Below average precipitation in May for Great Lakes basin

The Great Lakes basin experienced significantly below average precipitation in May, with Lake Superior receiving its lowest May precipitation amount since 1976. Overall precipitation has been below average in each of the lake basins over the past 12 months, despite a very wet April. All the lakes continued their seasonal rises during May. The updated Great Lakes 6-Month Forecast predicts that Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron will continue to rise into July, while Lakes St. Clair, Erie and Ontario are expected to decline in June. The most probable forecast indicates that water levels on all of the Great Lakes will remain above long-term average levels but below record highs through November 2023.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District

Door County shipwreck now listed on State Register of Historic Places 

TOWN OF LIBERTY, WI – A Lake Michigan shipwreck off the coast of Door County is now listed on the State Register of Historic Places. The schooner Boaz lies at the bottom of eight feet of water in North Bay.

Built in 1869 by Amos C. Stoakes in Sheboygan, Boaz was one of a unique class of Great Lakes vessels: the double centerboard schooner. It spent most of its career carrying lumber from various ports throughout the Great Lakes region.

Historians say in November 1900, Boaz was caught in a gale while sailing for Racine from Pierpont, Michigan with a cargo of lumber. The vessel quickly began to leak heavily and sought shelter in nearby North Bay. While attempting to enter, the vessel struck the point and missed the entrance to the bay. The crew dropped anchor to prevent the vessel from running ashore, but fearing the vessel would capsize in the waves, the crew abandoned the vessel in the yawl. The following day the crew requested assistance from the nearby vessel, Two Myrtles. The steamer towed Boaz into the bay, where the vessel was grounded. Attempts were later made to pull the vessel off, but to no avail. The cost of recovering the old, damaged schooner was deemed too high, and it was listed as a total loss. Today, the vessel sits upright, with many of its hull components intact and many more extant beneath the sand.

As a double centerboard schooner, Boaz provides historians and archaeologists the rare chance to study double centerboard schooner construction and the Great Lakes lumber trades.

WLUK

Algoma Bear keel laying set for mid June

Keel laying for Algoma Central Corp.’s newest vessel is scheduled for mid-June at China’s Yangzijiang (YZJ), with launching at the end of August and an optimistic delivery date of December 2023. She will replace the1979-built Algoma Transport, one of the oldest ships in the Algoma dry-bulk fleet. The 740-foot-long Equinox 2.0-class self-unloader will be named Algoma Bear. The new class vessel’s design will build on the original Equinox Class standards to offer increased deadweight capacity, better fuel efficiency and improved speed at lesser engine power.

Algoma Central Corp.

Planned harbor expansion could create new opportunities for Goderich

GODERICH, ON – The town of Goderich has a plan to expand the harbor to create more opportunities for the area. Mayor Myles Murdock said it is already a huge asset to the town and the planned expansion would be add significantly to that.

Murdock said the harbor currently provides income to the town and that reduces the tax burden. “The second thing is the in-filling where we wish to add 10 more acres,” he said. “If we’re able to do that the opportunity to bring even more revenues into town coffers would be significant. It’d be double again what we’re currently receiving.”

He added that would also open the door to bringing other materials through the harbor. Right now, aggregate is one thing they’re doing on the five acres they have, but it’s not a high-cost item compared to other materials.

The third possibility is the potential for a hydrogen energy project. “Which would involve using off-peak electrical energy to create hydrogen gas and then the hydrogen gas would be used to make ammonia,” said Murdock. “Then you have the ability to make fertilizers.”

He said that would be a real boom for the agricultural sector in Southwestern Ontario and it would also open up the opportunity to export some products that we currently import. Murdock pointed out that would also lower the price of those products for local producers.

CKNX

Find the Light at 30th Spring Lighthouse Festival

DOOR COUNTY, WI – Lighthouses may be the most recognizable symbols of Door County. Eleven dot the shoreline of the county, and three more stand guard for our neighbors to the south in Kewaunee County. They’re iconic and mysterious, and for more than a century, they have sparked the curiosity of nearly everyone who lays eyes on them.

