Season’s first saltie scheduled to arrive Wednesday

Duluth, MN –The first oceangoing vessel of the 2022 maritime shipping season is scheduled to arrive Wednesday morning in the Port of Duluth-Superior.

Resko, a 624-foot bulk carrier from the Polsteam fleet, will earn 2022 First Ship honors, completing the season’s first full transit of the St. Lawrence Seaway en route to the Great Lakes’ westernmost port. By tradition, this first full transit marks the annual opening of the Duluth-Superior Harbor, although the interlake navigation season began with the Soo Locks’ opening on March 25.

Upon arrival through the Duluth Ship Canal and under the Aerial Lift Bridge, Resko will visit Superior’s Gavilon Grain Connors Point Terminal to load approximately 16,200 short tons of spring wheat and 5,400 short tons of durum wheat destined for Italy.

The ship will arrive in ballast after unloading more than 5,500 short tons of steel skidded coils in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it was feted as that port’s first international vessel of the season. Resko’s journey originated in Ijmuiden, Netherlands, and also included a stop in Burns Harbor, Indiana.

“Despite winter’s lingering chill this year, arrival of the season’s first full Seaway transit is a true sign of spring and always of the prosperity these great ships help deliver to our region,” said Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. “We’re excited to see it and excited also to share its Midwestern wheat cargo with the world. It’s another example of how Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway shipping delivers the critical goods and raw materials of everyday life.”

The Port Authority’s annual First Ship welcoming event is scheduled for Friday. A fixture of the celebration – the First Ship contest, co-sponsored by Visit Duluth and the Duluth Seaway Port Authority – will crown a winner from more than 3,600 entries based on the official arrival time of Resko.

The first saltie’s arrival each season is a reminder that the Port of Duluth-Superior is truly Mid-America’s gateway to the world. Located 2,342 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean, Duluth-Superior is the Great Lakes’ top tonnage port and one of the nation’s top 20. It links North America’s heartland to regional and overseas markets, enabling manufacturers and cargo owners to compete in the global marketplace.

About Gavilon Grain Connors Point Terminal: Formerly known as Peavey Company-Connors Point, the Gavilon facility can hold more than 8 million bushels of grain. Most typically, that allotment includes spring wheat, winter wheat, durum wheat and sugar beet pulp pellets. The Gavilon terminal moves approximately 15-20 million bushels of grain annually.

About Polsteam and its vessel, Resko: Founded in 1951 and based in the Polish city of Szczecin, Polsteam is among Europe’s most prominent shipping companies, with 56 bulk carriers and four ferries sporting its colors. The company’s main focus is transporting bulk cargoes on the global shipping market. Resko is sailing under the Bahamas flag and is captained by Lukasz Pionke of Poland. The ship was built in 2010. Its carrying capacity is approximately 33,000 short tons.

Historical Note: The latest arrival of the port’s first saltie was May 7, 2014 (Diana). The earliest was March 30, 2013 (Federal Hunter).

 

Duluth Seaway Port Authority

 

Marine Mart in Port Huron to resume in June

Port Huron, MI – A long-standing tradition, sidelined by COVID, will make a return this year in a new location. The Summer Marine Mart, formerly the St. Clair Marine Mart, will be held Saturday, June 11, at the American Legion Post #8, 1026 Sixth St., in Port Huron, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The Mart features nautical items, artifacts, photos, books, artwork, models, postcards and more. See the poster in the image gallery below.

 

World Ship Society casualties, demolitions

Vessels with Great Lakes / Seaway connections reported as a casualty or sold for demolition, taken from April 2022 issue of Marine News – Journal of the World Ship Society

Casualty: Julietta D (9590618) (Seas II-19, Priceless Seas-16) 24,196 / 2013 – Malta flag bulk carrier owned by Julietta D B.V. Netherlands collided with Maltese flagged tanker Pechora Star 9488322 – (1st seaway transit 2020), 8,581 / 2011 – after breaking her anchor chain and drifting in the North Sea 25 miles west of Ijmuiden, the Netherland in position 52.25.30N, 02.57.42E on 31.01. 2022.  She has serious damage to port quarter and took on some water, later striking a transformer platform.  The crew was lifted off and a salvage team attached a towline later the same day and she was towed to Rotterdam on 01.02.2022 for inspection

Demolitions: Elizabeth McAllister (7038348, United States of America) (Fournier Boys-04, J.A. Witte-93 – 1st seaway transit 1990, Carol Ann Witte-90, Elizabeth Moran-89) 289 / 1967 – tug. By McAllister Towing & Transportation Co. Inc., United States of America to U.S. breakers and arrived Boston, MA. 01.11.2021 – demolition commenced 01.11.2021

