Winter Fleet season begins in Sturgeon Bay

If the fall is for the leaves, then you know winter is for the boats in Sturgeon Bay.

Several different vessels will be coming into town for their winter lay-up at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding. At least four ships (Edwin H. Gott, Walter J. McCarthy, Indiana Harbor, and Mesabi Miner) are over 1,000 feet long, and five others are over 700 feet long. Workers at Bay Shipbuilding will spend the winter months making sure the vessels are ready to run for another nine months, hauling a variety of different materials.

The Winter Fleet is certainly a major draw for people in Sturgeon Bay. Door County Maritime Museum Deputy Director and Development Manager Sam Perlman says even their employees get excited when the ships come through the bridges.

You can find the list of the ships for this year’s Winter Fleet below. You should keep your eyes on websites and phone apps like BoatNerd and Marine Traffic to stay up-to-date on their location and when they might arrive.

Door County Daily

Great Lakes Iron Ore Trade Down in 2022

CLEVELAND – Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 3.99 million tons in December, a decrease of 11.9 percent compared to a year ago.  Shipments were also below the 5-year average for the month by 19.8 percent.

The year-end total for the iron ore trade stands at 42.3 million tons, a decrease of 18 percent compared to 2021.

Compared to the trade’s 5-year average, 2022 iron ore loadings were down 17.9 percent.

LCA

Museum celebrates community with free admission

TOLEDO, Ohio – In the community improvement and service spirit of the Martin Luther King holiday, beginning Saturday, January 14, through Monday, January 16th, The National Museum of the Great Lakes will open their doors for FREE in recognition of the support visitors, members and community partners have shown over the years.

“We will be celebrating the re-opening after our annual cleaning shutdown as well as welcoming a new year with an extended weekend of FREE admission, ” shares National Museum of the Great Lakes Education and Visitor Experience Director Ellen Kennedy. “We love showing off our incredible facilities and couldn’t think of a better way to enter 2023 than offering this.”

The museum originally introduced Community Appreciation Days in 2021 after being inspired to give back to those who generously continued to support our mission with the onset of the pandemic. “We appreciate all the support our community provides and are always looking for ways to connect more people with Great Lakes history as well as say thank you,” adds Kate Fineske, the museum’s Senior Director of Institutional Advancement.

Museum admission is always free for members, with non-member museum-only admission ranging from $8 – 11. Over Martin Luther King Day weekend the museum will be open from 10 – 5 p.m. on Saturday and Monday and Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday with free admission for all visitors.

Although not required, individuals may reserve their free tickets by pre-ordering and scheduling their visit online at nmgl.org/events. For more information on visitation, visit us online or call 419-214-5000.

National Museum of the Great Lakes

Captains from across Great Lakes gather in Traverse City

Grand Traverse County, Mich., – Captains from across the Great Lakes area gathered in Traverse City for the annual Industry Days conference. The conference focuses on learning from each other and how to keep passengers on ferries, tour boats and other mid-sized boats safe while out on the water.

While GLCA’s president Robert Schallip said there haven’t been any major safety concerns recently, it’s important that captains from across the Great Lakes continue to show up and ask questions.

“There’s always the issue of safety, weather is important and vessel maintenance is important and the manning requirements, the hours of service is important, but what I always say is the people that are here are not the people that need to be here because these people are concerned about safety enough that they come to this thing,” Schallip said.

More snow on the way

Throughout the two days, captains will hear from the Coast Guard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and others from the boating industry on promoting safety.

WPBN/WGTU

Great Lakes limestone trade down in 2022

CLEVELAND — Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 28.8 million tons in 2022, a decrease of 2.45 percent compared to 2021.  2022’s loadings were slightly below the trade’s 5-year average.

 Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 23 million tons, a decrease of 1.9 percent compared to 2021.  Shipments from U.S. quarries were also below their 5-year average by 1.4 percent.

 Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 5.8 million tons, a decrease of 4.5 percent compared to the prior year, but 5.7 percent better than their 5-year average.

