NACC Argonaut Freed From Grounding

CORNWALL, ON –  Around 9 a.m. Tuesday the NACC Argonaut appears to be freed after it ran aground near Cornwall Sunday morning. Online navigation maps show the ship moving at 2-3 knots after sitting idle for more than 36 hours.

At least two tugboats are helping move the ship to Lake St. Francis for further inspection. Tug Ocean Intrepide was helping to stabilize the ship when it was stuck and listing to port. Tug Ocean K. Rusby was ready to help with the salvage operation.

Other ships in the Seaway are still motionless. Seaway officials said Monday 15 ships are anchored and waiting: 9 upbound and 6 downbound.

“Traffic has been halted just to avoid any vessels approaching the area around the vessel so we can ensure that boats aren’t getting close. We’re also monitoring with the shipping company themselves. So, they are working on a refloating plan to make sure that it is refloated and free from the ground in a safe manner,” said Jeremy Hennessy, communications, Canadian Coast Guard.

The Argonaut is carrying cement mix and was on its way to Oshawa from Montreal Sunday when it hit ground between St. Regis and Cornwall Island at buoy D90.

According to the Canadian Coast Guard, it has not been breached and all crew and cargo are safe.

No injuries were reported. Officials say the freighter is not taking on water and there’s no pollution to the river. Countermeasures are in place to prevent any spills. Officials say the grounding is not due to water levels.

WWNY

Joseph H. Thompson/tug Make Cleveland Stop to Offload Stores

Joseph H. Thompson and her tug Laura L. VanEnkevort were at Cleveland Tuesday morning offloading any useful ship’s stores before heading to Marine Recycling Corp. where the barge will be scrapped. It is unknown when the pair will depart.

Ship aground, Seaway traffic stopped

CORNWALL, ON – A freighter has run aground in the St. Lawrence Seaway near Cornwall, Ontario. According to the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, the NACC Argonaut went aground Sunday morning and has a list to port. Officials say the freighter is not taking on water, and there’s no pollution to the river.

Navigation has been stopped in that area. Salvage plans have begun, officials say.

NACC Argonaut is a Canadian freighter and carries raw cement to ports on the Great Lakes, according to online records, and was navigating from Montreal to Oshawa, near Toronto.

7NEWS has asked if the freighter was empty or loaded and Seaway officials told us its partially loaded with construction material. It is She is headed to Oshwa, ON, from Montreal.

The grounding comes as speed restrictions were put in place two days ago on some areas of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Friday, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation put out a bulletin saying, “due to decreasing water levels, speed restrictions have been revised.”

Around Galop Island, northeast of Ogdensburg, speeds for upbound ships were dropped to 7 knots and 11 knots, depending on the vessel’s size. Ships going downriver were restricted to 11 knots and 13 knots depending on its draft.

WWNY

Update (20:30, September 24) – Ocean Intrepide is moving upbound tonight and is expected to reach the grounded vessel sometime after 02:00. A second tug, likely to be Ocean K. Rusby, will depart Quebec to join in the salvage. Initial salvage plan is said to have the tugs refloat the ship as soon as it’s deemed possible on Monday and move it to the Grasse Anchorage and then from there turn around and move it back downriver to Valleyfield.

Michael J. Folsom

Historic ferry Norisle scrap tow expected soon

The historic S.S. Norisle will be towed and dismantled in Port Colborne by early fall.

Assiginack Township Mayor Brenda Reid announced the demise of the ship at a special meeting of council stating the township and Marine Recycling Corporation in Port Colbourne had reached an agreement to have the ship towed from Manitowaning for up to 95% of the ship to be recycled.

Preparations for the towing is now underway and the ship is expected to be towed next week taking some six weeks for the recycling process.

She says the township will have to pay around $743,000 for the removal and recycling process.

She adds the costs include a special pilot, as well as American assistance between Lake St. Clair and the St. Mary’s River, and insurance.

Reid adds some decisions on the remaining five percent will have to be made, but the telegraph housed in the ship will be put on display in the Assiginack Museum.