Glomma (8920531; Panama) (Leli-21, Stolt Dipper-16 – 1st seaway transit 2001, Margit Terkol-96, Stolt Margit Terkol-94) 3,296 / 1992 – Chemical products tanker.  By Granba Shipping Corp Ltd (Safemar Demizcilik Sanayi ve Ticaret Ltd Sti) Marshall Islands, to Dynamic Ship Recyclers P Ltd, India, and arrived Alang 19.11.2021 – demolition commenced 25.11.2021

Report prepared by Barry Andersen and René Beauchamp

 

Obituary: Michael “Mike” Reed

Michael Francis Reed, 67, of Florence, AZ, formerly of Superior passed away on March 12, 2022, after a brief illness. He was born on April 2, 1954, to Francis and Victoria (Burbul) Reed.

He attended St. Louis Grade School and graduated from SSHS. Michael served his country as a United States Marine following in the footsteps of his older brother and sister. He worked as a longshoreman alongside his father, brother and uncles until he became a Merchant Marine at the age of 35. He sailed for 32 years, with 28 of those years aboard the Stewart J. Cort from which he retired as a wheelsman in March of 2021.

Michael is survived by the love of his life, his wife Maria, with whom he enjoyed 25 years of marriage until his passing. He leaves behind his daughter Stephanie Reed and granddaughter Sophia of Arizona, his stepchildren Justin Male of Esko and Jennifer Axtell of Proctor along with six step-grandchildren. Also surviving Michael are his siblings Brother John (Kathy) Reed of Nevada, Sisters Sandra Gunski of Florida, Trish Reed of Arizona, Cherie Stone, Kym (Michael) Nepper and Darla (Jim) Woodall all Superior, along with several nieces and nephews. He was proceeded in death by his parents, stepfather Robert Reed and brother-in-law Michael Gunski, Sr.

Burial will be in Veteran’s Memorial Park at Greenwood Cemetery where Military Honors will be accorded by the Richard I. Bong American Legion Post #435 Honor Guard. Should friends desire, in lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Mike’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association, 4960 Miller Trunk Hwy Suite 700, Hermantown, MN 55811.

 

2022 edition of “Know Your Ships” ready for new shipping season

The new shipping season has started, and the 2022 edition of Know Your Ships, the popular annual field guide to boats and boatwatching on the Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway, has been released.

This year’s 200-page book includes information on U.S., Canadian and international-flag cargo vessels, tugs, excursion boats and barges in regular Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway service, including owner and port of registry, year and shipyard where built, length, beam, depth, cargo capacity and former names, plus type of engine, horsepower and more.

In the Spotlight section, you can read stories about the 50^th anniversary of the Stewart J. Cort, check out some of the unique cargos carried on the lakes in 2021, get to know the ship-to-shore chef Catherine Schmuck and more.

Standard and spiral bindings are available. Order at this link: www.knowyourships.com

Viking Octantis cruise ship already ‘sold out’ for several of its initial visits to Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay, ON –  More than two years since the return of cruise ships to Thunder Bay was first announced, Paul Pepe says preparations are going well. Near the end of May, Viking Octantis, the first cruise ship to visit Thunder Bay in nine years, is due to arrive with 378 passengers. It’s one of the largest passenger ships ever seen on the Great Lakes.

Pepe – manager of tourism for the City of Thunder Bay – said several of the initial voyages are already complete sell-outs, while sales for the others are going well. A smaller cruise ship, Ocean Navigator, is scheduled to visit Thunder Bay as well this summer.

A question arose earlier this year about ground transportation for the visitors while they explore local attractions, but Pepe says he understands the issue is being resolved.

“It’s a normal part of logistics planning for anything new, coming out of COVID. There are capacity challenges that pop up, but with that come a lot of solutions. A lot of people came to the table with solutions on how to address it, and we feel things are moving along quite well.”

Pepe noted that ground transportation arrangements are made between cruise operators and onshore service providers. “Everything’s on track this year for a solid recovery of the industry,” he said.

Cruise operator Viking Expeditions chose Thunder Bay as a turnaround point for one of its Great Lakes itineraries this summer. That means a new group of passengers will board the ship here for its return voyage to Milwaukee after arriving passengers have toured the city before returning home by air.

Between late May and September, Viking Octantis will dock in Thunder Bay seven times. “There’s a total of 14 itineraries. The ship will turn around in Thunder Bay. Guests will end their cruise here, and other guests will start their cruise here… And we have two day-stops with the Ocean Navigator, a 210-passenger vessel,” Pepe said.

Ocean Navigator is operated by American Queen Voyages.

Work is now underway to improve the docking facility at the former Pool 6 elevator site. The city recently hired a contractor to replace the bollards for ships to tie up to, install new rubber fenders, and to repair some concrete. Rubble from the demolished elevator will also be removed.

