Mark W. Barker makes Soo Locks debut on Labor Day

SAULT STE. MARIE – Interlake Steamship Company’s brand new 639-foot diesel-powered M/V Mark W. Barker entered the Soo Locks at approximately 11 a.m. this Labor Day for the very first time.

Hundreds of spectators filled Sault Ste. Marie, MI with nearly 200 watching from Soo Locks Park and well over 80 throughout Rotary Park.

“They all had their cameras out, and they were all waving,” said Know Your Ships author Roger A. LeLievre.

It was a magical moment for boat nerds and spectators alike when Mark W. Barker met fleetmate James R. Barker along the St. Marys River this morning.  “There were big salutes blown,” LeLievre said. “It was very festive. They blew the traditional greeting, one long and two short. The captains saluted back and forth.”

Unlike its much smaller mate, James R. Barker is 1,004 feet long, 50 feet high, and 105 feet wide. “It’s exciting because Mark W. Barker is the first actual integrated freighter that has been built in over 30 years,” said LeLievre. “It’s the start of a new trend away from the thousand-footers. They built it to go into smaller ports with cargo like salt and limestone to serve those growing markets because coal and iron ore markets are down.”

An Interlake Steamship Company press release stated that Mark W. Barker’s square-shaped cargo was designed to carry the same capacity as its larger fleetmates, strategically sized to navigate most Great Lakes ports. Thus, it has the capacity to carry up to 26,000 gross tons of cargo.

Mark W. Barker also carries with it fragments of World War II history. “The American Victory was scrapped a couple years ago and they towed it overseas,” said LeLievre. “Before they towed it over, they took the big self-unloading boom off to put on the Mark W. Barker. They put the boom on a barge and brought it down through the Soo Locks over to Sturgeon Bay Shipyard.” The SS American Victory was built in 1945 and voyaged around the world to deliver cargo during World War II and the Korean Vietnam Wars. Its boom now sails the Great Lakes.

According to the Interlake Steamship Company’s release, Mark W. Barker launched out of Sturgeon Bay for its first official day of duty on July 27, 2022. Following a 110-mile journey, the freighter arrived in Port Inland. Its team of 21 mariners, led by Captain Paul Berger of Sandusky, OH, loaded more than 25,000 tons of stone. The stone was later unloaded in Muskegon on July 31.

Mark W. Barker is equipped with an 8,000-horsepower engine that meets Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tier four emissions standards. Its hull has been optimized for efficiency and systems designed to ensure low energy consumption. A Kongsberg high-lift rudder was installed to optimize the wake through its propeller.

Prior to all this, the vessel was merely an Interlake Steamship Company vision. That was until March 23, 2019, when its president signed an agreement to build the company’s first Great Lakes Freighter since 1981.

it was officially named by Chairman James R. Barker on June 23, 2020 in honor of his son, second generation company leader – president Mark W. Barker.

The ship’s first piece of steel was cut by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, WI on Aug. 19, 2019. Its steel was poured at Cleveland-Clis Burns Harbor. It was made from iron ore mined in Minnesota and delivered to the Indiana steel mill by other Great Lakes vessels. Thus, the new ship’s construction is said to represent a “full-circle Great Lakes success story.”

Around this time last year, thousands of gallons of Sherwin-Williams’ custom Interlake Hull Brown was applied to the vessel to match its steamship fleet. In devotion to those who built the Mark W. Barker, their names were welded into its seams. Many were present when the M/V Mark W. Barker first launched during a shipyard ceremony held on Oct. 28, 2021.

Underway testing began on July 1, 2022. Sea trials were conducted the following week by Interlake mariners, project managers, United States Coast Guard, and American Bureau of Shipping. The ship was ready to go.

A Christening for Mark W. Barker recently took place at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 1. “There were about 700 invited guests at the Christening of the boat,” said LeLievre. “That’s where they take the bottle of champagne and whack it out on the boat for good fortune. Whistles blew, the band played, and the Blue Angels flew over. It was a big hoopla.”

Mark. W. Barker is expected to reach its Duluth Superior destination on Tuesday afternoon.

Soo Leader

 

Soviet sub tracker now trains Great Lakes captains, engineers

During the Cold War it tracked submarines as the Navy’s USS Persistence. Now the 68-meter ship trains the next generation of Great Lakes ship captains and chief engineers.

It is T/S State of Michigan with its complement of 50 cadets from the Great Lakes Maritime Academy (GLMA) in Traverse City. After four years of book learning in the classroom and sharpening seamanship skills on the Michigan, cadets will take extensive exams to get licensed as commercial deck officers and engineers.

The ship and its student crew stop in Sault, MI roughly twice a month during training trips on the St. Marys and Lake Superior that start in May and end in October. Look for the Michigan moored near museum ship Valley Camp’s stern.

“The St. Marys is a very unique place to train,” said Chuck Miller, a GLMA instructor and the Michigan’s first mate. “It’s got some of the most difficult pilotage in the world. You’re moving a vessel around 90-degree turns in current, often in ice.”

Over the course of four years, Miller’s students make two-week trips on the Michigan that focus on the Detroit, St. Clair, and St. Marys rivers as well as Lake trips to the ports of Duluth, Buffalo, and Chicago.

“Cadets in the deck officer program do everything on the Michigan that a working mate would do: on-helm steering the ship, conducting navigation chart work, and commanding wherever the ship goes,” said Miller.

“Students in the engineering track stand watch with an engineering officer,” Miller added. “They conduct rounds, monitor propulsion in the engine room . . . all the way to fixing door handles. If there’s anything that can break on a boat, cadets are taught how to fix it.”

The “at sea” portion of training continues with an academy-placed, 100-day internship on a Great Lakes freighter. It is here where deck officer cadets learn how to manage a crew to load cargo, and engineers get a baptism in holding the mechanics of a ship together.

