Atlantic Huron, tanker collide at Quebec port

PORT OF QUEBEC – An incident July 31 at the Port of Quebec between Canada Steamship Lines Atlantic Huron and NCC Qamar, an oil/chemical tanker sailing under the flag of Saudi Arabia, resulted in damage to both vessels, as shown in photos on social media. At this time there is no further information available.

CCGS George R. Pearkes headed to Hamilton for refit

The Canadian Coast Guard has awarded a $36.14 million vessel life extension contract for the Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) George R. Pearkes to Heddle Shipyards, Hamilton, Ontario. The vessel will be dry-docked and enter an extended maintenance period designed to increase its operational life.

The ship primarily performs light icebreaking and buoy tending, and is available for search and rescue and environmental response operations on Canada’s east coast.

The vessel life extension work includes:
– steel hull reinforcement;
– hull, superstructure, deck and mast recoating;
– galley modernization;
– replacement of the bow thruster, cycloconverter, propulsion generator and the internal communication system;
-tail shaft and rudder inspections;
domestic and auxiliary system upgrades.

While the ship undergoes vessel life extension from Winter 2023 to Spring 2024, the Canadian Coast Guard will reallocate its other maritime resources to ensure Canada’s waterways continue to be safe for all seafarers in Canadian waters.

CCGS George R. Pearkes entered into service in 1986. Stationed in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, CCGS George R. Pearkes is primarily a light icebreaker and buoy tending vessel named for Victoria Cross recipient George Randolph Pearkes.

Although the vessel is primarily used for buoy tending and icebreaking, it also performs search and rescue, scientific research and environmental response.

Autonomous research equipment headed to Lake Superior

LAKE SUPERIOR – The U.S. Coast Guard is working with Saildrone Inc. to operate two uncrewed surface vehicles called Saildrones to study fish populations in Lake Superior waters. The Saildrones are scheduled to be launched from Ashland, Wisconsin on Aug. 8 and will transit through the central and western areas of Lake Superior through Sept. 30.

Saildrone Inc. requests that vessels transiting in vicinity of the Saildrones proceed with caution and remain more than 500 meters away from the research equipment. This will ensure the drones can collect data without human interference and prevent any collisions.

The drones will have track lines nearshore and offshore throughout Lake Superior. Sampling sites include Wisconsin near Madeline Island, Devils Island, Sand Island, Port Wing; Michigan near the upper entry of the Keweenaw Waterway, Ontonagon; Minnesota near Grand Portage, Hovland, Grand Marais, Taconite Harbor, Two Harbors and Duluth. Other sites are near Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.

USCG

Lake Michigan water levels down significantly

Just a couple of years ago we had houses falling into Lake Michigan from record high water levels along the lakeshore. Homeowners were shoring up their foundations and in some cases, even physically moving the house back from the lakeshore to prevent damage or catastrophe.

Fast forward to now, July 2022, and Lake Michigan water levels are now significantly down from their high point just two years ago.

We should note that Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are considered one basin, since they’re connected through the Straights of Mackinaw. A one inch rise in these lakes means 790 billion gallons of water! So keep this in mind, the basin is down 25 inches from its high in July 2020. That’s a whopping 19,750,000,000,000 gallons of water. Or to say it…19 trillion 750 billion gallons! Quite the staggering amount.

Read the full article at this link: https://www.fox17online.com/weather/lake-michigan-water-levels-down-significantly

Fox 17 News

StreamTime LIVE sets Port Huron event Aug. 19-22

See the gallery below for details.

Could the Great Lakes solve US shipping woes?

Lake Erie – one of five connected bodies of freshwater that make up the Great Lakes system along the US-Canada border – might not seem like a solution to America’s supply chain issues. But it might just be exactly that.

Connected to the Atlantic Ocean via a system of canals and locks, the Port of Cleveland is one of several Great Lakes shipping centres experiencing a revival. Last year, the total tonnage handled by the port increased by 69% from 2020. April’s tonnage numbers were double that of the same month in 2021. “We’re getting a lot more calls from people – shippers, cargo owners – that typically wouldn’t want to consider using a smaller, inland port to move their cargo,” said David Gutheil, chief commercial officer at the port.

With major ports along the US east and west coasts struggling with cargo backlogs due to knock-on effects from supply chain issues caused by everything from China’s Covid lockdowns to Russia’s war in Ukraine, shippers are looking to long-ignored ports as a way to get supplies into and out of America. Global shipping companies were among the first to spot the Great Lakes’ potential.

In August, a Dutch shipping company added an additional vessel to its Antwerp-Cleveland route to meet growing demand. One ship even sailed all the way from Shanghai to Cleveland last November – a forty-day journey that bypassed major ports in southern California, Virginia and New Jersey – to avoid the backlogs plaguing those locations.

It’s not just incoming international cargo companies that are looking to the Great Lakes ports to handle their wares. The Port of Cleveland is working with a Texas-based company trucking cargo from the Gulf of Mexico up to Lake Erie – a 1,000-mile journey – to get its products shipped out to Europe. “They can’t get vessel or container capacity down there (in Texas),” said Mr Gutheil.

While ports situated on the Atlantic and Pacific oceans dominate America’s shipping industry today, that wasn’t always the case. The Great Lakes ports once served as a crucial North American maritime highway for transporting agricultural and other bulk products such as iron ore, coal and limestone throughout the 1800s and 1900s.