LCA

Escanaba-area Ice users notified of vessel transit

Motor vessel Algoma Intrepid is scheduled to transit the southern end of Little Bay De Noc from Green Bay (Minneapolis Shoal LT) to Escanaba on the 12th and 13^th January 2023. The vessel is delivering a load of salt to the community. The Coast Guard reminds all recreational ice users to plan their activities carefully, use caution on the ice and stay away from the vessel transit area.

Soo Locks closing for seasonal repair, maintenance

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan will close to marine traffic beginning 11:59 p.m. January 15, or until commercial traffic ceases, through 12:01 a.m. March 25 to perform critical maintenance.

Federal regulation establishes the operating season based on the feasibility of vessels operating during typical Great Lakes ice conditions.

Every year, the Corps of Engineers uses the winter period to perform maintenance to keep the Soo Locks operating. The Detroit District team works long hours in extreme conditions to complete a significant amount of maintenance during this annual closure period. The work they perform is unique, especially given the harsh northern Michigan conditions they work in.

“Winter weather poses challenges and adds intensity to maintenance, the team is highly skilled and equipped to safely execute critical projects that allow for continued operational reliability,” LeighAnn Ryckeghem Soo Locks Operations Manager said.

The Corps of Engineers has several projects to complete before reopening the Poe Lock in March. The MacArthur Lock is scheduled to open April 24.

“This winter a portion of maintenance projects on Gate 1 require the Poe Lock to remain full while others require the lock to be dewatered,” Maintenance Branch Chief Nick Pettit said.  “Sequencing Poe Lock maintenance/repairs allows our team to maximize the non-navigation season.”

Dewatering of the Poe Lock will begin February 13. The MacArthur Lock will not be dewatered this year.

The team will install a temporary panel bridge across the Poe Lock. This panel bridge will provide the ability to mobilize materials and equipment to the job sites throughout the winter closure.

Maintenance crews will complete Gate 1 spring box and lever arm repairs to include replacing concrete, curtain bubbler replacement, Gate 1 lifting lugs, underfloor drain system inspection, dewatering chamber inspection/clean out, Gate 1 inspection for replacement, Gate 3 inspection for structural repairs, gate jacking pedestal inspections, valve repairs, Gate 1 turning feet, Gate 3 seal repairs and culvert intake grate repairs. The (miter) gates are the large gates serving as dams at each end of the lock chamber allowing the water to be raised and lowered in the chamber.

In addition to the above, crews also perform a wide range of other maintenance tasks from fender timber replacements on the piers to inspections and preventative maintenance on electrical and mechanical systems on both Poe and MacArthur Locks.

Contractors are currently working on the Poe Lock ship arrestor project. OCCI of Missouri, was awarded the contract in July 2021, for $17.5M after awarded options. This winter they are finishing the new downstream arrestor equipment buildings, installing the new arrestor machinery and replacing the arrestor boom.

The Corps of Engineers is building a second Poe-sized lock to provide much needed resiliency in the Great Lakes Navigation System. The second Poe-size lock, 110-feet by 1,200-feet, is being built on the existing Davis and Sabin Locks sites. The Davis Lock, which opened in 1914, has not been used since 2018, and only to transport Corps vessels. The Sabin Lock opened in 1918 and has been inactive since 1989. Both the Sabin and Davis Locks are too shallow for most modern vessels.

The Corps of Engineers contractor completed the first phase of construction, the upstream channel deepening was completed in August. The project’s second phase to stabilize the existing upstream approach walls wrapped up the second year of construction. The contractor installed 26 coffer cells, completing all 52 and placed 31,000 cubic yards of concrete. The upstream approach walls work will resume in Spring 2023. The final phase of construction, constructing the lock chamber, was awarded July with mobilization taking place in October/November.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District

Museum celebrates community with free admission

TOLEDO, Ohio – In the community improvement and service spirit of the Martin Luther King holiday, beginning Saturday, January 14, through Monday, January 16th, The National Museum of the Great Lakes will open their doors for FREE in recognition of the support visitors, members and community partners have shown over the years.

