Storm on Upper Great Lakes Sends Vessels to Shelter
Easterly winds on the northern Great Lakes have sent many vessels to anchor, or to set courses that bring them into the lee of the land.
As of 10 am. Thursday:
Anchored off Superior, WI: CSL Assiniboine, Presque Isle, Joyce L. VanEnkevort. CSL Niagara remains at the ore dock.
Western Lake Superior off Sand Island: John G. Munson, Walter J. McCarthy Jr.
East of Ashland, WI: Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin
West side of Keweenaw Peninsula: Stewart J. Cort, Algoma Guardian, Edgar B. Speer
Above the Soo Locks: Mark W. Barker, Florence Spirit, Capt. Henry Jackman, Resko, Hon. James L. Oberstar, American Century
Above DeTour: John J Boland, American Mariner, Joseph L. Block, Lee A. Tregurtha, Manitowoc
Off Cockburn Island: Manitoulin
Straits: Great Republic, H. Lee White, Arthur M. Anderson
GALE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THURSDAY
WHAT…Highest gusts up to 45 kts from the east and highest waves around 8 feet.
WHERE…Whitefish Bay (U. S. Portion)/Whitefish Point to Point Iroquois MI and St. Marys River Point Iroquois to E. Potagannissing Bay.
One vessel was moving in the St. Marys River Thursday morning. MIchipicoten arrived at unload at Algoma Steel. She will stay there until the wind moderates.
Lakes Limestone Trade Down in November
CLEVELAND — Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 2.5 million tons in November, a decrease of 24 percent compared to a year ago. Limestone cargos were 15.1 percent below the month’s 5-year average.
Loadings from U.S. quarries decreased 23.1 percent from 2021 to 2.1 million tons. Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 450,529 tons, a decrease of 28 percent.
Year-to-date the limestone trade stands at nearly 27.5 million tons, a decrease of 1.6 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings from Michigan and Ohio quarries decreased by less than 1 percent to nearly 22 million tons, while shipments from Ontario quarries total 5.6 million tons, a decrease of 4 percent from 2021.
Lake Carriers’ Association
Soo Locks Construction Project Enters Third Phase Amid Skyrocketing Costs
SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – As work on the new Soo Lock in Sault Ste. Marie shifts towards nearly a decade of construction, it’s facing a wave of new problems nearly every sector is dealing with, including increased costs and a lack of workers.
Construction on the new Soo Lock began in 2018. The project was broken into three phases, and phase two is nearing completion. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is preparing to begin phase three soon, which is expected to be completed in 2030. “The bulk of the work will kick off in April,” said project engineer Kristina Schnettler. “So, most of our work will happen from April into December each year, with some work happening from December to April if the winter allows it.”
Phase three is expected to be the most work intensive portion of the construction effort. And with rising construction costs, as well as worker shortages, the total cost projection for the project has nearly tripled in the past few years.
“We’re working on getting reauthorized at about $3.2 billion, where previously we were authorized at $922 million,” Schnettler said. “So, we did see quite a cost increase, and a lot of that is due to inflation and also a national workforce shortage and other market stabilization issues that we’re seeing across the country.”
The adjustment was made back in the winter of 2021, while the third phase’s contract was being reassessed. The Army Corps will need to continue looking for funding each year in order to keep up with the price tag.
The Corps should also receive over $200 million from the Defense Act and the Water Resources Development Act, which passes every two years.
“To date, we’ve received $1.585 billion of that $3.2 billion” Schnettler said. “About $700 million of that is for the construction itself, and the rest of that is contingency money for if we see any changes on the project or any additional work we need to do.”
Schnettler said the hope is always to stay below their total funding. But considering recent economic trends, it’s better to be prepared and make sure this piece of critical infrastructure is completed.
The second and third phase of construction will overlap when work starts back up in the spring. Phase two should wrap up by 2024.
Up North Live