The deregulation of the rail and especially the trucking industries in 1980, combined with the offshoring of manufacturing to Asia and elsewhere, however, saw the decline of the Great Lakes ports.

Located more than 2,200 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, the Port of Duluth-Superior was at its peak in the 1950s, when it handled about 70 million tonnes of goods such as iron ore and agricultural grain, making it the largest freshwater port in the world. By 2017, the amount of cargo it handled had fallen by more than half.

But today, as America’s major coastal ports struggle to meet demand, the Great Lakes has the potential to expand capacity of the country’s shipping industry. The Port of Cleveland, for example, is currently only moving about 10,000 containers a year but could potentially handle about 100,000 containers.

Six hundred and thirty miles northwest of Cleveland, the Port of Duluth-Superior – the largest in the Great Lakes – has expanded its facilities to include a customs station that now allows it to handle international cargo. Its first overseas shipment of containers – 200 containers of bagged kidney beans destined for Italy, France, Germany and Hungary – set sail in late May.

And yet it’s not all smooth sailing for the northern ports. Reports of a shortage of icebreaker ships hampered shipping activity last winter, as lakes froze. Moreover, the 15 canal locks that allow ships to move between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean are not maintained and kept ice-free by their American and Canadian operators during the winter months. That means that even if sections of southern Great Lakes such as Lake Erie and Lake Ontario don’t freeze over in winter, access between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic wouldn’t be possible.

“One of the major hurdles to overcome is the seasonality issue; the Great Lakes are not open 12 months (of the year),” said Daniel Rust, an associate professor of transportation and logistics management at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.

“Supply chain managers want to always ship a certain way and to have a reliable supply chain for 12 months of the year”.

Another challenge is that the locks can only facilitate vessels that are no wider than 78 feet (23.8 metres), which means that many ships cannot pass through. Industry experts say these issues could be overcome.

Establishing a feeder or shuttle service of smaller vessels would bridge that gap, say observers, and it’s a move several Canadian ports have recently pursued. In June 2021, the Canadian maritime transport firm, Desgagnés, started a feeder service that ships close to 300 containers between Hamilton, Ontario, and the Port of Montreal.

With labour disputes possibly leading to backlogs in West Coast ports, and railroad congestion creating bottlenecks this summer, Americans may be facing more supply shortages in the months ahead.

As Mr Gutheil put it: “If you have 10 or 20 ports … that handle as much as we do, then you start talking about meaningful change in the supply chain world”.

BBC News

Festival of Sail set to sail again in Two Harbors

TWO HARBORS, MN – Festival of Sail organizers and city incident command team members are in the final stages of preparing for the tall ships to come to Agate Bay next week. According to Two Harbors Police Chief Rick Hogenson, public safety has been at the forefront of the event’s planning for both event attendees and the city’s residents.

This is the first time Two Harbors has hosted the event, which is held every three years and was last held in Duluth in 2019. Nine ships, the World’s Largest Rubber Duck and over 100 vendors are confirmed.

“It’s certainly an exciting time for Two Harbors,” Hogenson said. “I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a little anxiety and nervousness, but I think we are well-prepared for this event.”

Read the full article at this link: https://www.inforum.com/news/minnesota/festival-of-sail-set-to-sail-again-in-two-harbors?fbclid=IwAR06LyE72ai4BlU-tLaYEsqsB-V2Qjj-3hyIyFb90xSlasHrFeWSkFuwqJ0

Inforum

Nunavut teen sails Great Lakes tall ship over summer

Reuben Qaunaq arrived in Iqaluit recently after more than a week of changing sails and battling windy days as a petty officer aboard a tall ship.

After spending time last summer on a tall ship, the teenager returned to sail through the Great Lakes this year. “This journey has really changed my life,” Qaunaq said.

He is part of a program run by Tall Ship Expeditions Canada, where Canadian teenagers become crew members aboard the St. Lawrence II tall ship for trips across the Great Lakes that take close to a week to complete. The purpose of the expeditions is for young Canadians to learn skills such as leadership, teamwork and self-confidence.

The nearly 22-metre-long St. Lawrence II was built in 1953 to carry a crew of 25. The program’s website says it is outfitted with a full, modern navigation suite including GPS and electronic chart system. It’s a brigantine class ship, meaning it has two masts.

Qaunaq, who is from Arctic Bay, joined the expedition as a trainee last year on the recommendation of his high school teacher. He returned this year as a petty officer, which means he is teaching the trainees about the skills needed to be on the boat. Some of those skills include tying boating knots, climbing up the ship’s rigging and learning how to unfurl the sails, Qaunaq said.

The challenge of doing his job included working in high winds with tasks such as changing the sails in those conditions to ensure the boat moves properly. Four of the trainees he taught were fellow Nunavummiut.

As a petty officer, Qaunaq said he spent most of his time with the other officers since he was living and eating with them while on the boat. “They were like family,” he said.

Nunatsiaq News 

Help save the United States post office at the Soo Locks

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – The United States Postal Service (USPS) is considering shutting down the post office for sailors at the Soo Locks due to a “lack of usage”. 

If you know a sailor or are feeling kind, consider sending a letter or a post card to that sailor or a favorite boat of yours. Any mail will help keep this service available to the sailors on the Great Lakes.

If you’re interested in sending mail then follow this format:

Person’s name

C/O name of boat

Marine Post Office

Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783

Coast Guard Festival returns to Grand Haven

GRAND HAVEN, MI – The Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival is back with a week-long event reflecting and celebrating the rescue military service branch.