“We will be celebrating the re-opening after our annual cleaning shutdown as well as welcoming a new year with an extended weekend of FREE admission, ” shares National Museum of the Great Lakes Education and Visitor Experience Director Ellen Kennedy. “We love showing off our incredible facilities and couldn’t think of a better way to enter 2023 than offering this.”

The museum originally introduced Community Appreciation Days in 2021 after being inspired to give back to those who generously continued to support our mission with the onset of the pandemic. “We appreciate all the support our community provides and are always looking for ways to connect more people with Great Lakes history as well as say thank you,” adds Kate Fineske, the museum’s Senior Director of Institutional Advancement.

Museum admission is always free for members, with non-member museum-only admission ranging from $8 – 11. Over Martin Luther King Day weekend the museum will be open from 10 – 5 p.m. on Saturday and Monday and Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday with free admission for all visitors.

Although not required, individuals may reserve their free tickets by pre-ordering and scheduling their visit online at nmgl.org. For more information on visitation, visit us online or call 419-214-5000.

View the gallery to see the full flyer

NMOTGL

Welland Canal closes for season

Algoma Guardian arrived from Hamilton at 0156 Sunday for Goderich.

Algoma Mariner arrived Port Colborne 0910 Saturday morning for Hamilton. This brings the shipping season to an end.

Barry Andersen

Canada’s newest icebreaker docks in Port Colborne

PORT COLBORNE, ON – Named after one of the first women to serve as a federal cabinet minister, the Canadian Coast Guard’s newest light icebreaker made its way up the Welland Canal last week, docking in Port Colborne.

CCGS Judy LaMarsh, formerly Mangystau-2 and home-ported in Turkmenistan, was purchased in November 2021 from Atlantic Towing Ltd. for $45.2 million to supplement operations in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence and Atlantic regions.

Judy LaMarsh was one of the first women to serve as a federal cabinet minister, heading up national health and welfare, and amateur sport, said a Coast Guard release. She was instrumental in developing innovative federal programs, including medicare and the Canada Pension Plan.

While serving as Canada’s secretary of state, she helped to establish the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada. She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1980.

The vessel was the fourth interim icebreaker acquired by the Coast Guard, following the medium icebreakers CCGS Jean Goodwill, CCGS Vincent Massey and CCGS Captain Molly Kool. It underwent design and conversion work at the Coast Guard’s Prescott, Ont., base and was renamed in October 2022.

“The CCGS Judy LaMarsh will ensure our icebreaking services can continue to run smoothly while other Canadian Coast Guard vessels undergo planned maintenance,” said commissioner Mario Pelletier in the release.

The 13-year-old, Romanian-built, 66-metre-long vessel’s other duties include tending to navigational buoys in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence and Atlantic regions, and performing search and rescue and other emergency response operations when needed.

Welland Tribune

St. Clair Shores man blows 1915 tugboat horn after every Lions win

ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (WXYZ) — The sound of a 1915 tugboat horn is a familiar one to neighbors in one St. Clair Shores neighborhood.

“When you hear my neighbor’s horn go off, you know exactly what’s going on,” Donna Case said.

It’s the sound of victory. A signal that the Detroit Lions have just won a game.

“I hook them up to my air compressor and man, they’ll wake up the neighborhood,” Steve Gayton said.

Steve is the man behind the horn. He’s been blowing it after every Lions win for the past 11 years. He says it’s a homage to his memories at Pontaic Stadium.

“[My dad and I] would go there and they would always have horns blowing all the time and everything. And of course, I have tugboat horns, so I decided, ‘hey, why not keep the tradition alive right here at home,'” he said.

The sound of Steve’s horn can be heard for miles.

“It’s so loud that you go to the gas station and people down there are talking about it, and I’m like ‘oh my goodness, that’s my husband,'” Nicole Reeks said.

It’s even got him some recognition on a St. Clair Shores Facebook page.

“Not sure who you are, but, whoever is near Masonic and Jefferson that blows the train horn after the Lions victories … I love it,” St. Clair Shores resident Nicholas Handy wrote to the FB group. That post garnered 700 likes.

“And I was kinda proud, like ‘see! We’re working as a team and people are getting excited about the Lions winning,’” Steve’s wife, Nicole, said.