City project engineer Mike Vogrig said the contractor is currently running ahead of schedule, so he expects the work that’s necessary to be done will be completed before Viking Octantis arrives.

“The interest in the Great Lakes and Thunder Bay is growing,” Pepe said. “Viking’s global marketing reach is impressive. It’s a good alignment with Thunder Bay’s brand.”

He added that local hotels are starting to see bookings from ship passengers who plan to spend some time in the city.

“It’s going to be a year when we will all have to be nimble as we emerge from COVID and there’s a tourism recovery. It’s looking like it’s going to be a busy summer in Thunder Bay. Both cruise ship companies have been great to work with.”

TB Newswatch

 

Conrad to build two tugs for the U.S .Army Corps of Engineers

Conrad Shipyard has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to design and build two tugboats for use in the Great Lakes.

The two CELRE Detroit Ice Class tugs will be used for the mobilization of floating equipment on the St. Marys River, upper Great Lakes and the Soo Harbor, as well as breaking ice up to 12 inches thick and performing ice scraping operations at the St. Mary’s Falls Canal.

Conrad won out among five bidders for the $16,983,710 firm-fixed-price contract. Shipbuilding work will be performed in Morgan City, La., with an estimated completion date of December 26, 2024.

“Conrad has a long history with the US Army Corps of Engineers, and we have built several vessels currently in service around the country,” said Conrad Shipyard CEO Johnny Conrad. “We are proud to provide the Army Corps with two more top quality vessels to service its Detroit District.”

Each twin screw, open wheel newbuild will measure 76’ x 25’ x 10’-8.5” and will be diesel powered with 1,600 BHP, Conrad Shipyard said. Each vessel will also and have deckhouses with galley/mess, berths and sanitary facilities for a crew of three.

The tugs will be ABS classed as Maltese Cross A-1 Towing Vessels, Ice Class C0, Great Lakes Service with Maltese Cross AMS. Each will also comply with USCG 46 CFR SubChapter M requirements.

Marine Link

 

National Museum of the Great Lakes, Sandpiper tour boat partnership wins top award

 Toledo, OH – The National Museum of the Great Lakes (NMGL) has been awarded the Ohio Museum Association Award for Best Community Partnership in the Over $500,000 budget category for their Port of Toledo: Then & Now — Interactive Sandpiper Tour Boat Exhibit. The award was announced and presented to museum representatives during an evening ceremony at the Cincinnati Art Museum on Sunday, April 3.

“In August of 2021, the National Museum of the Great Lakes installed our first traveling exhibit aboard a vessel—the Sandpiper tour boat operating on the Maumee River in Toledo,” explains Kate Fineske, who oversees the museum’s community partnerships. “We are always looking for innovative ways to introduce people to Great Lakes History through mission-focused collaborations that also provide value-added benefits for other businesses.”

NMGL staff worked with tour operators to coordinate an exhibit to tell the story of the Port of Toledo’s history in a way Sandpiper guests could independently interact with—in this case utilizing QR codes and a large-scale map. The partnership also designated two days in 2021 to specifically target a dual experience by introducing “Ship & Shore: The Ultimate Great Lakes History Day”. During these dedicated “Ship & Shore” days, guests could explore Great Lakes history at the National Museum of the Great Lakes and experience the history of the Port of Toledo from the water aboard the Sandpiper.

The museum has already added three dates for the 2022 Ship & Shore days in June, July and August. The Sandpiper offers a number of relaxing and fun cruises on the Maumee River in Downtown Toledo and individuals can explore NMGL’s interactive exhibit onboard once it begins public seasonal operations this May.

For more information and to book a tour on The Sandpiper visit jmcruiselines.com/the-sandpiper. For more information and to book a Ship & Shore excursion, visit nmgl.org or call 419-214-5000.

 

Ojibway marks her 70^th anniversary year by arriving at scrap dock

 Port Colborne, ON – At 1017 Tuesday, Ojibway advised Seaway Welland they were secured at Wharf 17 and that the vessel will be turned over to Marine Recycling Corp. for scrapping on Saturday morning.

Coast Guard assists Mackinac Island ferry that lost steering in Straits

Mackinaw City, MI – The Coast Guard and others responded tonight in the Straits of Mackinac after a Mackinac Island ferry with 144 passengers and four crewmembers aboard lost steering while on its way from the island.

The Star Line ferry Huron lost steering about 6 p.m. and was subsequently unable to deploy its
anchor. The vessel drifted slowly toward St. Ignace and was in no danger of grounding as Coast
Guard Cutter Katmai Bay, which was breaking ice nearby, diverted to assist.