Students then hone skills with an “ocean project” that sees them work another 100 days on their choice of a Great Lakes or ocean freighter. Some students even choose cruise ships or oil tankers, depending on where they want to build a career.

At the end of it all, cadets earn a baccalaureate degree in Maritime Technology from Northwestern Michigan College, the GLMA’s home institution. At any given time, there are 200 students in the program.

Miller, originally fom Las Vegas, Nev., is a graduate of the deck officer program. He ended up as a first mate on the Michigan and an academy instructor in a rather roundabout way. “After working as a golf pro and an EMS technician out of high school, I enlisted in the Coast Guard,” he said. “There isn’t much water in Las Vegas, but the Guard made me fall in love with large bodies of it. After eight years, I took my educational benefits and went through the GLMA’s deck officer program between 2015 and 2019.”

Miller has since worked as third and second mates with two Great Lakes shipping companies: Grand River and the Great Lakes Fleet, which used to be owned by US Steel. He was hired as the Michigan’s first mate in 2020 and, earlier this year, as GLMA instructor.

“We do get a lot of vets like me from all branches,” he said. “We have yet to see the Space Force, but I’m sure that’s coming.”

Another veteran ended up on the Great Lakes in a roundabout way: the T/S State of Michigan. After launch in 1985, the USS Persistent tracked Soviet — and then Russian — submarines until 1995 before being transferred to the Coast Guard in 1998. The Great Lakes Maritime Academy welcomed the Cold War vet in 2002, when it gave the boat its present name.

Soo Today

 

Reserve now for MHSD’s Detroit River cruise on September 10

Join other members of the MHSD aboard the passenger vessel Diamond Queen, (captained by MHSD’s very own Mike Nicholls and with MHSD member Ken Borg as narrator) for a Detroit River cruise 1-4 p.m. Saturday, September 10. We will do our best to get up close to freighter traffic and, if conditions are favorable, go up the Rouge River (however, the Rouge is not guaranteed). Snacks and refreshments will be available on the boat.

Tickets are $28 ($30 at the dock if space is still available). Buy tickets online at BrownPaperTickets.com (put Marine Historical Society in the search box to find our event).

By mail, send a check, payable to the Marine Historical Society of Detroit, to MHSD Cruise, 1020 Iroquois St., Detroit, MI 48214. Late orders will not be mailed – they will be held for you at the dock. We are limiting the number to 100 passengers so there will be plenty of room to move about the boat.

MHSD

 

*Roger LeLievre photo

Port of Cleveland activity up 65% over last year as local company adds new Great Lakes freighter

CLEVELAND, OH – On Thursday, the Interlake Steamship Company will christen its first new Great Lakes freighter built on the freshwater Lakes in nearly four decades with the introduction of the Interlake Steamship Company’s 639-foot vessel named the Mark W. Barker.

The addition of the Barker speaks to the future of commercial activity on the Great Lakes which has grown here in Cleveland over the last two years. The Port of Cleveland tells News 5 general cargo at the Port is up through July, 65% over last year as they look to capitalize on the ongoing supply chain issues on the coasts.

“We’re having a very good year,” said Port President and CEO Will Friedman. “Cargo volumes are up, we’re handling significantly more containers. We’re the only container port on the Great Lakes offering a service to Europe for companies here in our region.” Friedman said they’re going to be adding new services including the handling of liquid bulk materials important to some local industries.

“We are taking advantage of some of the problems that we continue to see at our big coastal ports. We have capacity and we’re looking to bring in more business,” said Friedman.

Capacity being a key factor said Interlake Steamship President and the freighter’s namesake Mark Barker.

“At the end of the day we have a marine highway here on the lakes that is underutilized,” he said. “It’s going to have a huge impact on the region. To think about it when it loads out of Cleveland with salt and it comes back with ore any of those given times is going to be 2,500 trucks, 2.5 trains, so if you think about every time we come into Cleveland we do it quietly.”

Barker also added the cargo plays a role as well. “But we come in and we drop our cargo in a matter of hours and we’re gone… at the end of the day this ship will have an immense impact over its lifespan,” he said.

It’s a private investment in the industry’s future to match the public investment that is being for things like the billion-dollar project to rebuild the Soo Lock in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

However, Barker says there’s more to do. “In certain areas of maritime we are seeing the support, dredging funds, the Soo Lock is absolutely critical. I think we need more funding for ice breaking. We are a system that gets frozen in in the winter time and those shoulder seasons are critical to ensure that we can move the cargo to our customers and meet the supply needs of them,” Barker said.

Jim Weakley, President of the Lake Carriers Association agrees. The association recently commissioned a study that showed that they lost $2 billion in economic activity in the Great Lakes over three recent winters because of the frozen waterways.

“We are just ice breaker poor,” said Weakley. “In 1979 the U.S. Coast Guard had nearly 20 ice breakers between the Canadian and the American Ice Breaker fleet, now we’re down to 11, nine ice breakers fewer and keep in mind with the polar vortex winters can be more extreme and come on more quickly.”

Nevertheless, he remains hopeful and sees the addition of the new Mark W. Barker to the Great Lakes freighter fleet is the clearest sign.

“The fact that we’re building new says there’s a long term belief in this industry,” said Weakley. “You wouldn’t build a ship like this if you didn’t believe in the future of the industry.”

News 5 Cleveland

 

James Whalen tug will be raised by October

THUNDER BAY, ON – The City of Thunder Bay now has a plan to lift the James Whalen tugboat out of the Kaministiquia River, though the work won’t be accomplished until October.

The historic tug sunk from its moorings at the Kaministiquia River Heritage Park on May 1, becoming largely submerged underwater.