Steve says during this current football season, his neighborhoods have gotten more riled up and excited about their home team.

“I think the horns are definitely part of the camaraderie around here in the neighborhood of the Lions game. I know the kids love it,” he said.

And those kids, Steve, and the rest of his neighbors are hoping that Steve will blow that horn once again this Sunday.

“Oh yeah, we’re definitely gonna give it some extra salutes!”

WXYZ Detroit

Boatnerd winter lay-up list now active

Please send us your lay-up information

With vessels now heading for winter lay-up, please send any information – including date of arrival and dock, if known – about your port to news@boatnerd.net.

Great Lakes water levels continue to drop: Lake Superior lost 1 trillion gallons last month

We are in the seasonal decline of the Great Lakes water levels. Two lakes have fallen so much they are approaching the average water level.

There is a seasonality to the Great Lakes water levels. If the weather conditions are near normal, Great Lakes water levels are usually at their highest around July. The water levels decline from August through March, and then rise from March to July.

The loss of water in December is therefore to be expected.

Lake Superior declined 2 inches from November 30, 2022 to December 30, 2022. This is a fairly typical amount of water decline for December. It represents what sounds like a bunch of water: one inch of water on Lake Superior equally 550 billion gallons of water. About 1 trillion gallons of water left Lake Superior either through outflow into Lakes Michigan and Huron, or evaporation. In winter, the precipitation amounts decline in the colder air. A loss of water level basically comes down to more water flowing out and evaporating than falling as precipitation. Also, the precipitation is mostly snow in December, which doesn’t make it as water into Lake Superior until the spring snowmelt.

Lakes Michigan and Huron are one big lake when it comes to determining lake water levels. Lakes Michigan and Huron also declined 2 inches in December. Again, while this is a big number with gallons of water, it is an average water loss for December. Those two lakes now have 1.6 trillion gallons less water than they did on November 30. Much of the world would rejoice to have a trillion gallons of fresh water. It’s a drop in the bucket for us here in Michigan.

Read the full story here:https://www.mlive.com/weather/2023/01/great-lakes-water-levels-continue-to-drop-lake-superior-lost-1-trillion-gallons-last-month.html?fbclid=IwAR1QIozAxnnaKvWTLvVU9sq_zw59zW7hSyzasn-HnglnKFPP-eT-hltP3Xo

MLive

New Tall Ship will be coming to Grand Traverse Bay to sail the Great Lakes

There will be a new tall ship sailing the Great Lakes this year, and it will soon be heading to its new home in Northern Michigan.

The Inland Seas Education Association made the big announcement to its supporters, they’ve acquired a new vessel. The schooner “Alliance” will be joining the fleet on West Grand Traverse Bay. “It’s a perfect fit for an addition to our fleet, and it’s going to allow us to reach more people throughout the Great Lakes and offer our programs at different ports throughout the Great Lakes,” says ISEA Associate Director Juliana Lisuk.

It’s not a replacement, but an addition to the Schooner “Inland Seas” already in use. “Over the past few years, our programs have been expanding to be over our capacity of what we can offer with a single schooner.  So we’ve kind of been thinking about expanding our fleet for a while and keeping our eye out for the perfect ship. And this ship Alliance became available this past fall,” Lisuk says.

The three masts of the “Alliance” top out at 105-feet tall. The group says they’ll be able to expand their educational offerings.

“We take students and the general public out onto the Great Lakes to teach them about Great Lakes ecology and create a connection with why our Great Lakes are so important and so beautiful. So we’ll be using it to offer our science programing, both for schools around the Great Lakes, public programs in partnership with universities and colleges,” Lisuk says. “One of our goals is that this will allow us to have a bigger presence here in our local community. When we’ve had one ship, when it’s gone, we don’t have a boat here to provide programing for people. And so this will allow us to both be reaching other ports across the Great Lakes, as well as providing more program in the Grand Traverse region.”

The Alliance will be moving from its current home in Virginia to northern Michigan this June.

