New Cement Carrier Tamarack Arrives at Montreal
M/V Tamarack arrived at the Port of Montreal on August 22, 2025, completing her maiden transatlantic voyage and marking a major milestone in North American shipping. Owned by Eureka Shipping, a joint venture between CSL and SMT Shipping, the state-of-the-art vessel is the first newly built cement carrier to enter service in the Great Lakes in two decades.
Delivered on July 23, 2025, at Holland Shipyard in The Netherlands, Tamarack is making a brief stop in Montreal, before proceeding to load her first cement cargo. Managed by CSL’s Canadian division, Canada Steamship Lines, the 12,500 DWT mechanical/ pneumatic vessel replaces two older ships with a streamlined, high-performance design that maintains the same cargo capacity while reducing environmental impact.
Purpose-built for the Great Lakes, Tamarack features a 10,700m³ cement cargo hold, diesel-electric propulsion, and advanced manoeuvrability systems. The vessel is equipped to run on HVO biofuel and includes shore-power compatibility, noise insulation, and energy-saving cargo systems, all designed to reduce emissions and improve operational efficiency.
“Bringing Tamarack to the Great Lakes has been a true team effort,” said Kai Grotterud, Managing Director of Eureka Shipping. “This highly efficient vessel is the result of a close collaboration with our customer, smart design, and a shared vision for more responsible shipping. We’re proud to set a new standard for sustainability and performance in the region.”
CSL Group
RV Lake Guardian Opened for Tours At Sault Ste. Marie
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) opened up its deck and doors of its Lake Guardian Research Vessel to the public in Sault Ste. Marie Thursday.
The vessel was docked at the Museum Ship Valley Camp while offering five guided tours.
At 180 feet, the Lake Guardian is the EPA’s largest research vessel. It is owned by the EPA Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO). The Lake Guardian assists GLNPO in monitoring and reporting on the status and trends of the Great Lakes ecosystem. Annual surveys that sample water and biological life at designated locations in all five Great Lakes) are conducted by the crew on the vessel. The Lake Guardian also provides educational opportunities around the Great Lakes basin.
Opening up the vessel with free tours gives the public a chance to see what the researchers to out on the massive Great Lakes.
“The public sees us passing through different port towns and may not know exactly what a research vessel does. We want to get families and others to understand what we do on the water from April to October. The Great Lakes are critically important economically, culturally, and anybody who have been to the Great Lakes knows how special they are, so studying them and restoring them and protecting them is really important,” said Matthew Pawlowski, Physical Scientist on the Lake Guardian.
While Pawloski says his crew has not found anything too outrageous on the Great Lakes, such as a message in a bottle, they continue to find something that is quite invasive.
“One thing that this boat and other boats on the Great Lakes have been tracking over time has been the spread of invasive mussels. We have had scientists who have filmed the bottoms of the lakes and have seen just how much mussels are down there and how much they have spread over the past several decades,” Pawlowski said.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chief Park Ranger Michelle Briggs and Park Ranger Mel Martin took the opportunity to take a tour for research purposes to help them educate the public at the Soo Locks Visitor Center.
“Mel and I went because we were interested and we wanted to learn more about the ship and what they do, so we have better information to share with visitors. We were also inspired to do a Ranger Reel about it. One of the Army Corps of Engineers’ missions is environmental stewardship, and we often partner with the EPA and other federal and state agencies on projects aimed to keep the Great Lakes Great,” Briggs stated.
Soo Leader
Marine Historical Society of Detroit
Now Accepting New Members, Renewals
DETROIT, MI – You don’t have to live in the Motor City to join the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. Its focus includes all the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway as well as the ships and sailors keeping the economies of two countries moving.
The 81-year-old non-profit group is now accepting new memberships and membership renewals.
“The MHSD has plenty to offer anyone interested in and concerned with the history of the Great Lakes and its vibrant maritime heritage,” says long-time group President Roger LeLievre. “We have members across the U.S. and Canada and even overseas.”
Membership includes the monthly publication The Detroit Marine Historian, which offers a variety of articles exploring Great Lakes shipping past and present. It also includes an annual, full-color calendar featuring superb, often rare, photos of Great Lakes ships of the past.