Grand Haven, also known as Coast Guard City, USA, will be filled with people visiting across the state and country beginning Friday.

“There is excitement for festival starting and you can kind of start to feel the buzz and the vibe around town,” Lt. Paul Larouche, the commanding officer of Sector Field Office Grand Haven, said. “It’s really inspiring to see how much the city of Grand Haven backs the Coast Guard and supports the Coast Guard and it really does have a direct impact on just the morale of those at the unit. You can tell that they know that the city of Grand Haven supports them.”

“Our relationship with the Coast Guard goes back to 1924, which started as a picnic on the far side of the river and then developed into this 10-day celebration celebrating our men and women of the Coast Guard,” Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival executive director Mike Smith said.

To kick off the event, you can check out the lighthouse quilt show from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Church, located at 901 Columbus Ave. There will be over 100 antique quilts on display, and you’ll get to hear stories about each. The cost of admission is $7.

You can take a ship tour beginning Monday, Aug. 1, and organizers say you can’t miss the National Coast Guard Memorial Service, which pays tribute to personnel who have died in the line of duty during the past year.

Tim Riley, the general manager of Kirby House restaurant, says the festival always gives a boost to the economy. “It’s everything we plan for, for the summer, and it’s an important part of our year,” Riley said.

Riley thinks the designated area for the social district will be beneficial to businesses. “It just adds to the whole feel it give people more options, more places to go while they’re down here,” Riley said.

The festival will run through Aug. 7.

Wood TV News 8

Coast Guard investigating laser strikes on Lake Ontario search and rescue boats

The U.S. Coast Guard and local law enforcement are investigating two recent laser strike incidents against two USCG small boats participating in search and rescue operations in Lake Ontario.

The incidents took place June 11 and July 12. The Coast Guard said the first incident originated from Moon Beach, New York and the second from nearby Oswego. Attempts to locate the suspects remain ongoing.

In both cases, high-powered laser illuminated the small boats numerous times, striking the crew in the eyes. No injuries were sustained, but the Coast Guard warns that these types of actions are illegal and can cause severe effects to its safety and missions, not to mention eye injury.

“In every instance that a U.S. Coast Guard small boat is observed on the water, they are either performing a mission, training, or transiting,” said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Mark Kuperman, Commander, Sector Buffalo. “As with all emergency responders, the work they do is in the best interests of the public. When struck by a laser, they cannot perform their job, and may in fact have suffered eye injuries.”

Laws have been on the books making it felony to aim a laser pointer at an aircraft, with penalties of fines or imprisonement of not more than 5 years, or both. But a new law was passed in 2021 under the Elijah E. Cummings Coast Guard Authorization Act (CGAA) of 2020 states that aiming a LASER Pointer at vessels is a violation under title 46 U.S. Code, Section 70014, which makes it unlawful to “cause the beam of a LASER pointer to strike a vessel operating on the navigable waters of the United States.’’ The offense carries civil and criminal (felony) penalties as well.

Coast Guard Investigative Service Special Agents are working with local law enforcement to investigate the recent incidents.

“Just as a citizen would not intentionally endanger an ambulance or a firetruck moving at high speed to provide urgent care, Coast Guard boat crews are responding to life-threatening situations on the water,” said Kuperman

Anyone with information about the cases is encouraged to contact U.S. Coast Guard Sector Buffalo at 716-843-9391 or can make an anonymous report through CGIS Tips at the following CGIS TIPLINE website: https://www.p3tips.com/878.

gCaptain

The Great Lakes could help solve some ongoing US supply chain issues

A U.S. inland system of lakes could surprise many as it appears to hold some major possibilities when it comes to ways to help solve the ongoing supply chain issues plaguing the country amid growing inflation.

The U.S. Great Lakes are a handful of freshwater bodies that make up a system of lakes along the U.S.- Canada border that are connected to the Atlantic Ocean.

David Gutheil, chief commercial officer at the Port of Cleveland, said, “We’re getting a lot more calls from people, shippers, cargo owners, that typically wouldn’t want to consider using a smaller, inland port to move their cargo.”

The BBC reported that a Dutch shipping company decided to add an additional shipping vessel for its Antwerp, Belgium to Cleveland, Ohio route because of increased demand. And another ship last November traveled from Cleveland to Shanghai in China. The trip lasted 40 days and bypassed major ports in California.

A major waterway making it possible is the St. Lawrence Seaway, impressively stretching from the Atlantic Ocean into the Great Lakes. It moved 38.19 million metric tons of goods or cargo, delivering it to ports in Canada and the U.S. last year, and has maintained that as a yearly average, apart from dips during the height of the pandemic.

WXYZ Detroit

MacArthur Lock should reopen this week after unexpected repair

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – An unexpected closure at the Soo Locks shipping complex is expected to wrap up this week, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The MacArthur Lock closed on Monday, July 25 for an unanticipated repair to its tainter gate valve machinery, forcing all shipping traffic to transit using the adjacent Poe Lock.

The bottleneck at the Poe Lock has caused some backups for ships moving between Lake Superior and Lake Huron using the Soo complex. Depending on their size, freighters have shared the 1,200-foot long by 100-foot wide Poe Lock with smaller boats, such as tour boats and patrol boats.

“They have been doing a good job of fitting as many ships as they can into the Poe,” said Carrie Fox, Soo Locks spokeswoman with the Army Corps Detroit District.