“This spring, alliance will be making a grand journey home to her new home in the Great Lakes. And we’ll be going through the whole St. Lawrence Seaway and through Lake Ontario and Lake Erie and Lake Huron. And coming back to Suttons Bay by the end of June,” Lisuk says.

Inland Seas has already hired another captain for the vessel and plans to make additional hires for the summer season as they add programs and opportunities.

“We will be expanding our staff to be able to have capacity to run programs on two ships. So we’ve hired a second full time captain and we’ll be hiring a mate and a deckhand and another educator to help us be able to have more programs happening at the same time,” Lisuk adds. “Overnight programing, public sails and some of our other partners with universities, we’re hoping to do those programs on the ship this summer. We’ll be testing out different needs and figuring out what needs to be adjusted for a new boat. And then next summer (2024) we hope to have her fully working for the whole season, but we will be using her in July and August and September (2023).”

9 & 10 news

Boatnerd winter lay-up list now active

Please send us your lay-up information

With vessels now heading for winter lay-up, please send any information – including date of arrival and dock, if known – about your port to news@boatnerd.net.

Michigan maritime: Ports set to grow economy throughout the state

MONROE, Mich. – A new law that gives the state’s 32 ports tools to expand and grow the maritime economy started out as a community project for a handful of University of Michigan students.

U-M students first worked with the Port of Monroe in 2012 and over the next decade would make the case for investing in ports around the state to increase container and industrial shipments, which is expected to lead to job creation.

The Maritime and Port Facility Assistance Grant Program Act, which Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed in July, sets up an office in the Michigan Department of Transportation to oversee the grants. It puts the Great Lakes state ports in line for federal grant dollars that neighboring states have enjoyed for years.

The Port of Monroe, Michigan’s only Lake Erie port, received $5 million in state funding this summer, which helped it to leverage an $11 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation in November. The funding will help it build a container cargo scanning facility and a riverfront wharf for vessel transfer of wind energy cargos and other improvements.

Read more at this link: https://impact.govrel.umich.edu/ports-grow-michigan-economy/?fbclid=IwAR0sTD8Pn9NnERlJ3idToM3COYvCD-td_xqbRO2sb—A2A_YgmTk75YkrQ

Investigation ongoing into capsized barge in Conneaut harbor

CONNEAUT, Oh. – An investigation is ongoing into the barge that capsized in Conneaut harbor on Dec. 23.

Coast Guard spokesperson William Kelley said the Coast Guard was notified at 2:07 p.m. on Dec. 23 that a barge carrying an excavator and tug boat and had broken loose from its mooring at the Pittsburgh and Conneaut dock. The barge capsized and floated down Conneaut Creek, he said.

“The barge was recovered, the tug has not yet been recovered,” Kelley said. “They’re still trying to find it, whether it’s sunken, or free-floating somewhere in Lake Erie.” Both the tug and the barge had fuel onboard, but no spills have been reported as of yet, he said.

The owner of the barge is responsible for taking ownership of the barge and the tug, once the tug has been found, Kelley said.

“The Marine Safety Unit, Cleveland, they would investigate this as a reportable marine casualty, and perform a causal analysis and determine exactly what happened,” Kelley said. Investigations typically take a few weeks to a month, depending on the case, he said. The results of those investigations are typically not released to the public.

Any boater who sees the tug is encouraged to inform the Coast Guard immediately.

Kelley said the Coast Guard cannot say one way or the other whether the tug sank or has floated out into Lake Erie. That investigation is in process.

Canadian National, parent company of the Pittsburgh and Conneaut Dock company, declined to comment for this story.

Ashtabula Star Beacon

Line 5 study: Ice makes oil spills harder to detect, easier to contain

LANSING, Mich. – What happens if oil spills under ice in freshwater? That question is particularly relevant in the Straits of Mackinac, where the 645-mile long Line 5 pipeline crosses from the Upper Peninsula to the Lower on its way to Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.

“People imagine that the risk is greater with a spill under ice, but there’s actually a lot of cases in which it might be helped by ice,” said Douglas Bessette, the lead author of a 2021 study in the Journal of Great Lakes Research that examined that problem.

