First saltie arrives in Duluth, marking start of the 2024 shipping season

DULUTH, MN – The first oceangoing vessel of the 2024 shipping season, the “Barbro G,” sailed into the port of Duluth-Superior just before noon Monday morning, marking the traditional opening of the Great Lakes shipping season in the Twin Ports.

People lined the canal to greet the crew of the 623-foot vessel as it glided under the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge, blaring its horn.

The cargo ship, operated by Sweden’s Brochart KB and captained by Borys Smyrnov of Ukraine, is scheduled to load roughly 22,000 short tons of durum wheat at a grain storage terminal owned by Ceres Global Ag Corp., based in Golden Valley. Its facility in the Twin Ports can hold more than 12 million bushels of grain.

From Duluth — the westernmost port in the Great Lakes — the ship and cargo will sail back through Lake Superior and the other lakes, and then through the St. Lawrence Seaway and across the Atlantic Ocean, bound for Algeria.

Create a More Connected Minnesota

“Despite our recent snowstorm, arrival of the season’s first full Seaway transit is a true sign of spring and a reminder of the economic impact these great ships help deliver to our region,” said Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.

“We’re excited to welcome ‘Barbro G’ and share our Midwestern wheat cargo with the world via the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System,” DeLuca added.

Ships began to emerge from their winter lay-up nearly two weeks ago in Duluth, when the ‘Beau Comeau’ departed with a load of iron ore pellets, bound for the lower Great Lakes. That ship was the first so-called “laker” to leave the Duluth-Superior port. The ‘Barbro G’ is the first “saltie” to arrive.

The Port Authority and Visit Duluth sponsor an annual contest to guess the arrival date of the first saltie. This year’s contest drew nearly 8,000 entries.

The arrival is four days later than last year, when the first oceangoing ship arrived in Duluth/Superior on March 28. That’s the earliest date on record. The latest arrival of the port’s first saltie was May 7, in 2014.

MPR News

 

Davie Shipyards receives first $19M contract to design new icebreakers

The contract should create and maintain approximately 35 jobs per year, according to the federal government.

Author of the article:
La Presse Canadienne

Published Mar 26, 2024

 Davie Shipyards has won a first $19-million contract for the design of six new icebreakers as part of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy.

The Department of Public Services and Procurement Canada made the announcement on Tuesday. The contract awarded to the builder from Lévis, on the South Shore of Quebec City, will allow the planning phases of the project to begin.

Davie will notably conduct an initial assessment to establish the requirements for the construction of the vessels. These are to replace the Canadian Coast Guard fleet, which serves the waterways of Atlantic Canada and the St. Lawrence River during the winter, as well as the Arctic during the summer.

The contract announced Tuesday should create and maintain approximately 35 jobs per year, according to the federal government. The timetable for the construction of the ships will be specified later as the preparatory work progresses.

In April 2023, Davie was selected as the third strategic partner of the SNCN to build seven icebreakers and two large ferries with hybrid propulsion in the years to come, for an estimated cost of $8.5 billion.

Opening For Chief Engineer – Interlake Logistics

Interlake Logistics Solutions, Inc. operates the versatile articulated tug-barge Undaunted-Pere Marquette, which carries diverse cargoes  on the Great Lakes.   Equipped to self-load cargo with an 800C John Deere excavator, long reach material handler, the uniquely outfitted vessel can utilize a clam bucket for flowable material or a five-tine grapple for large rocks and scrap metal.  The tug Undaunted that powers the Pere Marquette 41 is a repowered Navy ATA/Rescue Tug that served in World War II.  The barge Pere Marquette41 is the repurposed carferry City of Midland.

The Chief Engineer is responsible for the safe and efficient operation of the vessel’s (both tug and barge) machinery and propulsion plants.

Responsibilities: 

• Both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance of equipment / machinery.
• Ordering needed supplies and maintaining inventories.
• Proper record keeping, documentation and adherence to rules and regulations.
• Working with the Engine Utility to maintain a clean, safe, and positive work environment.
• This is not an all-inclusive list, but an overview of responsibilities.

Qualifications/Certifications Required: 

• Minimum requirement; Valid USCG license, Chief Engineer (Limited) with at least a 2000HP endorsement.
• TWIC Card
• Current Physical / USCG Medical Certificate.
• DOT Drug Screen
• Legally eligible to work in the USA (proof of identity or eligibility required.

The rotation is 28 days on the vessel and 28 days off. After completing a 90-day probationary period, your eligible for medical, dental, vision and a 401k plan.

Applicants please apply thru website:  www.ssbadger.com