Read the full article at this link: https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2022/07/macarthur-lock-should-reopen-this-week-after-unexpected-repair.html

MLive

Clipper captain to celebrate 100th birthday aboard ship

MUSKEGON, MI – Docked in Muskegon Lake is a piece of history called the S.S. Milwaukee Clipper. The preserved steamship is a national historic landmark. It shut down back in 1970, but it still has a captain at its helm.

Believe it or not, that captain is 99 years old, and he still visits his beloved boat just about every day, and he’s about to celebrate a big milestone.

Captain Bob Priefer spent most of his life on the clipper. “24 hours, 7 days a week. When you’re the captain, you’re on watch all the time,” said Capt. Priefer.

“It’s just good genes, I guess. He comes down to the ship, I mean he has more energy than me sometimes. I’ll see him working up towards the bow and here I am out of breath I’m just doing a chore and he’s ready to walk around the ship again. I don’t know how he does it, but he does,” said Brock Johnson, volunteer coordinator at the S.S. Milwaukee Clipper.

Johnson is the captain’s apprentice if you will, the ship’s next generation. “All of us are getting a little bit tender, I don’t want to say aged,” said Priefer. But he won’t leave Brock to tend the ship before she imparts what he calls some old “fish tales.” 

“Just walking through the rooms, he has those memories of what used to happen aboard the ship and we’re just happy that he has those memories, and one day I hope to have those memories as well,” said Johnson.

Priefer is a World War II veteran who started on the luxury vessel right after the war. Taking trips from Chicago to Muskegon and Milwaukee, at the time the boat was the equivalent of flying first class. “Back in the 40s to go from Milwaukee to Muskegon was like today’s taking a cruise to Hawaii,” said Priefer. He added, “we were the first commercial vessel to get radar.”

Not only did he spend much of his life aboard, he forged many family memories too, “my granddaughter, I married them aboard this ship. My granddaughter, and now I’ve got a great granddaughter, she was down here the other day.”

The almost-centenarian still somehow has a to do list aboard. “I would still like to do a lot of things on the ship. But the mind is willing, but the body is weak.” Before he gets going on all those tasks, his crew thinks birthday celebrations are in order first. “8-8-22. Next month I’ll be 100. I never thought of it as that. It’s just another day. I’m looking for 100, I’m looking for 110! Nobody in the family ever lived to be 100,” said Priefer.

We asked Priefer to sum up the days, the hours, the months’ worth of trips on the big lake and beyond, and he couldn’t quite calculate. But he did share this, “That doesn’t make any difference how many days, it’s how much you accomplish, what you did. We’ve done pretty well I think.”

You are invited to Captain Priefer’s 100th birthday party! It is Saturday August 6 from 6 to 9 aboard the ship. It’s completely free to come out and take a tour and give your captain some well wishes on his milestone celebration.

The S.S. Milwaukee Clipper is docked at 2098 Lakeshore Drive, Muskegon MI. For more information on the party: call 231-683-1590 or visit https://www.milwaukeeclipper.com/

Fox 17

Veteran cement carrier S.T. Crapo sold for scrapping

According to the Facebook page of Wayne Elliott, owner of International Marine Salvage, the long-inactive steamer S.T. Crapo will be towed from Green Bay to Port Colborne for scrapping some time in September.

Only the second bulk cement carrier built from the keel up, the 402-foot-long S.T. Crapo was built as hull # 256 in 1927 by the Great Lakes Engineering Works, River Rouge, MI.  The vessel was launched and christened July 7, 1927 for the Huron Transportation Co., division of Huron Portland Cement Co., Detroit, MI., becoming the first carrier launched with her boilers lit and the second self-unloader of her type ever built. The vessel was named in honor of Mr. Stanford Tappan Crapo, co-founder with Mr. J.B. Ford of the Huron Portland Cement Co. in 1907.

For many years, the S.T. Crapo was a perennial season opener for many Great Lakes ports with cargoes of cement products from Alpena, MI.

Throughout her tenure on the lakes, the S.T. Crapo has remained with the same fleet even though there were several parent company, fleet and vessel ownership changes. With the entry into service of the articulated tug/cement barge Jacklyn M (now G.L. Ostrander)/Integrity, the S.T. Crapo was removed from active service on September 4, 1996 and docked at the Lafarge facilities at Green Bay, WI for use as a stationary cement storage barge, which is where she remains.

Know Your Ships

Several shipyards on the Great Lakes receive MARAD grants

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced $19.6 million in grant awards to 24 small shipyards in 19 states through the Small Shipyard Grant Program. The funds will help awardees modernize, increase productivity, and expand local employment opportunities.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of the American economy, and small shipyards play a critical role in America’s maritime industry, helping us get the goods we depend on every day,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “These grants will help modernize small shipyards in communities across the country, creating and protecting local jobs, strengthening America’s maritime industry, and securing our economic future.”

MARAD’s Small Shipyard Grant Program has awarded $282.2 million since 2008 to nearly 300 shipyards in 32 states and territories throughout the U.S.

“These grants will allow small businesses to do what they do best, which is to build essential infrastructure while creating long-term and well-paying jobs for Americans,” said Maritime Administrator Ann Phillips. “Better equipment means increased productivity and more ships and watercraft moving through our small shipyards. Growing this industry further supports and strengthens our domestic maritime industry.”

Below is a complete list of Great Lakes shipyard grant recipients from Fiscal Year 2022:

MICHIGAN:

Moran Iron Works, Inc., of Onaway, MI, will receive $500,561 to support the purchase of a CNC Fabricating System. This project will greatly enhance automation of complex fabrications and drastically reduce time of production.