There hasn’t been much attention paid to oil’s behavior in icy, freshwater conditions, so the study explored that, said Bessette.

It also surveyed the public to gauge their perception of risks posed by a petroleum pipeline that crosses under the Straits of Mackinac — a major shipping channel — located between Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas.

The ice can contain the oil, making for an easier cleanup — but it’s harder to detect, the researchers said.

The study was prompted when a freighter’s anchor struck and dented the pipeline in 2018.

It’s operated by Enbridge, a Canadian natural gas company, and most of the petroleum products it moves are just cutting through the state on their way to Canada, said Stephen Hamilton, a professor of ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry at Michigan State University.

About 30% of the oil Line 5 carries goes to Michigan, Ryan Duffy, an Enbridge communications and media relations strategist, wrote in an email. By 2063, there’s a 1 in 60 chance of the pipeline failing, the study said.

Over half of the Michigan residents surveyed for the study reported that they were extremely concerned about an oil spill at the straits. Most preferred that the almost 70-year-old pipeline be shut down. Michigan aims to be carbon neutral by 2050, and environmentalists say the pipeline isn’t aligned with that goal.

Read more at this Sault News link: https://www.sooeveningnews.com/story/news/environment/2023/01/05/ice-makes-oil-spills-harder-to-detect-easier-to-contain/69774405007/?utm_source=sooeveningnews-DailyBriefing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_briefing&utm_term=hero&utm_content=NSLT-MICHIGAN-SAULTSAINTMARIE-NLETTER65

Sault awards Carbide dock, Easterday Avenue project bids after several years

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Sault Ste. Marie City Commission has awarded construction bids for the Carbide dock and Easterday Avenue construction projects after several years.

At the Jan. 3 meeting, commissioners officially awarded the bids to Roen Salvage Company, a Wisconsin firm, in the amount of $21,793,000 to complete the Carbide dock, and Bacco Construction Company, a Michigan firm, in the amount of $10,676,514.55, for the truck route.

In 2017, the commission approved the dock rehabilitation project and Easterday truck route project. The projects will make all parts of the dock usable, as currently the portions of the dock closest to the water are in disrepair.

The projects will replace approximately 1,100 linear feet of the existing condemned dock structure to create a working waterfront. There will also be several updates to the dock, including secure storage areas, improved stormwater management facilities, and a critical connection from the Easterday Avenue truck route to the riverfront.

The Carbide dock and Easterday Avenue projects have been worked on for several years by the city, and over the years the price of the work has increased drastically.

“I hope everyone has a smile on their face as this passes after seven years of consideration,” said Mayor Don Gerrie at the city commission meeting on Jan. 3. “This project has outlived multiple city engineers and city managers.”

For the past several years, the city commission has worked to bring in new grants, and cut costs where it is possible so the project could be bid out.

“We’re only expecting construction costs to continue to increase,” said city manager Brian Chapman at the commission meeting on Jan. 3. “This gives us the ability to lock in the prices so we won’t have to rebid later,”

In 2019, the city was awarded a $20.7 million USDOT BUILD grant for both projects, but the lowest bid for completing the project was $37.5 million, meaning the city had to come up with at least $14.5 million before the projects could begin.

In fall 2022, the project was rebid again. This time the low bid was $32.2 million, leaving a funding gap of $9.3 million. These bids were approved with a phased approach because costs were only expected to increase, and officials said the project is too important to delay any longer.

The city has stated that an extra $14.4 million in funding for these bids will become available through grants and other funding sources by the end of March 2023.

Sault News

Obituary:  Kenneth Donald Michelson

Kenneth Donald Michelson of East China Township, Mich., passed away peacefully at the Medi-Lodge of St. Clair on January 3 at the age of 89.

Ken’s primary interest was the ships of the Great Lakes and their steam whistles. He was truly an expert of the ships built in the twentieth century, with his favorites being the older coal-fired bulk freighters. He maintained meticulous, accurate records on their design and engineering. He was a long-time member of several maritime historical societies on the Great Lakes. Other interests were steam whistles, theatre pipe organs, family genealogy, collecting books, photographs and sound recordings.