This weekend offers rare opportunities to feed that curiosity during the 30th Door County Spring Lighthouse Festival.

This fundraising weekend includes air, land, boat and adventure tours that provide access to all 11 of the treasured lighthouses of Door County and three to the south. Many of the tour excursions are part of the Lighthouse Festival weekends only, providing visitors with exclusive access to structures that are not typically open to the public: Chambers Island, Plum Island and Sherwood Point. And there are tours for all levels of activity and accessibility.

Boat tours depart from a variety of locations around the peninsula, including Fish Creek, Gills Rock, Baileys Harbor and Sturgeon Bay. Some tours are already sold out, but opportunities remain for many others, such as the schooner cruise aboard the Edith M. Becker.

Participants will board a 19th-century tall ship to sail the shoreline and get a waterfront view of Eagle Bluff Lighthouse while learning about local lore and history with the crew of Sail Door County.

You can also feed your curiosity through a tour with Fish Creek Scenic Boat Tours to Chambers Island to hike and explore the Chambers Island Lighthouse with expert docents. The more adventurous can kayak to the Cana Island Lighthouse with Door County Adventure Center or take a bay-to-lake sightseeing cruise with Shoreline Scenic Boat Tours through the Sturgeon Bay ship canal. Learn Door County history, see stunning waterfront homes and get an up-close view of the Sturgeon Bay Pierhead lighthouse.

These are just a few of the many rare opportunities available to lighthouse lovers this weekend. Learn more at dcmm.org, and get tickets at doorcountytickets.com.

Lake Superior climate monitoring, maritime safety buoys deployed for season

MARQUETTE, MI – Three climate monitoring and maritime safety buoys have been deployed for the season from the south shore of Lake Superior.

According to a press release, the Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Conservancy (SWP) staff deployed the buoys on Saturday, June 3 with boat support provided by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The location of these buoys are near the shorelines of Marquette, Munising and Grand Marias.

The Marquette buoy is one half-mile northeast of Black Rocks of Presque Isle; the Munising buoy is five miles north of Miners Castle, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore; the Grand Marais buoy is four miles north of the harbor.

In 2021, the SWP received $47,786.80 in grant funding through the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) to purchase the new, buoys and SWP continues to deploy, maintain, and retrieve them yearly.

Each of the three monitoring buoys collect important navigation and climate planning data including wave height, wind speed, water temperature and more.

The live data provided by these buoys is critical for commercial and recreational boaters as well as the National Weather Service, Environment Canada and NOAA. In addition, the SWP uses buoy data for long-term climate adaptation planning with coastal communities in the Upper Peninsula. Data is transmitted and accessible via the GLOS Seagull website.

WLUC. Read the full story here:

https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2023/06/08/lake-superior-climate-monitoring-maritime-safety-buoys-deployed-season/

Efforts underway to restore Pointe aux Barques Life Saving Station

Great Lakes historian and maritime artist Bob McGreevy thinks lighthouse keepers get a little too much credit and take up a little too much space in history books. It’s the members of the United States Life Saving Service that are unsung heroes, he said. Men like the six surfmen who lost their lives during a rescue attempt off the shore of Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse in April 1880.

“They were the original first responders,” McGreevy said.

Those heroic men were stationed at the Pointe aux Barques Life Saving Station, which originally sat about an eighth of a mile south of the lighthouse in what is now the Lighthouse County Park campground. The 146-year-old structure was moved to Huron City before being taken to its current location west of the lighthouse gift shop.

The importance of the station to the history and evolution of the Thumb can’t be overestimated, he added. “It runs like a thread through the history of shipping on the Great Lakes,” McGreevy said. “It’s a miracle the station has survived.”

The Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse Society is gearing up for a major fundraising effort to restore the historic United States Life Saving Station to its former glory.