Read the full article at this link: https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/james-whalen-tug-will-be-raised-by-october-5691806?fbclid=IwAR0Nu8-uIM1LSMNFNLBT8Wjn8xnfUveGs8xQt1kQLYSMJzRyJBiWI2NWF7k

TBnews Watch

 

Reserve now for MHSD’s Detroit River cruise on September 10

Join other members of the MHSD aboard the passenger vessel Diamond Queen, (captained by MHSD’s very own Mike Nicholls and with MHSD member Ken Borg as narrator) for a Detroit River cruise 1-4 p.m. Saturday, September 10. We will do our best to get up close to freighter traffic and, if conditions are favorable, go up the Rouge River (however, the Rouge is not guaranteed). Snacks and refreshments will be available on the boat.

Tickets are $28 ($30 at the dock if space is still available). Buy tickets online at BrownPaperTickets.com (put Marine Historical Society in the search box to find our event). 

By mail, send a check, payable to the Marine Historical Society of Detroit, to MHSD Cruise, 1020 Iroquois St., Detroit, MI 48214. Late orders will not be mailed – they will be held for you at the dock. We are limiting the number to 100 passengers so there will be plenty of room to move about the boat.

MHSD

 

Scott Tish photo

NTSB issues safety recommendations after engine room fire on Roger Blough

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board issued three safety recommendations Thursday following an investigation into last year’s engine room fire aboard the Great Lakes bulk carrier Roger Blough during winter layup.

The Roger Blough was docked at the Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding facility on Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin when a fire started in the engine room on February 1, 2021. The cargo-unloading conveyor belts then ignited, causing extensive damage throughout the aft section of the vessel. The shipkeeper on board departed the vessel without injury. No pollution was reported.

The incident was extremely costly with damages to the Roger Blough exceeding $100 million.

NTSB investigators determined the fire originated at the burner for the diesel oil-fired furnace, which had been installed in the engine room to heat the space during the winter. The burner assembly was mounted onto the furnace’s air tube with an aluminum coupling. Investigators determined the coupling broke, allowing the burner to drop and fracture the fuel line supplying it.

According to the NTSB, about a month before the fire, the chief engineer believed the furnace was not working and thought the ignitor was not properly set. The vessel’s two engineers removed and reinstalled the furnace’s burner several times in their attempts to repair the furnace, which were unsuccessful. They contacted the furnace company’s technical representative who repaired the furnace. NTSB investigators concluded the repeated removal and reinstallation of the burner assembly during attempts to repair the furnace may have damaged the mounting coupling and led to its eventual failure.

When the fire erupted at night, the wireless monitoring and notification system, which was installed for winter layup, activated the alarm panel in the crew’s accommodation spaces and then notified the designated contacts. The shipkeeper was the only person on board but was not listed among the contacts. The shipkeeper was not awakened until 7 minutes later when the smoke detector inside his stateroom sounded as thick black smoke filled the room. According to the report, had the shipkeeper on board been listed among the designated contacts to receive system alerts, he likely would have been awakened earlier and may have had an opportunity to extinguish the fire before it spread through the vessel.

NTSB determined that the probable cause of the engine room fire was likely the repeated removal and reinstallation of the furnace’s burner that led to the failure of its mounting coupling, resulting in the operating burner dropping to the bottom of its enclosure and fracturing the fuel supply line, which allowed diesel fuel to ignite. Contributing to the fire was the absence of a fire-activated automatic fuel oil shutoff valve on the fuel oil inlet piping before the burner, which would have stopped the fuel feeding the fire shortly after it started and limited the spread of the fire.

As a result of the investigation, the NTSB issued one recommendation each to the U.S. Coast Guard, the American Bureau of Shipping, and Key Lakes Inc.

NTSB recommended that the U.S. Coast Guard require that furnace installations on vessels be inspected to comply with National Fire Protection Association recommendations and to develop standards requiring installation of other types of shutdown mechanisms or safety alarms. A similar recommendation was issued to the American Bureau of Shipping, which conducts oversight examinations for vessels like the Roger Blough. NTSB’s recommendation to the vessel owner, Key Lakes Inc. was to ensure that their designated contacts list includes each shipkeeper living and working on a vessel during layup.

“There are no regulations regarding winter layup procedures for commercial vessels operating in the Great Lakes,” the report said. “The lack of regulations or classification standards related to diesel oil-fired air heating furnace construction, installation, safety shutdowns, and system alarms poses a risk to life and property if the equipment is not installed and maintained to standards similar to those in place for other oil-fired equipment.”

The report added: “The National Fire Protection Association recommends that burner assemblies like the type installed on the Roger Blough have a fire-activated quick-closing valve on the inlet fuel oil piping next to the burner. When installed, this type of valve has a thermally activated mechanism that shuts the valve in the presence of fire to stop further flow of fuel to the burner. Had the burner assembly on the Roger Blough been fitted with a fire-activated quick-closing valve on its inlet fuel oil piping, the fuel feeding the furnace fire would have been stopped and thus the fire likely would not have spread so rapidly.”

 Safety issues identified by the NTSB included:

– Lack of regulations governing furnace installation and operations on board certain vessels,

– Inadequate notification to onboard personnel of a fire, and

– Lack of fire-activated valve on the fuel oil piping to the burner on the furnace in the engine room.

Marine Investigation Report 22/19 can be found here.

The public docket for the investigation containing factual information, including interview transcripts, photographs and other investigative materials is here.

gCaptain

 

Meet the Mark W. Barker, a new 639-foot ship hauling cargo on the Great Lakes

CLEVELAND, OH – A new freighter is sailing the Great Lakes and carrying cargo in and out of the Cuyahoga River.

The Mark W. Barker, a 639-foot bulk carrier, is the 10th ship in the Interlake Steamship Co.’s fleet, a Great Lakes carrier headquartered in Middleburg Heights. It’s the company’s first newly built ship since 1981.

The MWB arrived in Cleveland this week after embarking from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, where it was built by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding. It’s already made eight deliveries.

Interlake’s President Mark Barker, the namesake of the ship, said the company first started discussing the new ship seven years ago. Construction started in 2019 and finished this summer. He declined to say how much the ship cost.