A local commercial vessel that also serves Mackinac Island, the Senator, responded as well, meeting the disabled ferry and taking all of its passengers aboard. The passengers were safely transported to St. Ignace, while the four Huron crewmembers stayed aboard their vessel and Katmai Bay stood by while towing arrangements were finalized.

“Tonight’s incident can serve as a reminder that life on the Great Lakes is far from predictable,” said Lt. Tyler Carslgaard of Sector Sault Ste. Marie. “Fortunately good cooperation and simple precautions like making sure everyone on board was wearing a life jacket helped everyone get home safely.”

USCG

Virtual Visitor Center: A Boat by Any Other Name – Vessel Namesakes

Who are James R. Barker and Roger Blough and why do they have a vessel named after them? What does Michipicoten mean? Park Ranger Sara will examine the names behind some of the vessels that we commonly see on the Great Lakes and learn more about the people, places and things they are named for.

This free program begins Thursday, April 7 at 12:30 EDT at https://meet.goto.com/VirtualVisitorCenter/vessel-namesakes . The Virtual Visitor Center is a cooperative endeavor between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Soo Locks Visitor Center Association and the Lake Superior Marine Museum Association.

 

Introducing: The Mark W. Barker

Sturgeon Bay, WI – Scheduled to launch its working life later this year, the Mark W. Barker will enter sea trials soon this spring. It’s the first Great Lakes ship to be built by an American company since 1983, which marked the end of a lengthy boom time that included the arrival of the immense 1,000-footers.

Duluth News Tribune reporter Brady Slater, photographer Steve Kuchera and digital producer Samantha Erkkila visited Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding on Lake Michigan’s Sturgeon Bay to tour the new vessel and see what makes it different from a standard bulk-cargo hauler like those built four decades ago.

Read the story and see images at this link: https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/introducing-the-mark-w-barker?fbclid=IwAR2fH9E3imZY4ymwtxuMxvOeY6F3M9yJUJQmq3pJkM0HE69IeSGvS301w4E

 

Tall ship Denis Sullivan won’t sail in 2022 while Discovery World explores options for its future

Milwaukee, WI – Tall ships fans will have to wait at least one more year to see the S/V Denis Sullivan sailing on Lake Michigan again.

The 137-foot ship — the world’s only replica of a 19th-century three-masted Great Lakes schooner — will remain docked at Discovery World again this year, according to museum President and CEO Bryan Wunar. And its future at the museum is being reevaluated as Discovery World begins the process of seeking ways to use and care for the ship.

The decision to not sail this year was mostly a product of the Sullivan not having a captain.

In February 2021, Capt. Tiffany Krihwan, who had been the ship’s captain since 2008 and Discovery World’s director of marine operations since 2014, accepted a new job as captain of the schooner Ernestina-Morrissey at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

When Krihwan became the Denis Sullivan’s captain in 2008, she was one of only a handful of female tall ships captains in the industry; today, women represent 10% of all tall ships captains. In 2019, Krihwan won the Tall Ships America Sail Trainer of the Year award, which is given to a member “who has made a significant contribution to sail training through the demonstration of leadership by means of empowerment and inspiration.”

After not sailing in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Krihwan and Chief Mate Jonny Slanga — the ship’s only year-round crew, who are responsible for maintenance of the boat in the winter — were furloughed indefinitely in October of that year. With the future of the Sullivan uncertain, both pursued new opportunities in 2021.

As Discovery World began talking to those other organizations, they also began exploring other possibilities for the Sullivan.

“Right now, as we’re going through this period, we’re exploring — is the approach that we’ve used in the past, is that the right approach? Are there other organizations that we need to be working with? Are there opportunities to sort of share resources with other partners?” Wunar said. “So right now, rather than just simply moving forward with the thought of, let’s go back to where we were, maybe the path forward looks a little bit different.”

Wunar doesn’t know what that path looks like, but they started their exploratory process with Tall Ships America, a nonprofit focused on North America’s maritime heritage. Through that organization, Discovery World began looking at what other groups similar to theirs do with their tall ships — from some that operate the ships year-round to others that only have dockside programs to others whose entire focus is maritime education and history.

The process has Discovery World thinking about new opportunities for the ship, including some that other organizations might take on.