Mimi Herrington, president of the PABL society, said her organization is putting the finishing touches on a Historic Structure Report, which details the building’s history and current condition.  The report will also include a proposal for restoration. Once completed, the State Historic Preservation Office will review the report, and the lighthouse will make any necessary revisions before finalizing it.

That’s when the real work begins. Herrington said the society will then pursue grant opportunities from federal, state and private organizations. Since the Huron County Road Commission owns the building, it will need to give its blessing, as well. Herrington said the estimated cost of the planned restoration is around $1 million.

“Everybody’s going to be looking for money,” she said.

Read more here: https://www.michigansthumb.com/news/article/us-life-saving-station-point-aux-barques-18142127.php?fbclid=IwAR0YGBkAzoE3akl-rXYGQAQUeJE_yorzSA9XjdZF6pf08MmQIAIiUQrCDaM

Cuyahoga Towed to Ashtabula for Repairs

KINGSVILLE, ON – McKeil tugs Molly M1 and Ecosse started hooking up lines to the fire-damaged Cuyahoga for the tow to Ashtabula, OH, around 6 a.m. Thursday. ETA for Ashtabula is around 0600 Friday June 9.

An engine room fire broke out on the Cuyahoga near Kingsville on Lake Erie on May 30. She will be repaired and is expected to have her 5-year survey in preparation for a return to service

Lakes Limestone Trade Down in May

CLEVELAND, OH – Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 2.9 million tons in May, a decrease of 25.5 percent compared to a year ago.  May’s loadings were also below the month’s 5-year average by 24.5 percent.

Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 2.2 million tons, a decrease of 27.1 percent compared to 2022.  Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 685,331 tons, a decrease of 19.9 percent.

Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at nearly 4.9 million tons, a decrease of 16.5 percent compared to a year ago.  Loadings from Michigan and Ohio quarries total 3.9 million tons, a decrease of 16.2 percent.  Shipments from Ontario quarries total 1 million tons, a decrease of 17.7 percent.

See chart in the photo gallery.

South Haven Lighthouse Gets Fresh Coat of Paint Before Busy Tourism Season

SOUTH HAVEN, MI – The lighthouse located at the west end of South Beach received a fresh coat of paint Tuesday. Crews from the Historical Association of South Haven, or HASH, gathered their supplies and began work early Tuesday morning.

The interior and exterior of the lighthouse was fully remodeled in 2016 following a $300,000 restoration campaign.

A full 360-degree live camera captured the workers repainting the lighthouse. That camera can be seen here: https://southhavenlight.org/

Behind-the-scenes Tours Return to Museum Vessel Schoonmaker June 17

See image in photo gallery for details.

Iron Ore Trade Up 27.8 Percent in May

CLEVELAND, OH – Shipments of iron ore from U.S. Great Lakes ports totaled 5.6 million tons in May, an increase of 27.8 percent compared to a year ago and 4.8 percent above the month’s 5-year average.

Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 14.1 million tons, an increase of 42.6 percent compared to the same point in 2022.  Iron ore shipments were also 6 percent above their 5-year average for five months of the year.

Cruise Ship To Dock In Houghton Thursday

HOUGHTON, MI – Twice this summer, American Queen Voyages is bringing its Ocean Navigator cruise ship to Houghton. The first docking will take place this Thursday. It will enter the canal at about 8 am, and dock at 8:30 before leaving at 5pm.

Passengers on the Ocean Navigator will enjoy the Houghton waterfront on Thursday and can explore the city. They will also visit the Quincy Mine, the A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum and the Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw.

The ship was constructed in 2001 and then refurbished in 2019. It has 5 decks and can accommodate just over 200 guests. There are 84 crew members that man the ship on its journey on Lake Superior. The ship visits Houghton as part of a Chicago round trip.

Great Lakes Gifts for Father’s Day at National Museum

See image in the photo gallery.