Click here for full article

My Algoma Manitoulin Now

NACC Argonaut Aground Off Cornwall; Seaway Traffic Stopped

Badger receives $600,000 MARAD grant to explore conversion

Lake Michigan Carferry, Inc. was awarded $600,000 to support a zero-emission/carbon capture feasibility analysis to convert the SS Badger from a coal-fired steamship to a zero-emission ferry vessel. The project will facilitate the safe, sustainable, and efficient transfer movement of three types of freight: traditional semi-trailers, oversize loads, and project cargo. The service offers customers a more economical and efficient transportation route which allows truckers to avoid a 350-mile trip through Chicago on the heavily congested I-90. As the last coal-powered freight and passenger ferry in the United States, this project will embrace clean energy and support the United States Marine Highway Program’s initiative of reducing emissions.

Click here for full article

U.S. Department of Transportation

Goodtime I needs tow back to land after engine problem near Kelley’s Island

KELLEYS ISLAND, Ohio — The Goodtime I passenger boat needed to be towed back to land on Saturday evening after an engine problem caused the vessel to lose propulsion near Kelley’s Island.

According to the United States Coast Guard, the boat was on a regular excursion when it became disabled just before 8 p.m. After that point, the Goodtime could not move forward. The vessel required an escort, then a tow back to shore.

Click here for full article

WKYC 3

Historians race to find Great Lakes shipwrecks before quagga mussels destroy the sites

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Great Lakes’ frigid fresh water used to keep shipwrecks so well preserved that divers could see dishes in the cupboards. Downed planes that spent decades underwater were left so pristine they could practically fly again when archaeologists finally discovered them.

Now, an invasive mussel is destroying shipwrecks deep in the depths of the lakes, forcing archeologists and amateur historians into a race against time to find as many sites as they can before the region touching eight U.S. states and the Canadian province of Ontario loses any physical trace of its centuries-long maritime history.

“What you need to understand is every shipwreck is covered with quagga mussels in the lower Great Lakes,” Wisconsin state maritime archaeologist Tamara Thomsen said. “Everything. If you drain the lakes, you’ll get a bowl of quagga mussels.”

Quagga mussels, finger-sized mollusks with voracious appetites, have become the dominant invasive species in the lower Great Lakes over the past 30 years, according to biologists.

Click here for full article

Associated Press

Veteran laker Joseph H. Thompson headed to Port Colborne for scrapping

The next Great Lakes vessel to be scrapped at Port Colborne, ON, will be the self-unloading barge Joseph H. Thompson. Wayne Elliot, owner of Marine Recycling Corp., posted the news on his Facebook page Friday, saying her ETA will be Sept. 28.

The Thompson, which in the early 1950s was the largest vessel on the Great Lakes, has been at Bay Shipbuilding Co. since July; however, she has been found to need more work than economically justified. Her tug, Laura L. VanEnkevort, is expected to move the Thompson to the scrapyard, after which the tug will be laid up.

The Thompson was built by Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock in Chester PA, in early 1944 as the 515 foot C4-S-B2 cargo vessel Marine Robin for the U.S. Maritime Commission for the World War II effort. As the Marine Robin, the vessel made cross-Atlantic voyages for the war effort and was present at the Normandy invasion June 6, 1944. After the war, she was converted to a 714-foot-long Great Lakes cargo vessel. In 1991, she was converted to a self-unloading barge. Her most recent owner was VanEnkevort Tug & Barge of Escanaba, MI.

Click here to read more about the vessel’s history.

Roger LeLievre

Cleveland-Cliffs clashes with U.S. Steel as sale process gets underway, sources say

NEW YORK, Sept 20 (Reuters) – U.S. Steel Corp (X.N) is locked in a spat with rival steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs Inc (CLF.N) over a confidentiality pact that would allow the latter to participate in a sale process that is underway, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

U.S. Steel has not opened its books to Cliffs since announcing on Aug. 13 it will explore a sale, even as it accepts initial bids this week from other potential acquirers, because Cliffs will not agree to its conditions, the sources said.