Simultaneously, the museum is undergoing a strategic planning process to be completed by the fall, according to Wunar. “It’s giving us a chance to sort of redefine what is our scope of content. … How do we engage people from communities that we have not had a direct impact on and that, in some cases, have been historically excluded from STEM education opportunities?” he said. “So as we go through that and redefine that scope, there’s that chance for us to think about not just the Sullivan, but all of the kinds of resources we have here. … What are the things that are very uniquely Discovery World, and then how do we use that to make sure that everything we do is guided by our educational mission, and that we’re not just adding on side projects, but instead, they all try to meet some of those common goals.”

https://www.jsonline.com/story/travel/wisconsin/2022/04/04/denis-sullivan-tall-ship-2022-discovery-world-milwaukee/7221745001/?fbclid=IwAR2TejMjKKSvuRG-axTOkcUpwnVBdwj4i0kHi-fk8ZXrejQ8Y6ZmN3pmbUc

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Manistee namesake vessel’s final port is Canadian scrapyard

Port Colborne, ON – The M/V Manistee has made its final voyage, arriving under tow last week to a scrapyard in Canada. Lower Lakes Towing Ltd.’s bulk carrier departed from Toledo, OH on March 29 and arrived at the Marine Recycling Corp. scrapyard in Port Colborne Ontario the following morning.

The nearly 80-year-old ship had been laid up at the former Hocking Valley Dock in Toledo for more than five years, before being escorted by McKeil Marine’s tug, Beverly MI to its final destination.

The voyage was delayed, however when the Manistee ran aground while traversing the Maumee River in Toledo. “…social media reports from the area around noon reported that the Manistee had gone aground near Grassy Island at the mouth of the river,” stated a March 28 update from boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/. Eventually, the Beverly MI managed to release the Manistee and the ships resumed their voyage.

Marine Recycling Corp. moved another ship, the former St. Clair, to accommodate the massive vessel’s arrival.

Among the largest ships to bear the name Manistee, the 676-foot bulk carrier was built by Great Lakes Engineering Works, River Rouge at a cost of $2.2 million, according to boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/.

Ordered by the U.S. Maritime Commission during World War II and launched in 1943, this laker was originally christened the Adirondack. Predominantly a coal-carrying vessel, the ship would undergo a number of name changes as it passed between owners. It was rechristened Manistee in March 2005.

The ship visited Manistee for 10 years under the name Manistee, delivering coal to TES Filer City Station in March 2005 to August 2015 when it delivered sand and aggregate for Reith-Riley. It went into permanent layup at Toledo the same year.

https://www.manisteenews.com/news/article/Manistee-namesake-vessel-s-final-port-is-17051739.php?fbclid=IwAR1bMLoighzQqr42LrhR38JiIWimQPAX_MN0dHQTAaPEq2bwflLoJimi-hk

 

Lake levels drop drastically for 2nd straight year

The past few years we’ve been plagued by record high waters on the Great Lakes. The Lake Huron shoreline in the ABC12 viewing area has seen its fair share of erosion and flooding because of that, especially during storms. Record high water levels were routinely exacerbated by high winds blowing onshore. Those winds created an additional water rise, at times on the order of several feet, inundating our lake shore region.

Record rainfall in 2019 and 2020 was largely the cause. Not only in Mid-Michigan experience wet conditions but “upstream” areas did as well. Lake Superior being just such an area. Lake Superior drains through the St. Mary’s River into Lakes Michigan-Huron. Therefore, above average rainfall up north, in addition to our own record rain, can lead to water rising twice as fast on the Great Lakes to the south.

Thankfully, in 2021, we saw a substantial drop in water levels. But, is that trend continuing? The answer is yes, and in fact, even faster than last year!

Every week the US Army Corps of Engineers releases water level data for all five Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair every week. The data for the week of April 1st, 2022 is as follows.

Lake Michigan-Huron experienced a decline of 15 inches in water level in the past year – Lake Superior fell about 11 inches. The year before brought about an 11 inch decline on Lakes Michigan-Huron and about 8 inches or so on Lake Superior.

The record high for water, in April, in Lakes Michigan-Huron was set back in 2020. As of April 1st, 2022, we are 29 inches lower. That is a massive drop in water levels in two years. Beaches will be expansive this summer for all to enjoy!

Ever since 2020, many areas to the north saw annual precipitation fall around 10 inches. That’s a lot less water being put into the Great Lakes Watershed. Whereas in 2019, much of the area experience record rain in the fall, winter, and spring for a second year in a row.

Currently, there drought conditions have developed across much of the Lake Superior and Lake Michigan regions due to the lack of moisture.

Doing some fun math, we can calculate how much water was removed from Lake Huron due to natural processes. The lake has a surface area of 23,012 square miles. We know that one square mile equals 640 acres. Therefore, the coverage of the lake is 14,727,680 acres.

One inch of water across an acre equates to 27,154 gallons. The lake being down 26” as of March puts the totals gallons lost at 706,004 per acre. Now, we simply multiply that by the 14,727,680 acres and hope our calculators don’t melt. The number we get, just for Lake Huron, is an astounding loss of 10,397,800,990,772 gallons. Yes, that’s TRILLIONS. Or, more than 10 million millions. Crazy, huh?

Putting it in a way more folks might understand, that would be equivalent to over 14 million Olympic sized swimming pools.