McKeil tugs to tow Cuyahoga to Ashtabula Thursday

McKeil tugs Molly M1 and Ecosse are moored at Kingsville, ON, astern of the fire-damaged Cuyahoga. Waterfront sources indicate she will be towed to Ashtabula, OH, for repairs Thursday morning, weather permitting. The trip will take about 20 hours.

Groupe Desgagnes adds another cargo vessel

Groupe Desgagnes has acquired the BBC Chartering freighter BBC Parana, which will be delivered later this month. It is currently on its way to New London, CT from Grande Anse. It will be renamed Marcellin A. Desgagnes upon its return.

Michel Turcotte, Rene Beauchamp

A load of beet-pulp pellets marks return of Duluth’s long-idled Grain Elevator A5

DULUTH, MN – Beet-pulp pellets from Grain Elevator A were loaded on the Netherlands-bound vessel Maxima on Tuesday morning in the Duluth-Superior Harbor, a return to service for the century-old elevator that has hasn’t seen a ship since 2013.

The elevator that sits at the north end of Rice’s Point, previously owned by General Mills, was purchased by Hansen-Mueller Co., in 2022. Upgrades have been made to the storied facility in the past year, including roof repairs, a revamped compressed-air system and general maintenance to the elevator’s legs, belts and scales.

“It’s been a long road and it’s culminating today, starting what we hope will be a very long run here of this kind of activity in the port,” said Josh Hansen, president of the Omaha-based grain merchants.

The reopening comes after a shipping season with the lowest level of grain exports from the Duluth-Superior port since 1890 — even a 20% drop from 2021. In the next two days, about 12,300 short tons of beet pulp pellets will be loaded onto Maxima before it travels to the Netherlands.

“I think having us here with this capacity can only help bring further tonnage in and out,” Hansen said. “So that will be our aim — driving that up.”

Maxima arrived in Duluth on Monday, after spending a week at the Calumet Harbor port in Chicago.

Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, said she has often been asked about the future of the long-empty grain elevator. It’s all part of a life cycle for a facility like this, she said.

“It takes awhile to find the correct buyer — and we found that in Hansen-Mueller,” she said, describing the company as experienced, family-run and Midwestern.

Grain Elevator A is 185 feet tall and has storage capacity of 3.5 million bushels. Consolidated Elevator Co. built the structure in 1908, using ceramic tile and brick to replace a wooden elevator that had previously stood on the site since 1894. It was then purchased by General Mills in 1943.

“She’s not a real looker,” Hansen said of the facility. “But she can get a lot done in a day. I think we’d all be super pleased if we looked as good as her at 115 [years old], and I know that we’d be happy if we could get the amount of work done at her age when we’re that old.”

Hansen-Mueller has owned the Daisy Elevator and Grain Elevator M complex in Superior, Wis., for about 20 years, facilities that use the railroad for transport. With the addition of Elevator A, the company has access to the St. Lawrence Seaway — in addition to rail and trucking options.

Star Tribune

Vantage Travel’s Ocean Explorer goes into layup; Great Lakes visits canceled

Vantage Deluxe World Travel’s Ocean Explorer and Ocean Odyssey have gone into layup at Caen, France, for an unknown period.

Ocean Explorer visited the Great Lakes in 2022 and had itineraries that included Great Lakes ports for 2023.

SunStone Maritime Group, which charters the two ships to Vantage on a long-term basis, confirmed they arrived at Caen this week carrying no passengers. They had been in service just prior to this.

SunStone’s Niels-Erik Lund said only that Vantage requested the layup, adding his company had not been informed how long it would last. He deferred further questions to Vantage. The Boston-based tour operator did not respond to several requests for information.

Part of SunStone’s China-built Infinity series, Ocean Explorer was delivered in 2021, and sister Ocean Odyssey in 2022. They have been scheduled on far-flung itineraries, from the British Isles to Antarctica, Asia and beyond.