OHIO:

McGinnis, Inc, of South Point, OH, will receive $770,250 to support the purchase of a 110 Ton Crane to shorten the time it takes to complete major construction, renovation, fabrication, or re-power projects and improve material handling capabilities.

Great Lakes Towing Company of Cleveland, OH, will receive $781,627 to support the purchase package of tooling and equipment to improve the shipyard operations and to foster efficiency, competitive operations and quality ship construction, repair, and maintenance.

WISCONSIN:

Fincantieri Marine Group, LLC – Bay Shipbuilding of Sturgeon Bay, WI, will receive $1,200,000 to support the modernization of their graving dock pumps.

gCaptain

Museum features Detroit company’s 74-year history of ‘pail mail’

In a world where technology is growing by leaps and bounds, old-fashioned mail service continues to be a mainstay on the Detroit River not far from the west end of Lake Erie.

The J.W. Westcott Co. and its flagship vessel, the J.W. Westcott II, runs deliveries of mail, packages, supplies and crew to lake vessels passing through the narrow passage, allowing commerce to flow smoothly and keeping crews connected to the mainland. Jim Hogan, company president, is proud that the maritime firm has continued the service that his great-grandfather, John Ward Westcott, established in 1874.

While the company has built its reputation around deliveries by water and land, it’s the mail service for which it may be the most well-known. And it’s the way the mail is delivered that remains unchanged over the years: in a pail hauled up by a rope. The practice is known as “pail mail.” High-tech it’s not.

Since 1948 the company has held the government contract for postal services — originally with the U.S. Post Office Department and since 1971 with the renamed U.S. Postal Service — on the river. The J.W. Westcott II is the only nonmilitary ship to have its own ZIP code: 48222. “We are the longest-serving contractor in continuing service with the Postal Service,” Hogan said.

The company is among several featured in a temporary exhibit at the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo through Aug. 14. The exhibit, “By the Pail: J.W. Westcott and Great Lakes Service Vessels,” offers a look at the many service vessels on the Great Lakes since the 19th century. The most well-known is the Westcott firm. The exhibit reviews how, beginning in 1895, at least three predecessors delivered mail on the Detroit River prior to Westcott. But none has served as long as the J.W. Westcott II, which has been on the job for more than 70 years.

The company commissioned Paasch Marine Service of Erie, Pennsylvania, to construct it in 1949. It is named in honor of the company’s founder. Hogan is the fourth generation of his family to run the company. It operates its ships from early April to late December, closing down each year just before Christmas.

Today, the Westcott II meets as many as 20 or so vessels a day. The 45-foot ship leaves the company dock along the river on a more or less perpendicular route toward a cargo vessel seeking its service, only to pull up and then travel parallel to it, matching its speed.

Large packages are hoisted via rope. Smaller items, like mail, are placed in a pail. Crew exchanges occur via a ladder. An exchange takes just a few minutes.

Since Hogan joined the firm in 1974 he has adapted the company’s services to meet changing needs. Deliveries today include those for online-ordered goods, groceries, parts and supplies and food from local restaurants for a change of pace for the crews.

He said the nature of the service business has changed, with fewer ships on the Great Lakes because of the prevalence of larger vessels including the mammoth 1,000 footers. But Hogan has managed to keep the business competitive and is preparing his son, Jimmy, vice president, to eventually become the fifth generation to oversee operations.

The exhibit is located in a room near the museum gift shop. It includes artifacts from service vessels, explanatory banners examining their history and even a small collection of collector-inspired covers developed by the Motor City Stamp and Cover Club bearing pictorial postmarks that mark the opening and closing of shipping seasons.

More information, including hours of operation and entrances fees, can be found online at nmgl.org.

The Chronicle

The Boblo boats still exist and a documentary about them is hitting theaters

DETROIT, MI – The roller coasters gave their last thrills and the historic ferries gave their last rides to and from the island amusement park nearly 30 years ago. A documentary is now set to hit theaters looking at the history of Boblo Island amusement park and the two oldest surviving passenger steamboats in the U.S.

“Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale,” will be in select Michigan theaters this September. The film is narrated from the perspective of the SS Columbia, one of the Boblo boats, and follows the efforts to save her sister ship, the S.S. Ste Claire. Motown legend, Martha Reeves, voices the Columbia in the movie.

“Boblo Island and the boats that took us there hold a special place in the hearts of many metro Detroiters, but this isn’t just a nostalgia exercise,” said the Freep Film Festival’s artistic director, Kathy Kieliszewski. “This film is about now and the people dedicated to preserving history and memories despite some extreme hurdles.”

The restoration team has completed rebuilding the first three decks which fire destroyed. The rest of the structure is expected to be completed by the end of this year. As for the SS Columbia, it’s currently owned by a New York-based nonprofit which is restoring the ferry into a traveling museum and event space in Buffalo. Read more on those restoration efforts here.

“Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale” opens in select Detroit area theaters on September 16 and will expand to more locations in the following weeks.

The film will also have an extended run at The Mariner theater in Marine City where it will be accompanied by a special Boblo museum exhibit for the entire month of September.

To view the trailer click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBNQruzxkNI

MLive

New Lock at the Soo Phase 1 construction nears completion

SAULT STE MARIE, MI – With only closeout items remaining the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District’s New Lock at the Soo substantially completes its first phase of construction.