Born on February 21, 1933 in Detroit, Michigan to Earl George Michelson and Elaine Julia (Dewey) Michelson, he was raised in Detroit and later in Marine City. From an early age, Ken had had the fine gift of drawing and lettering and used these skills to illustrate the world around him. Upon graduation from Marine City High School in 1950, he attended Port Huron Junior College (now St. Clair County Community College). In 1953, he joined the United States Army and was deployed in Korea in 1954 and 1955 as an artillery spotting and communications specialist on the front lines.

Upon his honorable discharge in 1956, Ken began a career as an architectural draftsman working for at least three prominent firms in Detroit, Marysville and Port Huron over the next 37 years. His work on the drafting board can be seen in numerous area public buildings, churches and schools.

Ken never married, remaining a bachelor his entire life. However, he remained close to his immediate family. He was always willing to share his knowledge and interests to the younger members of the family. Upon his retirement in 1992, Ken devoted his time to his home and hobbies.

He is survived by his brother Daniel, his nephew David (Diane) Michelson of New Baltimore, nieces Barbara (Gary) Schaible of Chesterfield, Virginia and Nancy (John) Bresnahan of Macomb, MI, great nephew Daniel (Jennifer) Michelson of Traverse City, MI, and great nieces Dorian (Adam) Axiak of Plymouth, MI, Emily (Ryan) Trapp of Richmond, VA, Julie (Brian) Wright of Midlothian, VA., great-great nephews Andrew Michelson, Adrian Axiak, and Matthew Wright, and great-great niece Nora Michelson.

He is pre-deceased by his parents Earl and Elaine Michelson, and brothers Earl and Robert Michelson.

A private graveside service with be held on Saturday January 7, 2023 at 11:00 am at Rosehill Cemetery on Puttygut Road in East China Township. Arrangements are being handled through Young Colonial Chapel Funeral Home of St. Clair, Michigan. To leave a message of comfort visit www.youngcolonial.com

Multiple agencies working to maintain tug Michigan sinking at Port of Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE, Wisc. – Multiple agencies are working to maintain a tug boat that is sinking in the Port of Milwaukee.

The U.S. Coast Guard said tug Michigan started to sink in the Port of Milwaukee on Monday this week. The Coast Guard said watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan were notified by the National Response Center that the boat was sinking in 26 feet of water.

Crews from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Port Milwaukee, and The U.S. Coast Guard have been working diligently to offload water from the vessel in hopes it will become buoyant again on its own.

The Coast Guard said the boat is carrying 40,000 gallons of oil and fuel on board. As of Wednesday, the Coast Guard said there is no pollution and they have deployed safety measures for containment.

“It has deployed booms, it deployed absorbents to make sure that if there is some pollution it is being contained,” Coast Guard LTJG Phillip Gurtler said. “That has been in the forefront of our minds as we have been de-watering and conducting salvage.”

The next steps are to continue offloading water and then send a dive team down to check for damage to the boat. Once the team surveys the damage, they will have a better idea on how long it might take to repair.

Spectrum News

View a video at this link: https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/news/2023/01/04/multiple-agencies-working-to-maintain-tow-boat-sinking-in-port-of-milwaukee#

Tug Michigan sinks 26 feet at Port of Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE, WI – The towing vessel Michigan sank in the waters of the Port of Milwaukee in the Kinnickinnic River on Monday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard said in a statement that around 11:30 a.m., the 112′ tug and barge began taking on water at its mooring. The boat eventually sank 26 feet into the water.

The agency confirmed the vessel was “not actively polluting.” The boat can hold a maximum of 40,000 gallons of oil and fuel. Crews deployed 100 feet of hard boom with absorption material to prevent any leaking. Capt. Seth Parker, the commander of Sector Lake Michigan, said in the statement that the Coast Guard’s focus is on the sinking’s impact on the environment and “potential waterway impacts.”

The owner of the boat is U.S. Venture, and the tug is paired with the tank barge Great Lakes. They have contracted a marine salvage company to remove the sunken vessel.