This week, Ocean Explorer’s calls to a region whose spokesperson asked not to be named were canceled into early September.

Read more here: https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/finance/vantage-travels-ocean-explorer-ocean-odyssey-go-layup

Marine Mart June 10 in Port Huron

Nautical items and Great Lakes marine items bought and sold. See image in the gallery for details.

NEAS purchases BBC Arizona to serve Canada’s far north

Montreal-based NEAS (Nunavut Eastern Arctic Shipping Inc.) has acquired the saltwater general cargo vessel BBC Arizona (IMO 9501253), a frequent visitor to the Great Lakes, which has been renamed Sivumut. The 2010-built vessel will provide container services for customers across the Baffin, Kivalliq and Kitikmeot regions of Nunavut in Canada’s north. She is the fleet’s sixth vessel, joining Qamutik, Mitiq, Nunalik, Aujaq and Sinna. The vessels also trade on the Great Lakes and Seaway for Spliethoff in the off-season.

Rene Beauchamp

New rankings place Indiana No. 1 in inland ports, 2nd in Great Lakes

INDIANAPOLIS — For the first time, Indiana ports rank first among inland ports and second among Great Lakes ports for cargo shipments. Recent changes to federal port rankings caused Indiana to move from having multiple small port districts and many shipments not counted to having two top-ranked ports on the inland rivers and Great Lakes.

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) most recent rankings, the Southern Indiana Port District handled 24.2 million tons in 2021, which ranked first among all inland ports and ahead of second-ranked Port of Pittsburgh’s 16.4 million tons.

The rankings are produced by the USCACE Navigation and Civil Works Decision Support Center, and are based on total tons shipped in 2021, the most recent data available.

“It’s extremely gratifying to see the new rankings reflect Indiana’s sizable impact on this country’s maritime commerce and the importance of our ports,” said Gov. Eric Holcomb.

“As governor of Indiana, my mission is to increase Indiana’s global competitiveness and our ports play a critical role by bringing the world to Indiana and connecting Indiana to the world. I am grateful to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for its ongoing efforts to modernize cargo data collection and recognizing the significance of our ports.”

For many years, Indiana has ranked among the top 15 states for waterborne shipments but due to the statistical boundaries used to qualify ports, many of Indiana’s shipments were not counted in the same way as other region’s ports. Changes proposed by Holcomb and Ports of Indiana allowed for the Corps of Engineers to reclassify Indiana’s Lake Michigan and Ohio River terminals as north and south districts that now include all tons shipped by Indiana businesses.

“This is the culmination of a decade-long effort to ensure Indiana’s robust maritime shipping industry is properly recognized on a national level,” said Ports of Indiana CEO Jody Peacock. “Indiana ranks 12th in the nation for waterborne shipping but we have never had any ports ranked among the national leaders until now. These rankings now fully recognize how much cargo is shipped through Indiana and elevate the ability of our ports to compete for new business, grant funding and global opportunities for Indiana.”

Ports of Indiana is a statewide port authority created by Indiana Code 8-10-1, and its Commission formally approved the establishment of two districts in 2020.

The southern district includes Ports of Indiana facilities in Mount Vernon and Jeffersonville, and private terminals along the 350 miles of the state’s Ohio River shoreline from Posey County to Dearborn County.

The northern district includes Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor, private terminals, and multiple steel mills along Indiana’s 43 miles of Lake Michigan coastline.

Thunder Bay’s ready for busy cruise ship season with more ships on the horizon

Thunder Bay has said goodbye to the first cruise ship that docked for the 2023 season, but there are plenty left to come. The Viking Octantis opened the season with a multi-day stop at Pool 6 last weekend. And city tourism manager Paul Pepe said a total of 15 cruise ship stops by four different ships have been booked for this season.

“The Octantis and the sister ship the Polaris are both here in port throughout the year, and then we have Hapag-Lloyd’s Hanseatic Inspiration arriving for the first of two visits on June 5,” he said. “And then we have American Queen Voyages returning with the Ocean Navigator on June 10.”