The US Army Corps of Engineers also releases a forecast through the season. Granted, it is totally dependent on how much rainfall the whole Great Lakes Basin receives, but it’s possible water levels could be below average by this fall if the current trend continues

https://www.abc12.com/weather/lake-levels-drop-drastically-for-2nd-straight-year/article_8c00549e-b1fe-11ec-b554-6fbc4b926668.html

 

Ojibway sails on her final trip

The classic laker Ojibway, left its berth in Sorel, QC, Saturday morning headed to Port Colborne where she’ll end her career. According to Seaway guestimates, her second last stop will be Lock 8 on Tuesday at 7:29 a.m. This year marks the 70^th anniversary of her launch at Bay City, MI.

800 gallons of paint make Lake Michigan car ferry look like new

Ludington, MI – After sandblasting and 800 gallons of paint, the 69-year-old S.S. Badger looks like new again. The exterior of the moving historic landmark has been restored to its original glossy black, white and red aesthetic, said Sara Spore, general manager of Lake Michigan Carferry, Inc., which owns the Badger.

“There wasn’t a complete paint job done since the railroad owned it,” she said. That was more than 40 years ago. There had been touch up, she said. Several layers of paint came off when the ship was sandblasted.

Painting the ship coincided with its five-year drydock inspection, which is required by the U.S. Coast Guard. The ship finished its 2021 season in October, docked and turned off its coal-fired engines in Ludington and then was towed by tugboat to a dry dock in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. on Nov. 3.

Read more and view images and a video at this MLive link: https://www.mlive.com/news/2022/04/800-gallons-of-paint-make-lake-michigan-car-ferry-look-like-new.html?utm_campaign=mlivedotcom_sf&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR34lf_mCG7ImzyzACOcldA5uK4-6RuWf8f-Wy0GDAHtcqoTLr57KEBRrL4

 

Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron expected to rise over the coming weeks

Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron water levels are typically near their seasonal low point at this time of the year. Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron water levels are expected to rise over the coming weeks in response to spring rainfall and snowmelt runoff. Lake Superior water levels remain below the seasonal long-term average while Lake Michigan-Huron water levels remain above the seasonal long-term average. Lake Superior outflows continue to be set in consideration of water levels upstream and downstream.

The Board expects the total outflow to be 1,530 m3/s (54 tcfs) in April, which is as prescribed by Lake Superior Regulation Plan 2012. The gate setting at the Compensating Works will be maintained at the setting equivalent to one-half gate open (Gates #7 through #10 partially open 20 cm (7.9 in)). There will be no change to the setting of Gate #1, which supplies a flow of about 15 m3/s to the channel north of the Fishery Remedial Dike.

Lake Superior declined 1 cm (0.4 in), which is the average decline in March. Lake Michigan-Huron rose 5 cm (2 in) last month, while on average the lake rises 4 cm (1.6 in) in March.

At the beginning of April, Lake Superior is 9 cm (3.5 in) below the long-term average water level (1918 – 2021) and 29 cm (11.4 in) below the level of a year ago. Lake Michigan-Huron is 24 cm (9.4 in) above average, 36 cm (14 in) below the level from last year, and 70 cm (28 in) below the record-high level set at this time in 2020.

Depending on the weather and water supply conditions during the next month, Lake Superior may rise by as much as 16 cm (6.3 in) and Lake Michigan-Huron water levels may rise by as much as 18 cm (7.1 in) in April.

The International Lake Superior Board of Control is responsible for managing the control works on the St. Marys River and regulating the outflow from Lake Superior into Lake Michigan-Huron. Under any outflow regulation plan, the ability to regulate the flow through the St. Marys River does not mean that full control of the water levels of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron is possible. This is because the major factors affecting water supply to the Great Lakes (i.e. precipitation, evaporation, and runoff) cannot be controlled, and are difficult to accurately predict. Outflow management cannot eliminate the risk of extreme water levels from occurring during periods of severe weather and water supply conditions. Additional information can be found at the Board’s homepage: https://ijc.org/en/lsbc or on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/InternationalLakeSuperiorBoardOfControl

 

Ojibway will make trip to scrapyard under her own power

Confirming what has been rumored since late last fall, the 1953-built Ojibway will be scrapped. She will sail under how own power from winter quarters at Sorel, QC, and is expected to arrive at the Marine Recycling Corp. scrapyard April 5. The information comes from the Facebook page of MRC owner Wayne Elliott.

Built by the Defoe Shipbuilding Company in Bay City, MI, in 1952 as Charles L. Hutchinson for the Pioneer Steamship Co., ownership passed to the Ford Motor Co. in 1963, where she was renamed Ernest R. Breech. Early in 1988, the vessel was purchased by Kinsman Lines (Great Lakes Associates Inc.) Rocky River, Ohio, to replace one of the Kinsman fleet’s 600-foot, coal-burning straight-deckers in the grain trade. She was renamed Kinsman Independent, the third vessel of the fleet to bear the name.

