebuilding America’s maritime sector is ultimately about rebuilding manufacturing.

Cargo creates demand for ships. Ships create demand for mariners. Mariners sustain shipyards. Shipyards support suppliers, and those suppliers preserve the industrial capabilities that underpin both economic prosperity and national security.

“The Great Lakes never lost that system,” Carmel said, noting that while much of the country watched shipyards close and supply chains disperse, the region continued moving the iron ore, steel and industrial cargoes that powered American manufacturing. “When America became the greatest industrial power the world had ever seen, it did not happen despite the Great Lakes. It happened because of them.”

That industrial foundation, he said, offers a blueprint for the rest of the country.

Rather than viewing shipbuilding as the responsibility of a handful of coastal yards, Carmel said successful maritime nations develop integrated ecosystems capable of designing, building, repairing, financing and sustaining ships over generations. He pointed to the Great Lakes’ ports, shipyards, suppliers, manufacturers, workforce and educational institutions as evidence that such an ecosystem already exists.

Carmel also challenged Great Lakes stakeholders to help shape the next phase of U.S. maritime policy by providing lawmakers with specific projects, cargo opportunities and regulatory obstacles as Congress prepares new maritime legislation for 2027. Decisions made during the coming months, he said, will determine whether Great Lakes priorities are embedded in national policy from the outset rather than added later.

Despite growing bipartisan support for rebuilding American maritime capacity—and billions of dollars already committed to federal shipbuilding programs, Carmel said the greatest threat to success is neither foreign competition nor funding

He believes the industry’s biggest challenge is mindset.

“Too many people look at this mission and conclude that the problems are too complex, that we’re too far behind and that the competition is too entrenched,” Carmel said. “And I reject all of that.”

America’s maritime revival, he concluded, will depend on the same spirit of innovation and determination that built the Great Lakes into the industrial engine of the nation.

Marine Link