And next year is looking even better: Pepe said so far, 24 stops by five ships have been booked for the 2024 cruise season.

“Definitely we’re seeing a huge increase in activity amongst the global discovery cruising industry,” Pepe said. “They’re discovering the Great Lakes, and more specifically, they’re discovering Lake Superior and Thunder Bay.”

“That market is definitely picking up, and judging by what we hear in terms of the occupancy rates on board these vessels, they’re all selling well, and people are really interested to learn more about the Great Lakes. So the future is looking optimistic for for this new brand of tourism.”

And when the next ship arrives on June 5, passengers will have another attraction to visit: the Transportation Museum of Thunder Bay plans to have its new dockside market up-and-running by then. The market, which was announced earlier this month, will be located in a fenced-off area west of the cruise ship dock, near the Alexander Henry museum ship. The market will pop-up when cruise ships are docked there, giving local businesses and artisans a chance to sell their wares directly to passengers.

“We’ve brought in a load of earth and levelled out the area,” museum chair Wally Peterson said. “We’ve put down sod on the area, and we’re watering it and getting it all set down and ready. All I’m waiting for now is the gravel … to put the path in that we’re going to have, and we’re expecting that in the next couple of days.”

Culinary masters aboard Great Lakes freighters: Navigating the high seas of flavor

Freighters are mysterious creatures, grazing the horizon at what seems a glacier’s pace, laden with commodities like coal or iron ore.  We accept them as part of the Great Lakes’ landscape, but we don’t often think about what it takes to run them.

It turns out, it takes a sizable team. Freighters double as home and workspace for two dozen or more crew during long stretches away from shore. And, of course, everyone needs to eat. The idea of serving that many people may conjure up images of industrial food in tin pans or a mess hall with as much charm as a military barracks. But on many freighters sailing the Great Lakes, there are cooks known as galley stewards who are on a mission to elevate the onboard dining experience, while also creating a sense of community.

Sissy Payment, chief steward of the M/V Mesabi Miner, is one of them. Payment got the sailing bug from her brother and decided to make a career on Great Lakes freighters as a chef.  She’s not classically trained but rather honed her cooking skills on the job.

“I started as the second cook and I’ve learned a lot from working with other stewards,” Payment says. “I just paid attention.”

Read more here: https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/05/culinary-masters-great-lakes-freighters-navigating-high-seas-flavor/

Now Is Your Chance To Own A Michigan Lighthouse

Many Michiganders dream of owning a cottage on one of the Great Lakes, sitting on the outdoor deck, gazing across the wide-open waters. Now is your chance to purchase a Great Lakes getaway, and it actually sits in one of the Great Lakes. It’s a lighthouse.

The Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Light is located at the end of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers breakwater in Houghton County, Michigan, and overlooks the mighty Lake Superior. The Federal Government says that due to the previous steward’s inability to comply with the requirements of the National Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, the light is now available for purchase through public auction.”

So Just How Much Is This Going To Cost Me? The General Services Administration has placed the lonely lighthouse on the auction block and the opening bid is $10,000. Interested bidders must place a bid deposit of $2,500 to enter the bidding process.

In October of 2016 the North Manitou Shoal Light, which sits in Lake Michigan, 8 miles off-shore from Leland, Michigan, had four bidders and the winner paid $73,000. In September of that same year, the White Shoal Light, which sits west of the Mackinac Bridge, sold for $110,009. That’s not bad if you don’t mind sitting in the middle of one of the Great Lakes.

Read More: Now Is Your Chance To Own A Michigan Lighthouse | https://wbckfm.com/now-is-your-chance-to-own-a-michigan-lighthouse/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

See huge twin cruise ships both anchored off Mackinac Island

MACKINAC ISLAND, MI – The two largest cruise ships on the Great Lakes were both anchored off Mackinac Island Thursday. This is the first time the twin 665-foot Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris have been seen together at the same port.