Kinsman Independent laid up for a final time in Buffalo, N.Y., on Dec.16, 2002. In 2004, she was bought by McKeil Work Boats Ltd. of Hamilton, ON, and towed there. In late May 2005, the bulker was officially registered and renamed Voyageur Independent on behalf of Voyageur Marine Transport Ltd., Ridgeville, ON, (after being acquired by them from McKeil Work Boats). The vessel received an extensive refit in Hamilton including the installation of a new General Electric V-16 four stroke, turbo-charged 7 FDM EFI diesel engine rated at 4,100 continuous b.h.p. at 1,050 R.P.M. (3,015 kW), a new propeller shaft, new propeller with a controllable pitch propeller control system and two new Caterpillar diesel generator sets.  On Nov. 14, 2005, Voyageur Independent departed Hamilton on her maiden voyage in ballast to Thunder Bay.

On Aug. 28, 2007, Rand Logistics of New York, NY, announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Lower Lakes Towing Ltd of Port Dover, ON, had acquired the Voyageur Independent and fleet mate Voyageur Pioneer. On Feb. 29, 2008, Lower Lakes registered the bulker with Transport Canada under the new name Ojibway out of Nanticoke, ON. She has been busy since then in the grain trades, however an inspection last fall revealed that the hull needed significant steel work. The repairs were deemed not economically feasible, and Ojibway entered layup for the winter at Sorel.

According to Elliott, “MRC anticipates Ojibway will follow St Clair out of the water, before Manistee.”

 

Port of Oswego to export grain to Europe to combat shortages amid Ukraine conflict

Oswego, NY – The Port of Oswego is helping to combat a major worldwide grain shortage due to the war in Ukraine. On Thursday, a major export of grain was scheduled to happen sending more than 18,000 metric tons of grain to Europe, according to the Port of Oswego.

The grain comes from more than 100 Central New York farmers and is the first of at least six shipments scheduled for this year, the port said. The shipment is bound for Brussels and Ireland.

Port of Oswego

 

Cuyahoga first vessel of the season at Johnstown

Johnstown, ON ­­–The Port of Johnstown, ON, welcomed the Cuyahoga as the first vessel of the 2022 shipping season Friday. She is taking out a load of soybeans. Edwardsburgh Cardinal Councilor  Stephen Dillabough, Captain Tim Pryor and Port General Manager Robert Dalley.

 

Miss Tregurtha to get magical musical horns

Superiority, WI – The reigning Queen of the Lakes, Miss Paulette R. Tregurtha, will be retrofitted with new horns before fitting out this spring. They have been crafted by the same purveyors of fine maritime accoutrements responsible for the “When You Wish Upon a Star” horns for the world-famous Disney Cruise Line. Sources say the new horns will play out the first line of “God Save the Queen,” although the Jones Act requires the song be referred to as “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.” Contacts at Outerlake Shipping say that the horns will make use of the magical white steam produced by ‘the Queen,’ and hope casual onlookers stop mistaking it for smoke.

 

Beam us aboard: Starfleet acquires Interlake, plans service to Alpha Quadrant

Cleveland, Ohhhh – In the latest of a string of transactions designed to diversify and orient the company’s positioning for future changes in the economy, Interlake today announced it had entered into an agreement to acquire Starfleet.The Cleveland-based Great Lakes shipping company with interests in passenger transportation and tug operations said the San Francisco-based fictional space fleet with operations spread across the Alpha Quadrant offered access to new markets and cargoes that, combined with Interlake’s proven track record in logistics, positioned both fleets to take advantage of changing economies.”There are planets out there full of iron ore that our customers demand, while our unparalled access to the Inland Seas ensure that that commodity gets to where it’s needed,” said Admiral James Tiberius Tregurtha, liaison between the two fleets.”Indeed,” said fleet science officer Spocker, “the melding of the two fleets resources is entirely logical.”An immediate goal of the merged fleets will be an increased focus on safety within Interlake’s new Deep Space Operations Division. “First thing is,” said VP for Safety James L. Oberstarship, “fuses and circuit breakers for all those bridge control panels. I mean, come on.””I told you, didn’t I?” said fleet medical officer Leonard H. McBarker. “We’re gonna get a freighter.” As McBarker walked away, he could be heard muttering “I’m a doctor Jim, not a shipfitter!”

Media contact: Khr’issy K’adlekh, Q’uonos, Subspace Frequency Three (priority channel).