“We are waiting on final survey results and anticipate they will show the deepened areas as complete, really only have some punch-list type items, groundskeeping and site cleanup remaining,” said project Supervisory Civil Engineer Rachel Miller.

Trade West Construction, Inc., of Nevada, a small business, began deepening the upstream channel May 4, 2020.

“The New Lock was first authorized in 1986. That’s 36 years ago,” said New Lock at the Soo Chief Mick Awbrey. “It went through a series of changes and reauthorizations, then the Corps of Engineers was able to begin construction in 2020. Reaching substantial completion of this first phase of construction is a monumental milestone!” Using a submergible excavator attachment called a hydraulic ripper, Trade West broke up bedrock approximately six feet thick over a three-quarter mile long stretch, primarily sandstone, from the north channel to a 30-foot depth. The channel depth is needed to accommodate the large Great Lakes freighters.

In all, around 300,000 cubic yards of material, including bedrock and overburden was removed using the ripper, stone grinders and excavator buckets. These operations were all done from barges. The material removed from the channel was placed onto the Northwest Pier’s west end to act as a windbreak for passing ships. The largest rock weighed 55 tons, about the same weight as an adult humpback whale.

Two major phases of the project remain for the New Lock. Phase 2, rehabilitating the upstream approach walls, began in 2021. Following the winter downtime, season two work began again this year in mid-April. This work stabilizes the existing approach walls to allow modern vessels to tie up and wait their turn to pass through the New Lock. The Phase 2 contractor is Kokosing- Alberici LLC, a joint venture of Kokosing Industrial of Ohio and Alberici Constructors of Missouri. They are on track for completion by summer 2024.

The Detroit District awarded Phase 3 on July 1. It is the largest and most complicated phase and involves constructing the new lock chamber and rehabilitating downstream approach walls.

Over 88% of commodity tonnage through the Soo Locks is restricted by vessel size to the Poe Lock. The new lock project will construct a second Poe-sized lock, 1,200 feet by 110 feet on the site of the existing decommissioned Davis and Sabin locks. “We’ll build coffer cells to block off and dewater the construction site,” said Miller. “Power needs to be rerouted through the facility, the Sabin Lock chamber demolished, a new 1,200 foot by 110-foot chamber constructed, the Davis Lock filled in, a new pump well installed and the downstream approach walls rehabilitated.”

The Soo Locks are situated on the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and allow vessels to transit the 21-foot elevation change at the St. Marys Falls Canal. According to a 2015 Department of Homeland Security study on the impact of an unexpected Soo Locks closure, the Soo Locks are nationally critical infrastructure and the reliability of this critical node in the Great Lakes Navigation System is essential to U.S. manufacturing and National Security.

For more information about the New Soo Lock project, visit our website: https://www.lre.usace.army.mil/About/Highlighted-Projects/New_Soo_Lock/

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit

Northshore to stay idle until at least April of next year

Idled in the spring, Northshore Mining is going to stay down for longer.

That’s the update from Lourenco Goncalves, CEO of Cleveland-Cliffs, during Friday’s earnings call. He said it will remain idle until at least April of 2023. Goncalves said this is due to less need for pellets, as they are using more prime scrap. “The pellets at Northshore are not needed at this time.”

The mine is in Babbitt, the plant is in Silver Bay. Between the two, there are around 600 employees. About 170 remain on the payroll during the idle. Mayor Wade LeBlanc, from Silver Bay, said he felt really deflated when he heard the news. “Kind of hopeless. It’s not good news, for a small town, and it’s biggest employer. Especially with inflation.”

His counterpart in Babbitt, Mayor Andrea Zupancich, said the same thing. “With property taxes going up, fuel oil, groceries, it’s just a lot. The employees were worried about the idle going longer.” 

Unemployment has a limit of 26 weeks in Minnesota. But Rep. Rob Ecklund said he’s already working on language of a bill that would call for an extension. “We need to take care of these workers,” he told us. Rep. Dave Liselgard said, “With the current UI benefits set to expire for many workers in Novembe, an extension is another reason why it’s imperative for lawmakers to return to the capital for a special session. Today‘s development is heartbreaking.”

WDIO 

Great Lakes cruises bring passengers, revenue to Muskegon

MUSKEGON, MI – West Michigan welcomes tens of thousands of visitors from around the world every summer and many of them travel by cruise ship. Cruise the Great Lakes expects about 150,000 visitors into ports around the Midwest and Canada in 2022. There are 4 cruise lines serving Great Lakes ports, generating more than $120 million this season. One of those ports is Muskegon.

The Pearl Mist docked in Muskegon on a beautiful summer morning, bringing nearly 200 passengers into town for the day, including Darryl Steinert from Caseville. He says, “We decided to take this cruise for two reasons. One we had never seen Georgian Bay and two, even though we’ve lived on the Great Lakes virtually all of our lives, we had never seen the land from the water side.” This 11-day journey starts in Toronto and ends in Milwaukee – with stops in ports like Mackinac Island, Sault Ste Marie and of course, Muskegon.

Read the full story at this link: https://www.fox17online.com/news/morning-news/great-lakes-cruises-bring-passengers-revenue-to-muskegon?fbclid=IwAR28JB8yOyk9EqngwDgKxWRy37BneuxGHVAv4gwIL-Md2QW_6uRvCtHOs3o

Fox 17

Help Wanted – LMC

Lake Michigan Carferry is seeking QMED’s for placement in the engine department aboard the historic S.S. Badger.  Candidates must possess a Merchant Mariner Credential with QMED endorsement, a current Medical Certificate and a valid TWIC card.  QMED will expect to live aboard and stand a 4 hour watch, twice a day, 7 days a week for the remainder of the 2022 sailing season (as soon as possible to Oct 16th, 2022) QMED wage is $28.91p/hr with guaranteed 16 hours of overtime per week at $43.37 per hour.