It’s a versatile member of the company’s fleet, made specifically for the tight turns of the Cuyahoga River, and to load salt coming out of Cargill’s mine on the south side of Whiskey Island.

On a tour Wednesday, crew members pointed out all the features and technology this ship has, representing a major change, since the company’s next newest ship on its Interlake fleet is 41 years old. The unloading process is automated and computerized; crew members don’t need to pull levers and open gates in

the cargo hold. The bridge of the ship has seven chart stations with monitors for the pilot and first mate to use. Other ships have three.

“This is night and day,” said Vince Hagman, a member of the 24-person crew.

The MWB has specialized steering equipment to help make sharp turns. While it’s in the river, Hangman said the ship stays at least 24 feet from the riverbank.

Barker said the ship had to be built shorter so it could navigate a narrow part of the river without comprising too much space. To accomplish this, the ship has a square and flat cargo hold, rather than an angled one, front loaders

and extra-large hatches to help it carry 26,000 tons of cargo. “While it’s our shortest vessel, it’s not our smallest carrying capacity vessel,” Barker said.

The ship will carry salt from Cleveland across the Great Lakes and bring iron ore back, along with other raw materials like stone and aggregate. It can also move finished steel products, project cargo or even containers, if needed. “It has a broad versatility to it,” Barker said, “We designed it for what will come. The question is what will come. We don’t know yet.”

The ship isn’t short on Cleveland connections. Not only is it hauling salt from Cargill. Iron ore from Cleveland Cliff’s mine in Minnesota and steel from Cliff’s plant in Indiana were used to build the ship. Sherwin-Williams maritime coatings were used to paint the new ship.

Given its size, everything about the ship is big and different. The two, 16-cylinder engines put out 8,000 horsepower. It takes 120,000 gallons of diesel to fill its tanks, and it burns 5,000 gallons on an average day.

Loading the ship with 22,000 tons of salt can take 12 to 15 hours, and getting it Superior, Wisconsin, will take two-and-a-half days.

Feeding the crew costs between $2,000 and $3,000 a week, although the boat’s chef, Matt Dillinger, said prices have been fluctuating like most everyone else’s grocery bills.

It’s one of three ships Interlake takes in and out of the Cuyahoga River, the others being the Herbert C. Jackson and Dorothy Ann, both built in the 1950s.

The new ship comes as shipping, even on the Great Lakes, is getting more attention because of supply-chain hiccups. Barker said logistic professionals have looked at waterways as a reliable source of transportation that’s also

more environmentally friendly. “What you’re seeing is a shift back to water,” Barker said. Barker and others say the Great Lakes are underutilized, and hopes time will change that. 

Lake Carriers’ Association President James Weakley said the MWB is a sign of Interlake is confident in the industry. “You wouldn’t build a ship like this if you didn’t believe in the future of the industry,” Weakley said.

https://www.cleveland.com/business/2022/08/meet-the-mark-w-barker-a-new-639-foot-ship-hauling-cargo-on-the-great-lakes.html

cleveland.com

 

Marinette Marine to begin building first Constellation frigate

A Fincantieri shipyard in Wisconsin will begin constructing its first Constellation-class frigate Wednesday following a small ceremony, U.S. Navy officials announced.

The kickoff of ship construction at Marinette Marine Shipyard follows an April 2020 contract award for the ship program and a subsequent 28 months of design maturation work — turning the Italian company’s design for a European FREMM frigate into a U.S. Navy derivative.

Read the full article here: https://www.navytimes.com/naval/2022/08/31/marinette-marine-to-begin-building-first-constellation-frigate/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fb_navytimes&fbclid=IwAR0ec2KRWEMVK-Bn3nOtiJTxHy1mHxDImW-4G4pa2Z6EBmy6JNtNuM5sijA

NavyTimes

 

Reserve now for MHSD’s Detroit River cruise on September 10

Join other members of the MHSD aboard the passenger vessel Diamond Queen, (captained by MHSD’s very own Mike Nicholls and with MHSD member Ken Borg as narrator) for a Detroit River cruise 1-4 p.m. Saturday, September 10. We will do our best to get up close to freighter traffic and, if conditions are favorable, go up the Rouge River (however, the Rouge is not guaranteed). Snacks and refreshments will be available on the boat.

Tickets are $28 ($30 at the dock if space is still available). Buy tickets online at BrownPaperTickets.com (put Marine Historical Society in the search box to find our event). 

By mail, send a check, payable to the Marine Historical Society of Detroit, to MHSD Cruise, 1020 Iroquois St., Detroit, MI 48214. Late orders will not be mailed – they will be held for you at the dock. We are limiting the number to 100 passengers so there will be plenty of room to move about the boat.

MHSD

 

*Robert Campbell photo

Historic christening of the first new U.S.-flagged Great Lakes bulk carrier in nearly 40 years

CLEVELAND, OH – More than 600 people will witness Great Lakes history unfold today on Cleveland’s waterfront as the ceremonial bottle of champagne is broken on the bow of The Interlake Steamship Company’s Motor Vessel Mark W. Barker, the first Great Lakes freighter built on the freshwater Lakes in nearly four decades.

“This is truly a historic celebration for our Company and for the United States maritime industry as we proudly christen the newest vessel to join the U.S. flag fleet on the Great Lakes and our first new build in 41 years,” says Mark W. Barker, President of The Interlake Steamship Company and the vessel’s namesake. “While this ship may bear my name, it is a testament to the innovation, skill and grit of our employees who have powered our industry and propelled our Company for more than 130 years.”

Skillfully constructed at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, the 639-foot vessel was made from iron ore mined in Minnesota by Cleveland-Cliffs, and carried on U.S.-built, U.S.-crewed, and U.S.-owned Lakers to Cleveland-Cliffs’ Burns Harbor mill in Indiana. There the pellets were forged into steel plates and shipped to the Wisconsin shipyard.

