Three tugs free Barbro G.
UPDATE: The Barbro G was freed just after 2 p.m. Tuesday thanks to the combined efforts of the Great Lakes Towing Co. tugs Ontario, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. She was moved back to the anchorage where she will be inspected for damage.
Work to move Barbro G. to resume Tuesday morning
DETROIT, MI-A freighter aground off downtown Detroit will be refloated Tuesday morning. Tugs
were on the Detroit River most of Monday trying to free the Barbro G, which ran aground in the
river near downtown Detroit shortly after 7:30 a.m.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard Great Lakes, the 623-foot freighter was in the Belle Isle
Anchorage when the crew noticed a malfunctioning thruster, which resulted in the ship getting
stuck. The ship, which was flying the Portuguese flag, was on a stopover in Detroit while
delivering a shipment of wheat from Thunder Bay to Italy.
Shortly before 4 p.m. Monday, the Coast Guard tweeted that a second tugboat had arrived to
try to free the vessel. The crew had been in contact with U.S. and Canadian authorities to plan a
safe refloating.
The Coast Guard tweeted again Monday evening that a refloating plan had been approved and
crews will try beginning at 8 a.m. Tuesday.
WDIV
Name changes at the U.S. Coast Guard
CLEVELAND, OH – Coast Guard Sectors Buffalo and Sault Ste. Marie are scheduled to change names to Sectors Eastern Great Lakes and Northern Great Lakes, respectively, on Dec. 1, 2023.
Duluth port drew thousands of Great Lakes cruise passengers this year
DULUTH — More than 4,000 cruise passengers visited Duluth in 2023 resulting in $600,000 in economic impact for the city, according to officials at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, which has a customs facility on site.
“The lion’s share of these guests would not be visiting our community otherwise and now they know of this great place we call Duluth,” DECC director Dan Hartman said in a news release.
There were four ships that came through the Duluth Harbor, including the Ocean Navigator, Octantis, Polaris and Hanseatic Inspiration. Florida based American Queen Voyages, which owns Ocean Navigator, announced earlier this year that is ending its Great Lakes tours in favor of river cruises.
More than 25,000 passengers visited ports on the Great Lakes in the past year — a 20% increase from 2022, according to Cruise the Great Lakes, a regional marketing initiative.
Cruises resumed travel through this part of Lake Superior in May 2022. Before that, it had been nearly a decade since the last cruise ship docked in Duluth.
Duluth Entertainment Convention Center