…

Click here for full article

Reuters

Stelco wants all, or some, of U.S. Steel. But it’s complicated

Stelco Holdings Inc. is potentially jumping into the bidding war for United States Steel Corp., with analysts predicting the Hamilton-based company has its eye on foundries and mines its former parent may be forced to sell to win regulatory approval for a deal.

In August, one of North America’s largest steelmakers, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., put U.S. Steel in play by making a hostile, US$7.25-billion offer, made up of cash and stock. Since then, several other companies have joined the hunt, with steel distributor Esmark Inc. submitting a US$7.8-billion all-cash bid.

Several news services have reported that Stelco, backed by an unnamed partner, is considering an offer for U.S. Steel. Stelco spokespersons declined to comment on the company’s intentions.

…

Click here for full article

The Globe and Mail

Great Lakes steel production rises by 16,000 tons

Steel production rose by 16,000 tons in the Great Lakes region last week, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. Steel mills in Indiana’s Great Lakes region made 571,000 tons of metal in the week that ended September 16, up from 555,000 tons the previous week.

…

Click here for full article

The Times of Northwest Indiana

Michigan lighthouse launches messages in bottles offering free stays

Sept. 22 (UPI) — The caretakers of a historic Michigan lighthouse are offering free stays at the landmark in an unusual contest involving messages in bottles tossed into the Great Lakes.

The White Shoal Light Historical Preservation Society announced the “message in a bottle contest” as part of the lighthouse’s 113th anniversary celebrations.

The offshore lighthouse, located about 20 miles west of the Mackinac Bridge in Lake Michigan, is the tallest lighthouse on the Great Lakes.

Each of the four messages in bottles, which were dropped into the Mackinac Straits, contains a message from one of four descendants of longtime lightkeeper George Keller. The messages feature various offers for a free stay for one, two or up to five people.

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Click here for full article

UPI

Buoy tender Buckthorn takes first place in Coast Guard Olympics

Sault Ste. Marie, MI – Nearly 300 Coast Guardsmen from several District Nine Coast Guard Sectors in the Great Lakes took part in the Cutter Olympics held at Sector Sault Coast Guard base on Thursday, Sept. 21. Coasties from the USCGC Biscayne Bay, Katmai Bay, Buckthorn, Mobile Bay, Morro Bay, Mackinaw and Spar – as well as their vessels – arrived this past week for the event.

It is part of the Ninth District Cutter Roundup which is a week-long event that allows members to receive specialized training, provide discussions to enhance operations, test their seamanship skills and strengthen relationships among the crews.

Chief Boatswain’s Mate Paul Segura from USCG District Nine in Cleveland said he loves Sault Ste. Marie and is glad the event was held here. “We love coming to the communities that support the Coast Guard and we appreciate that support. It’s nice to bring everyone together and I think that is an important element. It gives us a chance to see that we have this great organization here being involved and you, as a community, helping us out and we appreciate that as well,” he said.

While the competition between the Coasties was legitimate, the bond they share being together in one place for several days is so important. “We do a lot of training and sometimes it’s hard to get that training due to the cutter schedules so this was an idea to bring the cutters to one spot to focus on training. But we also focus on spirit decor to emphasize good teamwork,” Segura continued.

Each Coast Guard District has its own form of Cutter Olympics. This is the first one that District Nine has done since 2011. The United Services Organizations (USO) provided lunch to all the members.

See below for a video of the event.

9-10 News, Roger LeLievre

U.S. Coast Guard to take part in “Cutter Olympics” at the Soo

See the gallery at the bottom of the post for the full U.S. Coast Guard press release.

USCG

Seaway monthly traffic results: August 2023

See the gallery at the bottom of the post for a table of monthly tonnage results.

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation

Maritime museum on Lake Michigan shoreline offers interactive exhibits for all ages

LUDINGTON, MI – A maritime museum on the shore of Lake Michigan takes visitors on a journey around the Great Lakes, exploring shipwrecks, piloting a car ferry, testing their strength against a manpowered steamship wheel and hearing stories from long-passed ship captains.