“This American-made vessel is not only a veritable Great Lakes success story, it is a Cleveland ship, through and through,” says Chairman James R. Barker. “Designed to navigate the winding curves of the Cuyahoga River, built with Cleveland-Cliffs steel and coated with Sherwin-Williams paint, the M/V Mark W. Barker was most significantly built as part of a long-term partnership to move Lake Erie-mined salt for Cargill Inc.”

“We are thrilled to partner with The Interlake Steamship Company to connect Cargill’s customers with salt from the Great Lakes region,” says Sonya Roberts, president of Cargill’s salt business. “We are proud to be a part of the Cleveland community and communities across the country that rely on us to deliver products that protect lives and enhance commerce by keeping roads clear in the winter.”

U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) is the keynote speaker at the ceremony that will welcome many federal, state and local dignitaries, as well as industry leaders. Referred to by many as the First Lady of Great Lakes shipping, Congresswoman Kaptur is the longest serving woman in congressional history. Kaptur is joined by U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown (OH-11) and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, who will welcome the crowd to the outdoor Christening event being held next to FirstEnergy Stadium. The culmination of the ceremony will be when Christening Sponsor Megan L. November breaks the bottle of bubbly on the bow.

Great Lakes shipping, which supports nearly 150,000 jobs and represents $35 billion in economic impact, is the most efficient and environmentally responsible form of transportation. This ship will carry an average of 25,000 tons per trip, which is equal to the carrying capacity of 250 train cars, and 1,000 trucks. Notably, the M/V Mark W. Barker is the first ship on the Great Lakes with engines that meet EPA Tier 4 emissions standards.

“This new vessel not only brings with it additional cargo carrying capacity and capabilities, it is the most versatile in our fleet and strategically sized to navigate into nearly any port on the Great Lakes,” says Brendan P. O’Connor, Vice President of Marketing and Marine Traffic. “The M/V Mark W. Barker will give us unmatched ability for cargo operations and to carry unique project cargoes because of her square-shaped cargo holds, her larger hatch openings, reinforced cargo hatches which can support deck cargo, and a forward mounted unloading boom. She truly was designed to be a vessel for the future.”

AP News

 

Ashton Marine barge runs aground near Buffalo

BUFFALO, NY – The barge AM 2100, belonging to Ashton Marine out of Muskegon, MI, ran aground Tuesday night near Buffalo, NY. It was stuck in the sand, about 10 feet offshore from a beach on the western side of Van Buren Point. About a dozen curious morning strollers and dog-walkers gazed at the ship about 9:30 Wednesday morning, as it bobbed gently in the waves.

The tug Nathan S. moved in circles perhaps 150 yards away. AIS showed the tug docked on Wednesday night. It is unknown of the barge was with her.

 

Reserve now for MHSD’s Detroit River cruise on September 10

Join other members of the MHSD aboard the passenger vessel Diamond Queen, (captained by MHSD’s very own Mike Nicholls and with MHSD member Ken Borg as narrator) for a Detroit River cruise 1-4 p.m. Saturday, September 10. We will do our best to get up close to freighter traffic and, if conditions are favorable, go up the Rouge River (however, the Rouge is not guaranteed). Snacks and refreshments will be available on the boat.

Tickets are $28 ($30 at the dock if space is still available). Buy tickets online at BrownPaperTickets.com (put Marine Historical Society in the search box to find our event). 

By mail, send a check, payable to the Marine Historical Society of Detroit, to MHSD Cruise, 1020 Iroquois St., Detroit, MI 48214. Late orders will not be mailed – they will be held for you at the dock. We are limiting the number to 100 passengers so there will be plenty of room to move about the boat.

MHSD

TSB releases report on 2020 collision of Florence Spirit and Alanis in Welland Canal

On Tuesday, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) released its investigation report today of the July 11, 2020 collision between the Florence Spirit and Alanis (general cargo ships) near mile 16 in the Welland Canal, Ontario. Both vessels sustained major damage to their hull structures.

The Findings:

Hydrodynamic forces, combined with the proximity of the bank, caused the collision between the two cargo vessels.The investigation revealed that an exchange of short, informal instant messages between the master of the Florence Spirit and the pilot of the Alanis influenced the former’s speed and course-alteration decisions. These decisions increased the complexity of the encounter. The instant messaging communication between the master and pilot contributed to the master’s attention being diverted from coordinating the meeting with his own bridge team and excluded other bridge team members from having safety-critical information. In addition, diffused responsibility between the master and piloting master on the Florence Spirit precluded coordination and communication between the bridge team members of the Florence Spirit, which affected their ability to monitor the vessel’s progress and detect the effect of hydrodynamic forces acting on the vessel.

The Florence Spirit proceeded into the meeting at the maximum permissible speed of 9.9 knots, which increased the hydrodynamic forces acting on the vessel and reduced the ability to maintain steering control. The hydrodynamic forces generated, combined with the proximity of the bank, produced a yawing moment such that the vessel yawed uncontrollably to port into the path of the Alanis and collided with it.

Report courtesy : Janey Anderson

Video Credit: Jeremy Barton

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzh4ZYuClYQ

 

Fednav sells three of its Laker-class series of vessels

Fednav Ltd. of Montreal, Quebec has renamed three of its Laker-class series of vessels, all of which have made trips through the Great Lakes/Seaway during their careers.

Federal Elbe IMO 9230000, built in 2003 was renamed DSM Castor of Barbados. This vessel first came inland as such in 2004 and last visited in 202. This was the second vessel to carry the name Federal Elbe in the Fednav fleet. The ship was renamed sometime in February 2022.

Also renamed was the Federal Danube IMO 9271511, built in 2004. The ship is now known as DSM Capella of Barbados registry. As the Federal Danube, this vessel first came inland as such in 2004 and last visited in 2021, making three inland visits This was the second vessel to carry the name Federal Danube in the Fednav fleet. The ship was renamed sometime in March 2022.