Visit our web site at http://www.ssbadger.com > Join the Crew to fill out an online application or email lbialochowski@interlakems.com for more information.

U.S. grain, coke exports drive Great Lakes-Seaway shipping activity in June

U.S. grain and coke exports boosted overall shipping volumes through the St. Lawrence Seaway in June.

Total cargo tonnage shipments (from March 22 to June 30) via the St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 11.9 million metric tons, down 8.3% compared to 2021 but gaining ground in comparison to April, when it was down 18% at the start of the season. Other system-wide highlights include an increase in project cargo such as wind energy components and a 55% increase in coke shipments, including exports to Europe for cement production.

U.S. grain shipments via the Great Lakes-Seaway system totaled 414,000 metric tons from March 22 to June 30, up 37% compared to the same period in 2021. Much of the increase is due to exports of corn and soybeans. The rise in shipments, which are predominantly heading to Europe and North Africa, are in part due to shifting global grain trading patterns as the conflict between Russia and the Ukraine — both major grain exporters — continues.

“International trade has been a major driver of Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway shipping this season, with corn, soybeans, coke and containerized goods heading out and steel and wind energy components being shipped in,” Bruce Burrows, president and CEO, Chamber of Marine Commerce, said in a statement announcing the June numbers. “American businesses recognize that it is more important than ever to have this reliable, cost-efficient trade and transportation route, particularly in these high-inflation, uncertain times.”

June 2022 was a strong month for the Port of Toledo as shipments for the year surpassed 4.5 million short tons, up 22% over the same period in 2021. “We enjoyed increases in every cargo category other than liquid bulk,” said Joseph Cappel, VP of business development for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. “Our grain tonnage is more than double what it was at the same time last year and iron ore and coal are also up significantly. With all three of our major staple commodities ahead of last year, we should expect a strong second half of our shipping season.”

The port also shipped petcoke to other U.S. ports as well as Portugal, the Netherlands and Ontario. The Port of Toledo is also in peak construction season with capital improvement projects occurring at the Toledo Shipyard, general cargo facility, and dredge material processing center. The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority is also working with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources on several water quality improvement projects involving the creation of wetlands in the Maumee River and its tributaries.

At the Port of Duluth-Superior, limestone and general cargo shipments provided the June highlights. For the month, Duluth-Superior welcomed 433,143 short tons of the versatile chalky rock from Michigan, which pushed the season-to-date limestone total above 1 million short tons and 14.3% ahead of the five-season average. Limestone has numerous purposes, including being used as a building stone for construction and in the manufacturing of cement.

Inbound wind energy cargoes and bagged minerals delivered a general cargo boost in June, with nearly 13,000 short tons arriving at the Duluth Cargo Connect facilities. That float lifted the season-to-date general cargo tonnage total past 27,280 short tons, which exceeds the five-season average pace through June 30 by a robust 33%.

WorkBoat

Wind towers, manufactured in Monroe, are afloat at the Port of Monroe

MONROE, MI – During the 2022 shipping season, Port tenant Ventower Industries and DRM Terminal Services are working to develop and expand new renewable energy supply chain opportunities.

Currently, the Port and DRM are loading wind tower sections for outbound shipments on U.S. flagged barges. Made by Ventower, the wind towers will be transported by Michigan-based tug company Ashton Marine Corporation to the Port of Oswego in New York. The utility-scale wind turbines will then be staged with other components for delivery to a project site in upstate New York.

Made from tubular steel, the tower supports the structure of the turbine. Towers usually come in sections and are assembled on-site. Wind speed increases with height, therefore taller towers allow turbines to capture more energy and generate more electricity.

Scott Viciana, vice president in charge of sales and development at Ventowers, said the first shipment of wind towers left port on June 29. Each shipment weighs approximately 950 tons and there will be an estimated 90 sections shipped for the project before it is completed this summer.

Established in 1932, the Port of Monroe is Michigan’s only port on Lake Erie. The marine terminal provides access to the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway and it serves 17 states.

Six years ago, the Port of Monroe was designated as part of the Marine Highway Route M-90 by the U.S. Maritime Administration.

“In a single project, we have Michigan manufactured renewable energy components, built right here at the Port of Monroe, being transported under the American flag on a designated Marine Highway Route,” said Capt. Paul C. LaMarre III, Port Director at the Port of Monroe in a written statement provided to The Monroe News. “The Port of Monroe is proud to be at the forefront of domestic cargo diversification which will ultimately benefit the system as a whole.”

Ventower Industries is the only active wind turbine tower manufacturer in the United States located at the Port. The relationship between the Port and Ventower has been critical in developing these new supply chains.

“We, along with Ventower and DRM, have carved out a niche for projects like this. Everybody is excited to be involved with this project and happy that it’s moving forward,” Port Development Coordinator Samuel Hankinson said. “We’re excited to be Point A in the cargo operation and to be able to contribute to the Great Lakes shipping industry and to the success of other ports because we’re all stronger together.”

Monroe News

Great Lakes shipping on the rise, study finds

In a presentation to the Great Lakes Economic Forum in Chicago, the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA Ports) highlighted the increasing viability of short sea shipping to move goods between some of the Great Lakes region’s biggest cities.

