Fednav adds three more Laker-class vessels
Fednav Ltd. of Montreal has added three new vessels to its Handy-size laker class of vessels. They are Federal New York, built in 2024 (IMO 997543), Federal Lexi Rose (IMO 9975442), built in 2025 and Federal William Paul (IMO 9975454) also built in 2025. All were built in Oshima, Japan at the Oshima Shipbuilding Co. Each new vessel is registered in the Marshall Islands and are 199.98 meters in length and 23.760 meters in width or 656 feet in length and 78 feet in width. The new vessels are all sisterships, with each having a very large funnel and four deck cranes. These new vessels are very similar in appearance to the Federal Hamilton (IMO 9975363), built in 2023.
Since the arrival of the Federal Hamilton, which first came inland in 2023, there have been six other similar vessels joining the Fednav Handy Size Laker fleet. The Federal Thunder Bay IMO 9975375 built in 2023, Federal Indiana IMO 9975387 built in 2024, Federal Michigan IMO 9975416 built in 2024, Federal Minnesota IMO 9975428 built in 2024, Federal Ohio IMO 9975399 built in 2024, Federal Wisconsin IMO 9975404 built in 2024. These six vessels all made their first ever inland voyages and trips into the Great Lakes/Seaway system in 2024. These new ships for Fednav Ltd. are replacing older vessels built at Oshima, Japan from 1999 through the early 2000s.
Denny Dushane
Expensive to enter, easier to win: The St. Clair Rotary Club’s freighter trip contest
There’s nothing cheap about entering the St. Clair Rotary Club’s annual contest to win a trip for six aboard a Great Lakes freighter. One raffle ticket runs $600. But only 200 tickets will be sold.
“The St. Clair Rotary Club is currently rolling out its favorite longtime fund raiser,” announced Ralph Livingston III, president-elect of the club, on Feb. 6. “The raffle to win a trip for six adults on a Great Lakes freighter vessel is back. This has been a steady fund raiser for our club going back over 20 years. However, we could be nearing the end of this campaign, since the local power plants may not be coal-fired in the future.”
The trip is aboard one of nine self-unloading freighters owned by the Interlake Steamship Company, of Middleburg Heights, Ohio.
The winner and five companions will enjoy three staterooms, each designed for two people, on the multi-day journey. The winning passengers will feast on hearty freighter fare in the captain’s galley.
Four of the freighters in the Interlake fleet are 1,000 feet or longer, including the Paul R. Tregurtha, the longest freighter on the lakes at 1,013.5 feet – the Lakes’ so-called Queen; the Tregurtha has a cargo capacity of 68,000 gross tons and is powered by a 1,710-horsepower engine.
“We are taking this opportunity to generate capital for our newly established St Clair Rotary Club Endowment Fund,” said Livingston. The Community Foundation of St. Clair County will manage the fund. “The fund will help ensure the St Clair Rotary can continue to provide service projects well into the future,” he said.
The Interlake Steamship Company has been moving raw materials on the Lakes to fuel the Midwest’s industries for more than a century. It is the largest privately-owned U.S.-flagged fleet on the Lakes.
“This raffle is a great opportunity for anyone interested in a trip of a lifetime,” said Livingston. “These trips cannot be purchased and they are highly sought after by enthusiasts of the Great Lakes cargo vessels.”
Ticket purchases may be made online. “The Freighter Raffle is now live and ready for ticket sales,” said Livingston. “The link to the web page is very informative and provides direct access to the ticket sales: https://greatlakesfreighterraffle.com/. Your ticket will be generated from the site.”
The winner will be selected during the Rotary’s Gala at the Boardwalk Theatre in St. Clair on April 26, 2025, at 7:00 pm.
“You do not need to be present to win,” Livingston said. “You will receive an email confirmation with a unique ticket number for the drawing. The winner receives six passes (three staterooms) for a Great Lakes Freighter Trip on an Interlake Freighter between Memorial and Labor Day, 2025.