Finally, the Federal Weser IMO 9229972, built in 2002 has been renamed NJ Sun of Palau registry. This vessel first came inland in 2002 and last in 2022. The ship was renamed sometime in June 2022.

 Two other Fednav Laker-class vessels, the Federal Ems IMO 9229984, built in 2002, and the Federal Leda IMO 9229996, built in 2003, have yet to be sold.

With Fednav building 10 new Laker-class vessels in Oshima, Japan it remains to be seen if any of the new buildings may have any of the former Fednav names applied to them.

Denny Dushane

 

Museum offering Labor Day free admission to union members

The National Museum of the Great Lakes will open its doors FREE on Labor Day (Monday, September 5) to all union members and union retirees.

“The museum recognizes the importance of honoring the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United States,” says the museum’s Executive Director Chris Gillcrist.

While touring, all visitors can also participate in Freighter Golf, the museum’s annual hole-in-one challenge featuring two putting greens this year aboard the Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship. Freighter Golf is included with museum ship admission.

Tickets can be reserved and purchased ahead of time online at nmgl.org, however reservations are not required. Proof of union membership will be requested upon arrival.

Scroll down to view the flyer regarding prices

National Museum of the Great Lakes

 

Reserve now for MHSD’s Detroit River cruise on September 10

Join other members of the MHSD aboard the passenger vessel Diamond Queen, (captained by MHSD’s very own Mike Nicholls and with MHSD member Ken Borg as narrator) for a Detroit River cruise 1-4 p.m. Saturday, September 10. We will do our best to get up close to freighter traffic and, if conditions are favorable, go up the Rouge River (however, the Rouge is not guaranteed). Snacks and refreshments will be available on the boat.

Tickets are $28 ($30 at the dock if space is still available). Buy tickets online at BrownPaperTickets.com (put Marine Historical Society in the search box to find our event). 

By mail, send a check, payable to the Marine Historical Society of Detroit, to MHSD Cruise, 1020 Iroquois St., Detroit, MI 48214. Late orders will not be mailed – they will be held for you at the dock. We are limiting the number to 100 passengers so there will be plenty of room to move about the boat.

MHSD

Grain gushing out of the Great Lakes this year

The St. Lawrence Seaway transported 514,000 tonnes of grain out of the Great Lakes between March 22 to the end of July this year. This represents a 37% increase from the same period last year.

The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership’s August report shows that the surge in US grain shipments will help alleviate global food concerns in the wake of the Ukraine war. A minimum of 27 nations have received US Great Lakes grain during the month of July, up from 26 in June.

Ports on the Great Lakes are also increasing investments in facilities and equipment. This is due to a surge in grain exports, road congestion, increasing energy prices, and a supply chain crisis.

“We’re seeing the results of a surge in maritime business that once was the hallmark of Oswego. Our continuing investments of over $26 million include upgrades to our facilities to make the port once again a leader on the lakes,” said William W. Scriber, executive director of the Port of Oswego. “We’re particularly proud that our revenue not only supports our operations but also supports local jobs and businesses without relying on tax dollars.”

Read more at this link: https://gcaptain.com/grain-is-gushing-out-of-the-great-lakes-this-year/?fbclid=IwAR05MfNqgvDmDFdkQ5CYpboK_mFrdteCSUbkC9Q4uzm9STtfVIEe3QYTkjs

gCaptain

Coast Guard Center of Expertise will research possible Great Lakes oil spills

SAULT STE. MARIE. MI – On Aug. 24, Senator Gary Peters officially opened the U.S. Coast Guard National Center of Expertise for the Great Lakes in Sault Ste. Marie.

Located at Lake Superior State University’s Richard & Theresa Barch Center for Freshwater Research and Education, the Center of Expertise will conduct research examining the impacts of oil spills in freshwater environments to help develop effective responses.

Officials said this research is considered critical for the Great Lakes, because it is the largest source of surface freshwater in the world. The Great Lakes are also an important resource to the American and Canadian economies, but because they are freshwater there doesn’t exist any reliable methods to clean up oil spills.

When oil is spilled into saltwater there are various methods of cleaning the oil out of the water. Many of these methods include dispersing the oil and relying on saltwater microbes to eat up the oil particles. These microbes do not exist in freshwater like the Great Lakes, meaning that some of the most effective methods of cleaning oil spill contaminations will not work in the Great Lakes.

The center will have several areas of focus, including:

·       Working with academic and the private sector to develop and standardize maritime oil spill response training

·       Identifying gaps in Great Lakes oil spill research, including providing assessments of major scientific or technological deficiencies in responses to past spills in the Great Lakes and other freshwater bodies

·       Monitoring and assessing the current state of knowledge regarding freshwater oil spill response technologies

·       Conducting research, development, testing and evaluation for freshwater oil spill response equipment, technologies and techniques to mitigate and respond to oil spills in the Great Lakes

·       Helping train first responders on the federal, state and local level on the incident command structure system and response technologies and strategies

The establishment of this center comes just a few months after an oil spill, originating in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, leaked over 5,300 gallons of morgoil oil into the St. Marys River. The Coast Guard and LSSU’s Freshwater Research Center both participated in efforts to clean the river and surrounding Great Lakes areas. This is the same kind of response that will be expected from the Center of Expertise.

The Center of Expertise came to be after Peters was told by the U.S. Coast Guard during a hearing in 2017 that it was not prepared for an oil spill in the Great Lakes. At the time, the Coast Guard cited a lack of science and research in freshwater oil spills compared to saltwater oil spill research. In 2018, Peters signed legislation into law to establish the Center of Expertise and secured $4 million in funding for the initiative. The pandemic delayed the establishment of a permanent location for the center until this year.