The Port of Ludington Maritime Museum in Ludington offers three levels of interactive and informative exhibits for all ages set in a former U.S. Coast Guard station built in 1934. The current USCG Ludington Station is next door.

“You don’t often find a museum of this caliber in this small of a community,” said Rebecca Berringer, executive director of the Mason County Historical Society.

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Click here for full article – MLive

NACC Antigua nears Seaway for first time

A cement carrier partially owned by Algoma will soon enter the Seaway for the first time, the NACC ANTIGUA, OMI No. 9512587. Destination Detroit from Djen Djen, Algeria. NACC is the abbreviation for Nova Algoma Cement Carriers.

The vessel is currently due south of Newfoundland with a Motor City ETA of September 19.

René Beauchamp

More Great Lakes cruises stopping in Cleveland

Another luxury cruise line docked in Cleveland this weekend.

Driving the news: The Connecticut-based Tauck, which operates chartered cruises on ships owned by third parties, brought 180 passengers to town on the French vessel Le Dumont-D’Urville as part of its Chicago-to-Toronto itinerary.

• Tauck is planning to stop in Cleveland a total of 10 times in 2023 and 2024.

State of play: While the ship was docked, tourists spent Saturday at the Rock Hall, local craft breweries, Playhouse Square, Edgewater Park and University Circle, Tauck said in a press release.

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Click here for full article – Axios Cleveland

Great Lakes steel production ticks down

Steel production dipped by 5,000 tons in the Great Lakes region last week, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Locally, steel mills in the Great Lakes region, clustered mainly along the south shore of Lake Michigan in Northwest Indiana, made 555,000 tons of metal in the week that ended Sept. 9, down from 560,000 tons the previous week.

Steel mills remained below 80% capacity, but have been inching back toward that key threshold for financial success for the steel sector.

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Click here for full article – The Times of Northwest Indiana

Great Lakes lighthouse won at auction by magnates who will preserve it

The Cleveland Harbor West Pierhead Lighthouse has been sold at auction, and the new owners are two Clevelanders who intend to preserve the historic part of Cleveland’s skyline.

The lighthouse fetched a price of $425,000 when the auction closed on Sept. 6, and the winning bidders were Heather Moore, a designer of personalized luxury jewelry, and Jim Brown, the owner of Classic Auto Group.

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Click here for full article – Scripps News Cleveland

Retired Canadian Coast Guard vessel to become Airbnb restaurant

There’s something new coming to the waterfront in Amherstburg!

Perhaps one of the most anticipated and unique business ventures to materialize in Southwestern Ontario in decades!

The new owners of this vessel are proposing a floating restaurant along with on board accommodations as an Air BnB located on the Amherstburg Channel of the Detroit River.

The M/V Miss MJ (retired Canadian Coast Guard vessel) CCGS Matthew will now be permanently moored at the Amherstburg Yacht Club after being towed to her new home by McKeil Marine’s tug Ecosse.

Kudos to Terry Jones on this remarkable project!

Windsor Aerial Drone Photography

New Federal Hamilton joins Fednav’s laker fleet

The Federal Hamilton (IMO 9975363), a new Fednav vessel built in 2023 at the Oshima Shipbuilding Yard in Oshima, Japan, has joined the Fednav Ltd. fleet of vessels. Federal Hamilton departed on its maiden voyage from the Oshima Shipyard on August 31 and has since visited several ports in China.

Federal Hamilton is 199.98 meters in length and 23.760 meters in width and Is equipped with four deck cranes for unloading. The ship’s namesake is the city of Hamilton, Ontario, where Fednav Limited vessels frequently call. It is the first time that Fednav has chosen Federal Hamilton for one its vessels.

A second, yet unnamed vessel built at Oshima is expected to be delivered to Fednav sometime in October 2023.

On September 2, 2021, Fednav Limited signed an agreement with Sumisho Marine Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation Group) and Oshima Shipbuilding to build 10 new ocean-going lakers. Federal Hamilton is the first of these.