View photos here: https://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news/tug-boat-sinks-26-feet-into-port-of-milwaukee?fbclid=IwAR1hpvFx31N7TVps74XDBZcFR4sqGvw_ckfX2zaGg6cX-PK4y4nwyoGaDIg

Onego Traveller sinks in the Bahamas: Visited the Great Lakes in 2022

Onego Traveller, a general cargo ship registered in Antigua and Barbuda that was built in 2002, reportedly began taking on water in the ballast water tank area near Hole in the Wall, located in South Abaco, in the Bahamas, on Thursday.

The vessel was carrying 12 crew members onboard along with other cargo such as steel products and heavy fuel and marine gas oil before it sank. The crew members were evacuated from the ship.

The vessel last visited the Great Lakes in May 22. According to Know Your Ships, the vessel is owned by Reederei Drevin Gmbh & Co., Cuxhaven, Germany and chartered to Onego Shipping.

In a statement released Friday, the Ministry of Transport and Housing confirmed that a meeting with members of the National Oil Spill Contingency Advisory Committee (NOSCAC) was held to discuss the way forward.

The meeting was chaired by the ministry’s acting Permanent Secretary Gaynell Rolle who spoke with representatives from the Department of Environmental Health Services, the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection, the Bahamas Maritime Authority and the Port Department.

“The ministry has been advised that there is no extensive pressure on the fuel holding tanks. However, Ferix and heavy fuel oil have been observed on the water’s surface. Ferix is a slightly corrosive chemical used for water treatment and fertiliser,” according to the statement.

“The public is being advised that measures are being taken to address the incident, which includes the deployment of ocean booms and efforts to seal leaking fuel vents by divers. A skimmer boat is enroute to the site.”

Read more and see a video at this link: http://www.tribune242.com/news/2023/jan/01/onego-traveller-clean-crews-assist-oil-remediation/?fbclid=IwAR1lQj_uW-x0RxLRSoU5V8EUd4KXfouBeqAucoJk4Ms360Qqz1zioQjpv5E

MSC Donata first saltie of the year at Montreal

Congratulations to this year winner of the Gold-Headed Cane. Singh Ranjit Kumar, captain of the Mediterranean Shipping Co.’s MSC Donata, was first ocean-going vessel to cross the Port of Montreal downstream limits at Sorel, Sunday at 00:05.

Port of Montreal

Port Huron Marine / Rail Mart scheduled for Jan. 28 canceled

From the organizers: We regret to announce that we are canceling the Marine / Rail Mart scheduled for Saturday January 28th in Port Huron, Mi. A combination of circumstances and lack of vendors has brought us to this decision. Thank you to those that did contact us. We will be in touch individually. Our Summer Marine Mart in Port Huron on Saturday June 10th will proceed as planned.

Happy New Year from Boatnerd

Boatnerd wishes all our readers a very happy and successful 2022. Thank you for your support.

Thank you to our reporters!

A big three long and two short goes out to all who send news to this page or contribute to the Port Reports, among them Joshua Hebeisen, Jack Hurt, Scott Bjorklund, Gordy Garris, Todd Shorkey, Arthur Pickering, Rene Beauchamp, Ron Beaupre, Rod Burdick, Bruce Douglas, Stephen Sostaric, Bill Kloss, Barry Andersen, Ron Walsh, MKE Marine Reports, Brian R Wroblewski, Tyler Fairfield, Port of Monroe, Bill Van Appledorn, Capt. Mike Nicholls, Fred A. Tijan, Jeremy Whitman, Gary A. Putney, Brendan Falkowski, Marc Dease, Tom Brewer, Graham Grattan, Sam Hankinson, Matt Miner, Denny Dushane, Ken Borg, Bill Bird, Al Miller, Steve Horton, Roger LeLievre and anyone else we’ve inadvertently left off this list, including those who wish to remain anonymous. It is the contributions of all these volunteers, and many others, that make Boatnerd possible.

We are always seeking contributions to this page from readers around the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. If you see news in your area or want to offer your observations of vessel arrivals and departures, please send to news@boatnerd.net. If you spot an interesting shipping-related story in your local news, please take a moment to forward a link so that we may share it with our audience. Thank you!