The Center for Freshwater Research and Education was chosen because of its unique placement being so close to multiple Great Lakes. Between its location and the fact that it was already conducting research into oil spills in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard made it the perfect location for this new center.

“We’ve got to understand how we can clean up oil spills, and we’ve got to figure out the science,” Peters said during the ribbon cutting ceremony. “I want to make sure we can respond really quickly should there be a disaster in the Straits of Mackinac.”

Lake Superior State University President Dr. Rodney S. Hanley, U.S. Coast Guard Assistant Commandant for Response Policy Rear Admiral Jo-Ann Burdian and Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Don Gerrie all spoke at the ceremony to open the center.

Sault News

 

Destroyer celebrates 10 years on the Saginaw river

BAY CITY, MI – A piece of naval history is celebrating a decade of being docked on the Saginaw River.

Visitors of the USS Edison have the chance to learn about the remarkable history of the destroyer while walking through the museum.

“We wanted this to be a community event. We wanted to bring people here and that’s why we were giving away the hot dogs and cake and ice cream,” said Peter Gotzenski, the Vice President of the Saginaw Valley Naval Ship museum. “It was built in 1958 and it served until 1988. It was towed here up on the Saint Lawrence river. It took a month to tow it here.”

The navy destroyer took part in both the Vietnam war and the Cold war, earning a reputation as a top gun ship.

“We’re in the planning stages to make it a more educational thing, do more educational things on the ship. We have a lot of overnights on the ship where we have scout troops come and stay overnight,” Gotzenski said.

“We’re having a ton of fun, and it’s actually really cool to be here in person,” said Drew Matzinger, a boy scout.

All proceeds from the museum go to restoring the ship.

WNEM 5

 

Reserve now for MHSD’s Detroit River cruise on September 10

Join other members of the MHSD aboard the passenger vessel Diamond Queen, (captained by MHSD’s very own Mike Nicholls and with MHSD member Ken Borg as narrator) for a Detroit River cruise 1-4 p.m. Saturday, September 10. We will do our best to get up close to freighter traffic and, if conditions are favorable, go up the Rouge River (however, the Rouge is not guaranteed). Snacks and refreshments will be available on the boat.

Tickets are $28 ($30 at the dock if space is still available). Buy tickets online at BrownPaperTickets.com (put Marine Historical Society in the search box to find our event). 

By mail, send a check, payable to the Marine Historical Society of Detroit, to MHSD Cruise, 1020 Iroquois St., Detroit, MI 48214. Late orders will not be mailed – they will be held for you at the dock. We are limiting the number to 100 passengers so there will be plenty of room to move about the boat.

MHSD

Navibulgar’s newest laker-size vessel Verila makes first visit to the Great Lakes/Seaway

 MONTREAL, QC – Arriving in Montreal early on August 24 was the saltwater visitor Verila (IMO 9905734), built in 2022 in China for the Navigation Maritime Bulgare or Navibulgar fleet of Bulgaria.

Verila is on its first trip to the Great Lakes/Seaway, and before arriving in Montreal, the ship delivered cargo to Trois Rivieres, QC, arriving there on August 21 and departing on August 23. It is next headed to Hamilton next to unload steel and was expected to arrive sometime on August 25.

Verila is also one of eight new laker-sized vessels built in China for Navibulgar since 2021. The first two ships of the series, each built in 2021, are the Bogdan IMO 9905710 and Kom IMO 9905708. Perelik IMO 9905722 was built in 2022. Each of the three vessels are 189.98 meters in length and about 23.800 meters in width. The three are replacing older ships in the fleet that once held the names Bogdan, Kom and Perelik, all of which since have been sold. The newer Bogdan, Kom and Perelik have also all made visits and appearances in the Great Lakes/Seaway system.

In addition to Verila, a sistership, Vezhen IMO 9937270 is also expected to make a first inland visit sometime later this year. Vezhen was built in 2022. Three more laker-sized vessels for the Navibulgar fleet are all being built in China, with one of them expected to be delivered in 2022, while two others are due in 2023.

Denny Dushane

 

Another new cruise ship to make its Great Lakes debut with more due in September

MONTREAL, QC – Another new cruise ship will soon be making its debut cruising the Great Lakes this season. Expected to arrive in Montreal around August 24Le Dumont d’Urville IMO 9814052, built in 2019. She is 131.5 meters in length and has a beam of 18 meters wide. The Le Dumont d’Urville is registered in France and is also a twin is to another French passenger vessel,  Le Champlain IMO 9814038, which first visited the Great Lakes/Seaway in 2019. Le Champlain is also expected to return to the Great Lakes/Seaway for cruising sometime in September.

Additinally, another new Frenchcruise ship, Le Bellot IMO 9852418, will also be making its first visit sometime in September. The Le Bellot is also a twin to the Le Dumont d’Urville and the Le Champlain. Le Bellot was built in 2020.

Thus far, there have been five foreign-flagged cruise ships that have made  appearances cruising the Great Lakes this year. They are the Viking Octantis IMO 9863194 of Norway and the largest of them, along with the Ocean Navigator IMO 9213131 formerly the Victory II and her sistership the Ocean Voyager IMO 9213129 formerly the Victory I.

Ocean Explorer IMO 9883194, built in 2021, made its first visit on the Great Lakes earlier in 2022 and is expected back again sometime later in September. It is registered in the Bahamas as well. Pearl Mist IMO 9412701 and registered in the Marshall Islands returned to the Great Lakes for cruising this year after having last visited in 2019

Finally, the Hamburg IMO 9138329, built in 1997 as the c. Columbus and registered in the Bahamas, is also expected to return sometime in September.

Denny Dushane

 

OBITUARY: Boatnerd volunteer George Wharton

George Wharton of Strathroy, Ontario, age 70, passed away August 25 after a long battle with COVID-19. He was a former member of the Marine Historical Society of Detroit Board of Directors and was an early supporter of boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/, writing many of the vessel histories for the site. He also enjoyed compiling vessel engine data for the book Know Your Ships. He was a retired over-the-road tractor trailer driver, a former transportation analyst at 3M and studied social sciences at The University of Western Ontario. He is survived by his wife Darlene. Funeral services will be private.

