Mark W. Barker to undergo sea trials Friday morning
STURGEON BAY, WI – Interlake Steamship Co.’s newest vessel, Mark W. Barker, will depart Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding Friday morning with assistance from tugs Donald Sarter and Ontario to undergo her sea trials.
The 639’ vessel is the first Great Lakes bulk carrier to be built on the Great Lakes in over 35 years, and the company’s first since 1981. Pending her sea trials results, the Mark W. Barker will enter active trading and eventually be officially christened Sept. 1 in Cleveland, OH.
Olive L. Moore/Menominee grounds at Stoneport
STONEPORT, MI – In the early hours of June 30th, the tug/barge combination Olive L. Moore/Menominee ran aground while attempting to dock in Stoneport to load limestone. By late Thursday night the pair had been freed without assistance from any additonal tugs and was tied up at the dock waiting for inspection. The extent of the damage, if any, is unknown at this time.
Menominee is the former powered laker Sparrows Point/Buckeye.
Engineer Kevin Sprague says ‘Goodbye’ after 30 years
After a 30 year career serving the Soo Locks, US Army Corps of Engineers Area Engineer Kevin Sprague’s last day on the job was Thursday, June 30.
The soon to be retired area engineer devoted his entire career to the navigation industry, donning many different hats along the way. After working as a project engineer fabricating armor components for military vehicles in the private industry, Sprague took a federal position with the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1992. “I worked as part of a hydrographic surveying crew,” said Sprague.
He conducted survey work on the Army Corps of Engineers’ James Bray and Derrick Boat Nicolet to later become Assistant Chief of the St. Marys River Branch. “I was able to work on a wide range of projects from vessel maintenance to maintenance of the navigation channels, in addition to surveying and marine construction,” Sprague said.
Shortly thereafter, he became Chief of the Lock Operations Branch in 2000 to eventually head Soo Lock maintenance and operations. “In 2010, I was selected as the Sault Area Engineer,” said Sprague, who went on to lead staff members in Soo Locks operations and maintenance for the next 12 years. “It’s the most important and largest navigation project in the Great Lakes – the Soo Locks.”
Sprague deployed his skills throughout Michigan’s Upper Peninsula into the St. Marys River Federal Navigation Channel and Sault Ste. Marie hydroelectric power plants, along with thirteen harbors and off-shore channels. “I was the onsite representative for the International Joint Commission’s Lake Superior Board of Control,” said Sprague, who spent an unspecified amount of time and effort supporting the economic study for construction of a new Soo Lock. “I emphasized the importance of the Soo Locks as the lynchpin and single point of failure for the Great Lakes Navigation System,” he said.
Sprague was recognized by many in the navigation industry as an exemplary leader.
“I worked closely with US and Canadian shipping companies, and industry groups,” said Sprague, who also excelled at mobilizing the necessary resources to manage scheduled and unscheduled lock outages and/or channel closures to mitigate stakeholder impacts. “I engaged with US Army Corps of Engineers leadership and navigation users including local, state, federal, and bi-national groups and agencies to communicate navigation impacts.”
To begin his career, Sprague graduated from Lawrence Technological University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is a Michigan state licensed professional engineer.
To read more about Sprague’s personal life, click on this link: https://www.sooleader.com/local-news/engineer-kevin-sprague-says-goodbye-after-30-years-18-photos-5528997?utm_source=SND&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=AutoPilot&fbclid=IwAR2Tt9R34yiQFq6nAZBZyzMz3EvH41js1mbwuZAL5dtiovH-mWP9oKsm57o
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Have a good extended weekend everyone!
-Jack