The new Fednav-Oshima designed represent the most efficient vessels to date for Fednav. Their carbon emissions will be 33% less than the vessels that they will replace, including a nitrogen oxides (NOx) footprint at least 87% smaller. They will be delivered equipped with the latest technology, including Tier III engines and the capability to burn biofuels.

Denny Dushane

What to know about the Port of Green Bay’s $217 million economic impact

GREEN BAY – A strong, regional economy helped fuel a “remarkable” 47% increase in the Port of Green Bay’s economic impact in a five-year span.

Dean Haen, director of the port, said a recent study of the economic impact of shipping in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway region provided the port specific details on the value of commodities coming through Green Bay, wages generated, taxes paid and economic activity that results.

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Click here for full article – Green Bay Press Gazette

Expedition cruise ship Ocean Explorer aground in Greenland

A modern expedition cruise ship with 206 people on board has run aground in Greenland’s Alpefjord, located within the Northeast Greenland National Park, Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command (JAC) reported Tuesday.

Currently, the Ocean Explorer is the stable with no immediate threat to the environment or safety to those on board. However, the vessel is unable to free itself and there are no assets in the area capable of assisting.

“A cruise ship in trouble in the National Park is of course worrisome. There is a long way for immediate help, our units are far from that and the weather can be very unfavorable. In the specific situation, however, we do not see acute danger to human life or the environment, which is reassuring. Of course, we are following the situation closely and take this incident very seriously,” JAC Commander Captain Brian Jensen said.

Arctic Command’s closest vessel, the Knud Rasmussen, was located approximately 1.200 nautical miles from the stranded ship. The earliest it can arrive in the area is on Friday morning, depending on weather.

A second cruise ship is nearby and will remain in the area to help if needed. The Icelandic Coast Guard may also be called into assist.

“As soon as we realized that the Ocean Explorer couldn’t get free on its own, we sent a ship,” said Jensen. The JAC is also expected to send an airplane to assess the situation.

“We have reached out to relevant partners in the operation area to investigate whether other units can have a shorter and faster route to the grounded ship,” Jensen added.

The JAC is assessing multiple options for freeing the ship.

“They can either try to get out on their own help when the tide becomes high, they can get help from a nearby cruise ship, they can get assistance from Knud Rasmussen, or they can get help of one of our collaborators. No matter what, the most important thing for us is that everyone arrives safe,” Jensen said.

An initial attempt to refloat the vessel at high tide was unsuccessful.

The Ocean Explorer is an ‘Infinity-class’ expedition cruise ship owned by SunStone Ships and built in 2021 by Ulstein at its partner yard China Merchants Heavy Industries (CMHI). The vessel measures 104.4-meters in length and features Ulstein’s patented “X-Bow”. It can accommodate 165 passengers and up to 300 included crew.

The vessel is currently operated by a subsidiary of Aurora Expeditions, which acquired the business of its former operator Vantage Deluxe Travel last month as part of bankruptcy proceedings.

The Infinity-class previously made headlines for being the first cruise ships to feature the X-Bow from Ulstein.\

Ocean Explorer was a visitor to the Great Lakes in 2022.

gCaptain

Boardman/Harriman rechristened at DeTour

Last Wednesday, the John W. Boardman/Lewis G. Harriman was rechristened on the 100th anniversary of her 1923 launch during a ceremony at DeTour, Mich., where the ship’s forward end now resides. Jill Vander Meulen, who owns the structure along with husband Marc, did the honors, smashing a bottle of champagne against the bow. The rain held off just long enough for the guests to finish lunch after the ceremony. Amy Miller, the great-granddaughter of John W. Boardman, was there for the event, as was Bob Larsen, who sailed aboard the boat. The salute was sounded by a Tyfon 425 whistle which came from the USS Ranger, an aircraft carrier scrapped in Brownsville, TX, but is the same model that was once used on many Great Lakes vessels.

Click here to download a short video of the event.

Marc Vander Meulen