The Viking Polaris entered the Great Lakes for the first time this season, making its first Michigan port of call on May 30 in Detroit. The Viking Octantis made its debut in 2022.

Mackinac Island resident Clark Bloswick, who retired from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources a few years ago, got up early to take the photo above. He has been taking photos for many years. They can often be found on the Mackinac Island News & Views Facebook page, where this photo was posted.

The Viking ships have four itineraries throughout the Great Lakes with ports of call in Canada and the United States this spring, summer and fall. Michigan ports of call include Alpena, Detroit and Mackinac Island. These ships can accommodate 378 guests in 189 staterooms.

Read more at this MLive link: https://www.mlive.com/news/2023/06/see-huge-twin-cruise-ships-both-anchored-off-mackinac-island.html

Photos: Historic coal-powered car ferry celebrates 70 years of service on Lake Michigan

LUDINGTON, MI – The last coal-powered passenger steamer operating in the United States is celebrating 70 years of service on Lake Michigan.

“We are proud of our 70 years of service and realize that we are able to do what we do because of our amazing and dedicated passengers and port cities,” said Shelby Soberalski, director of marketing and sales at Lake Michigan Carferry.

A birthday bash will be held later this summer, and the company is offering $70 mini cruises in honor of the anniversary.

Read more and view a photo gallery at this MLive link: https://www.mlive.com/news/2023/05/photos-historic-coal-powered-car-ferry-celebrates-70-years-of-service-on-lake-michigan.html?utm_campaign=grandrapidspress_sf&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR2Hhrr9P-ZmiXOJzBMZzxmR1bFByny3n4bDsd29oZmixLSDa1aCAUTvPUg

HELP WANTED – CHIEF ENGINEER: Interlake Logistics Solutions

We are looking for a Chief Engineer to join our Tug/Barge company that operates on the Great Lakes. Join our fleet and work a rotating schedule of 28 days on the vessel and 28 days off! 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.

If interested, respond to cleonard@interlakems.com
Please see graphic below for more information

 Thunder Bay has the ‘best dock’ says Viking Octantis captain

THUNDER BAY, ON – It was a big day for the city when the Viking Octantis docked Thursday evening at Pool 6, kicking off cruise ship season. This marks the second year the cruise ship line has gone through the great lakes and docked in Thunder Bay. Last year was the first year a ship of its size had ever cruised the great lakes.

The ship’s captain, Håkan Gustafsson, told TBNewswatch that there have been vast improvements on the dock compared to last year, especially the added feature of the fenders for the boat, making docking the vessel a lot easier. He even went on to say that this is the “best one” and that it’s the most smooth.

The city’s tourism manager, Paul Pepe, says having the ships come to the city is a large economic boost, especially since this will be the first full season after Covid. Pepe said “visitors, staff and crew are spending while they are docked.” He continued that there will be vendors at future dockings ” The Transportation Museum of Thunder Bay will be offering market days on the next vessel visit on June 5. Vendors are being invited to set up at Pool 6.”

The ongoing updates to Pool 6 have contributed to a more welcoming space for visitors and crew, and Pepe says “credit goes to the city’s infrastructure and engineering department, they lead the way on the continual improvements. this is probably the most practical and functional marine terminal in the great lakes in its ability to accommodate coaches, vans buses, service vehicles and be walkable to the downtown”

A total of 14 passenger ships are expected to stop in Thunder Bay, including the Octantis’ sister ship the Viking Polaris. View photos here:

https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/best-dock-says-viking-octantis-on-their-2nd-year-7057754?utm_source=Villager&utm_campaign=Content&utm_medium=Facebook_Graph&fbclid=IwAR1fnUk-79W74Kwyk5J36zs_NKoeTwqu-UfnAumJkVF-8oFVeDErGstFiOc