Preliminary research conducted by Fluid Intelligence, a data analysis partnership of HOPA Ports and the McMaster Institute for Transportation and Logistics, is beginning to uncover candidate routes and commodities where short-sea shipping can supplement long-distance and cross-border truck routes.

Short sea shipping refers to city-to-city shipments using the Great Lakes as a marine-highway alternative to road-based transportation. The marine option has a number of advantages, including a significantly lower carbon footprint, along with the ability to bypass congested highways.

Replace truck trips

Fluid Intelligence’s preliminary results show that half a million tonnes of goods are currently making trips longer than 100 kilometres every week between key origins and destinations in Southern Ontario and the U.S. Midwest, representing approximately 2.5 million heavy truck trips per year. Short sea shipping could accommodate some of that traffic on a greener, less congested water route.

“Short sea shipping on the Great Lakes is one of those ideas that’s been simmering for a long time, but recently, the stars are starting to align,” explained Larissa Fenn, HOPA’s director of public affairs.

“Population growth and highway congestion, driver shortages and fuel costs are all part of the equation making marine a more appealing alternative to road transportation. And of course, organizations are looking to lessen the carbon footprint of their supply chain. Short sea shipping helps tackle all of those problems.”

CO2 reductions

One marine vessel can carry the same amount of cargo as 963 transport trucks, and in moving the same amount of cargo, trucks emit 558 percent more CO2  per tonne/km.

The forthcoming paper, Foundational Study on Cross-Border Short Sea Shipping Opportunities, will provide indications of the commodities that present the greatest opportunities.

Primary plastics, newsprint and other types of paper, metal products and tires are just a few of the commodities occupying tens of thousands of trucks on the region’s highways each week.

The Great Lakes Economic Forum presented an opportunity for HOPA Ports to engage Great Lakes leaders about the potentially expanding role for short sea shipping. “Our intention is to generate renewed interest and discussion about an idea whose time has come,” said Fenn.

The final Fluid Intelligence report is expected to be released this fall.

InsideLogistics

Governor Whitmer signs legislation growing Michigan’s maritime economy

LANSING, MI – Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a legislation to expand Michigan’s commercial maritime ports, growing Michigan’s economy.

“In Michigan, our waters define us, and we every Michigander is committed to protecting lakes—Great and small—for future generations,” said Governor Whitmer. “Today, I am proud to sign bipartisan legislation to grow Michigan’s maritime infrastructure and economy. Getting this done will help us stay focused on growing Michigan’s economy, creating good-paying jobs, and lowering costs. I will work with anyone to protect Michigan’s waters and invest in every region of our great state.”

Maritime and Port Facility Assistance Grant Program Act

Together, Senate Bill 744 and House Bill 5291 establish the Maritime and Port Facility Assistance Grant Program Act, to award grants to owners of port facilities and expand Michigan’s commercial maritime ports, growing Michigan’s economy. The Maritime and Port Facility Assistance Office in the Michigan Department of Transportation will create the Port Facility Improvement Fund to implement and administer the program. Michigan’s ports are an underutilized asset that could contribute to the state’s growing economy if given more investment.

“Our bipartisan bills present a historic opportunity for Michigan to become more competitive with other states by investing in the maritime industry,” said Sen. Stephanie Chang, D – Detroit. “I serve much of the Detroit Riverfront and know that Michigan’s location near the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Seaway System is a competitive advantage we need to take care of. These bills signed into law by Governor will provide maritime improvement grants to allow ports to make necessary infrastructure upgrades, while also incentivizing port terminals to protect local communities, our water and our air.”

“It has taken nearly a decade of advocacy to reach this monumental accomplishment for the sustainability of Michigan’s Ports and commercial shipping industry,” said Paul LaMarre, Port Director – Port of Monroe. “Through Senator Chang’s leadership and advocacy of Senator Zorn and Representative O’Malley our legislature has shown that the Great Lakes shipping industry merits bipartisan support and is critical to our State’s economic prosperity.

“Governor Whitmer’s memorialization of this legislation is a testament to the many people of the “Great Lakes State” who have championed our cause and begun a new chapter in Michigan’s freshwater legacy,” continued Paul LaMarre, Port Director – Port of Monroe. “As the Chairman of the Governor’s Port Advisory Committee, it is my humble honor to express our sincerest thanks as a committee, port, and industry. I salute the Governor for all she has done to ensure that our State’s ports prosper and continue to serve as vital links to our regions broader transportation network.”

“This legislation is a game changer for Michigan ports and will allow the state to be more competitive in the shift toward greener modes of transporting goods and building a more resilient and innovative supply chain,” said Jonathan C. Kinloch, Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority Chairman. “Our thanks go out to Senators Chang and Schmidt and Representative O’Malley, and of course Governor Whitmer, for their leadership on behalf of marine transportation in Michigan.”

michigan.gov

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.

To view the flyer, scroll down to the image gallery.

MHSD

Help save the United States post office at the Soo Locks

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – The United States Postal Service (USPS) is considering shutting down the post office for sailors at the Soo Locks due to a “lack of usage”. 

If you know a sailor or are feeling kind, consider sending a letter or a post card to that sailor or a favorite boat of yours. Any mail will help keep this service available to the sailors on the Great Lakes.

If you’re interested in sending mail then follow this format:

Person’s name

C/O name of boat

Marine Post Office

Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783