Tim S. Dool returns to service

Algoma Central Corporation’s Tim S. Cool has returned to service, loading in Superior, WI., after departing Thundery Bay, ON., empty. She is bound for Hamilton, ON.

Jack Hurt

 

Manitowoc football team takes SS Badger ferry to game in Michigan

MANITOWOC, WI – The Manitowoc Ships are living up to their name this week.

The high school football team is taking a unique path to Friday night lights. Instead of riding a bus, it planned to board the S.S. Badger carferry for a trip across Lake Michigan Wednesday afternoon.

The trip is similar to one taken by Ludington, Michigan, High School last year. Ludington’s boys soccer team took the S.S. Badger across the lake to play a game against Manitowoc.

Fox 11 News

 

Reserve now for MHSD’s Detroit River cruise on September 10

Join other members of the MHSD aboard the passenger vessel Diamond Queen, (captained by MHSD’s very own Mike Nicholls and with MHSD member Ken Borg as narrator) for a Detroit River cruise 1-4 p.m. Saturday, September 10. We will do our best to get up close to freighter traffic and, if conditions are favorable, go up the Rouge River (however, the Rouge is not guaranteed). Snacks and refreshments will be available on the boat.

Tickets are $28 ($30 at the dock if space is still available). Buy tickets online at BrownPaperTickets.com (put Marine Historical Society in the search box to find our event). 

By mail, send a check, payable to the Marine Historical Society of Detroit, to MHSD Cruise, 1020 Iroquois St., Detroit, MI 48214. Late orders will not be mailed – they will be held for you at the dock. We are limiting the number to 100 passengers so there will be plenty of room to move about the boat.

MHSD

Happy Rover, frequent visitor on the Great Lakes, catches on fire in Rotterdam

ROTTERDAM, NL – Fire erupted in the fore part of general cargo ship HAPPY ROVER early in the morning Aug 21, dry docked at Schiedam, Rotterdam, and undergoing repairs, including fire works. The ship arrived at Rotterdam on Aug 8, from Canada. Fire engines responded, at one time ship’s horn self-switched and woke up local residents, until it was switched off. As of 0600 UTC Aug 21, the fire was still raging, officials said fire fighting might stretch on into the day.

Fleetmon

 

Verplank opens Muskegon port facility

MUSKEGON, MI – A new port along the lakeshore opened this past weekend.

Verplank Family Holding Co. hosted a ribbon cutting and facility tour of its new Muskegon port facility Saturday, Aug. 20, at 151 N. Causeway St.

The new facility is on the site of the former B.C. Cobb plant, which was owned by Consumers Energy before it was decommissioned in 2018.

The weekend’s ceremony marked the official opening of the port, which the company said is the largest deep-water port facility on the western shore of Michigan and the only one capable of taking a 1,000-foot freighter. In addition, the new facility can handle more than 1 million tons annually, according to Verplank.

The ribbon cutting ceremony featured remarks from Verplank CEO Ron Matthews, COO Nathan Gates, retired CEO and third-generation family leader Midge Verplank and Rep. Terry Sabo from the 92nd House District.

After formal remarks and the ribbon cutting, guests toured the docks on Muskegon Lake via the Aquastar, courtesy of the West Michigan Port Operators.

Verplank officials also opened the doors to their new state-of-the-art asphalt plant, which the company relocated from its longtime location on Sherman Boulevard to a location one mile from the port site.

Verplank Dock Co., one of the subsidiaries of Verplank Family Holding Co., acquired the 115-acre site of the former B.C. Cobb plant in June 2020 from North Carolina-based Forsite Development Inc. Forsite acquired the site from Consumers Energy in October 2017.

GRBJ

 

Toronto Island ferry service partially resumes

TORONTO, ON – Ferry service to and from the Toronto Islands has been partially restored after a boat struck the dock at the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal late Saturday afternoon.

The first ferries of the day to Ward’s Island and Hanlan’s Point departed at 7 a.m. Sunday.

In a series of tweets, Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation (PFR) said due to incident ferry service between the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and Toronto Island will be operating on a “modified schedule” for the next several weeks. The city is also advising passengers to “expect much longer than usual wait times for the remainder of the summer.”

“Until further notice, there will be only three ferries operating between Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and Toronto Island – two passenger-only vessels and one vehicle/passenger vessel. Unnecessary vehicular passage is discouraged,” Toronto PFR said in a tweet.

Read the full article here: https://www.cp24.com/news/toronto-island-ferry-service-resumes-but-only-partially-after-boat-crashes-into-dock-1.6036035?fbclid=IwAR3Sdi6L-m0JMjQAZxELombndbsotPDQF1PmZkbPy9u3d6CzZhOKG_GXrAQ

CP24 News

 

Reserve now for MHSD’s Detroit River cruise on September 10

Join other members of the MHSD aboard the passenger vessel Diamond Queen, (captained by MHSD’s very own Mike Nicholls and with MHSD member Ken Borg as narrator) for a Detroit River cruise 1-4 p.m. Saturday, September 10. We will do our best to get up close to freighter traffic and, if conditions are favorable, go up the Rouge River (however, the Rouge is not guaranteed). Snacks and refreshments will be available on the boat.

Tickets are $28 ($30 at the dock if space is still available). Buy tickets online at BrownPaperTickets.com (put Marine Historical Society in the search box to find our event). 

By mail, send a check, payable to the Marine Historical Society of Detroit, to MHSD Cruise, 1020 Iroquois St., Detroit, MI 48214. Late orders will not be mailed – they will be held for you at the dock. We are limiting the number to 100 passengers so there will be plenty of room to move about the boat.

MHSD