Last year the group published the 300-page, hardcover book Ahoy & Farewell III, documenting the vessels built and those that left the lakes during the past 30 years. The book recently won an award for excellence from the Historical Society of Michigan.
In keeping with society’s goal of preserving historical images, the MHSD’s image portal, featuring photos and details of many historic vessels, is now online at www.marinehistorydetroit.historyit.com
The Society has named an annual Historian of the Year since 1969. The award is voted on by past winners and honors those who have contributed significantly to the research, presentation or publication of Great Lakes ships and the shipping history.
Membership is $40 (U.S. and Canada). Join online at www.mhsd.org. To join or renew by mail, please print out the form in the gallery below.
MHSD
Cleveland Boatnerd Gathering Planned Sept. 6
Cleveland’s first annual Boatnerd get together will be at the Whiskey Island Still & Eatery in Cleveland on September 6 at noon. Join us for an informal gathering of food, fellowship and hopefully some boat watching as well. Meet your fellow area boat fans! Food will be ordered off the menu and table service provided by the staff of the restaurant, which is located adjacent to the historic C&P Dock, where the 1,000 footers unload.
Directions and info for the restaurant: https://www.whiskeyislandstillandeatery.net/
Bill Kloss
See “Captain Bob” September 11th
See “Captain Bob” former Captain of the Paul R Tregurtha, in Cheboygan next month for his speaking engagement, GREAT NEWS!! Due to his first show SELLING OUT in record time, they are adding a SECOND SHOW!! Same day but at 5:30pm so if you’re interested, head to the website shown at the bottom of the image (Open it up to see it full size) and grab tickets!! They are only $10 each!! Hurry before this show sells out as well!!
See Photo Gallery below
2025 Luck of the Lakes Raffle Includes Ship Trips
Your raffle ticket purchase supports the Great Lakes Historical Society and its National Museum of the Great Lakes whose mission is to preserve, share, and celebrate the past, present, and future of the Great Lakes story.
Details here:
https://nmgl.org/2025lolraffle/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMDBTFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFZUGV4UFMxNFFGYUpPbTZ2AR5OikAHiWMuo30CZrAqM9nuK93_xmmqYBsoAerabXJ3sBlZWNxpz7mZwoLuFw_aem_1pxrUONQfReTGS4dlnAgzg
Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine 2025 Released
When Patrick Devine found out, in the summer of 1975, that he was being moved over to the Edmund Fitzgerald as a relief deckhand he was on top on the world. He had gone from one of the oldest boats in the fleet to one of the newest and best. He was devastated when union rules forced him off that September. He had lost his dream job. Then came the sinking and its horrific aftermath. He hasn’t talked about his experience until recently, and he gave Know Your Ships an exclusive interview for the 2025 Know Your Ships EXTRA midsummer magazine, now on sale.
The magazine also includes an interview with Great Lakes top cook Sissy Payment. Find out her recipe for success and learn something surprising about her in the story.
EXTRA 2025 remembers the loss 50 years ago of the EDMUND FITZGERALD with four stories.
- EXCLUSIVE! Meet Patrick Devine, who thought he had found his dream job when he signed on to the Fitz as a relief deckhand in June 1975.
- Explore the Fitzgerald’s influence in popular culture: Music, art, literature and – yes – souvenirs.
- Did you know there were two vessels named Fitzgerald on the Great Lakes, and both were lost in November storms? And yes, their namesakes were related.
- Consider what might have been if the Fitz had not gone down.
ALSO
- Check out the Great Lakes Lore Museum at Rogers City, MI, where sailors are in the spotlight.
- Read about the William G. Mather, the ‘Ship That Built Cleveland,’ which turns 100 this year.
- Litton on the Lakes: Find out how a group of California upstarts turned the Great Lakes shipping industry upside down in the 1970s with their fancy ideas about 1,000-footers.
- Catch up with the latest Great Lakes/Seaway news.
- Enjoy even more images from readers in the ongoing series FAN-TASTIC PHOTOS.
This is the third year for the Know Your Ships EXTRA Magazine, which offers even more ship, sailor and industry stories, recent shipping news and many more of the stunning photos – current and historic – for which Know Your Ships has become known for the past 66 years. Please note that the Extra, which is a feature magazine, does not duplicate the vessel and fleet listings found in the regular Know Your Ships book.
Order at www.knowyourships.com