 

Crowdfunding to automatically charge account when “make it a museum” is mentioned

Port Opahtie, Michneconsin ­­ – An experiment in so-called “crowdfunding” might pay off for Great Lakes museum ships.

Social media sites are partnering with an alliance of organizations caring for retired lakeboats in a synergistic leveraging of participatory boatwatching, according to Ty Tannique, manager of marine assets for Museum-Operated Navigational Entities of Yore (MONEY).
Under a monetization program developed in conjunction with the social media giant Farceblecch, those who want to see this or that aging aquatic asset converted into a money pit will be able to finance their wishes directly, with or without their consent.

“For example, if you type in the phrase ‘They ought to make it a museum,’ our algorithm detects that and, using your online shopping history combined with personal information scraped from your answers to questions such as which breakfast food item ‘has to go,’ accesses your credit card and charges it $100 that goes into a fund that’s divided among existing Great Lakes museum ships,” said Flatulent J. “Sparky” Hindenburg, Chief Aggravation Officer of Farceblecch, which recently changed its name to Meddle.

“We’re working on another algorithm which detects the phrase ‘It looked better before they put that boom on it’ and mails the commenter a shovel and directions to the nearest freighter unloading dock,” Hindenburg said. “It’s, like, really cool.”

The latter announcement caused excitement among many boatwatchers, particularly those with degrees and certifications in navigation, ship construction, weather forecasting and multistate shipping line operation from Farceblecch University, Meddle’s crowdsourced educational institution.

“Not only can I wreck my back and lungs over the course of a week clearing all that ugly cargo out of my favorite parade float — I mean, boat, I mean, ship — I can make unnecessary that big ugly boom that could do the same job in eight hours,” said Capt. R.M. Chair, who is eagerly awaiting his shovel.

The monetization move is expected to raise dozens of dollars for the benefit of museum ships across the Great Lakes, said MONEY’s chief financial officer, Rowlan Innit.

“We’re also looking into using the same process to crowdsource maintenance supplies for museum ships and even active ships,” Innit said. “It’s too early to speculate, but it’ll probably be based on the phrase “Needs paint.”

 

All-go-maul plans a new series of salt shakers

Port Coalburner, ON – The fast-growing All-go-maul fleet has announced a series of new Daffodil-class vessels to be built next year in Shipwreckbeckistan. The first to be delivered will be named All-go-maul Avenger, followed by All-go-maul Conquest, All-go-maul Devastator and All-go-maul Instigator. The latter will specialize in stirring the pot.

Also announced was the new All-go-maul Terminator (her “All-go-maul” logo on the bow will be replaced with a skull and crossbones and the hull will be painted black). Another new build will be named All-go-maul Oxidier, which will come coated in a realistic-looking rusty patina.

Since the newcomers will only haul salt, life expectancy will be measured in weeks instead of years.

 

Museum plans to make a boat out of exhibit

Tolid-leeo, OH-hihi – Planned placement of the National Museum of the Just OK Lakes next major permanent exhibit has led to speculation among Boatnerds with too much time on their hands that the museum is planning to turn a well-worn, if beloved, boatwatching cliche on its ear.

By the end of the year, museum director Gil Crisscross said, the wheelhouse of the St. Marys Endeavour — recently installed at one corner of the museum’s building on the banks of the Toledo River in Maumee — will be fully armed and operational. “Uh, I mean, just operational,” Crisscross said.

Officials had no comment on the control linkages seen connecting the wheelhouse to the bronze propeller of the John Sherwin Williams at the opposite corner of the building. The Sherwin Williams propeller is thought to be the largest one-piece bronze cast propeller in the galaxy.”One thing it doesn’t need, is paint,” Crisscross said.

“We’re seeking to give a realistic experience of looking out the windows of a wheelhouse and down the river, almost as if museum-goers were preparing to set sail,” said Criscross. “If the view were to suddenly start moving in response to visitors working the controls in the wheelhouse, well, that’s just so much better,” he said.

“What we want to do with the museum,” he continued, “is to make a boat out of it.”

 

Beloved steamer Anderdaughter to get sleek new stack, enter the cruise trade

Duhloot, Minnehaha – In response to the explosioning demand for cruise ships in the Great Lakes, the much-revered steamer Arthur M. Anderdaughter will have her No. 1 cargo hold altered to carry passengers. In keeping with her new role, she will get a new stack modeled on the well-known Carnivale Cruise Circles funnel.

“The two fins on the stack will ensure the coal smoke does not dirty the seersucker suits of the suckers that buy tickets for that lash-up,” said Eddie “F. Scott” Fitzgibbons, who thunk this up in the first place. “We will be stacking passengers up like steel coils,” he added, warning that the cargo hold is not air-conditioned. “It will be a real sweatbox in there,” he chortled, adding that he expects a huge demand for tickets due to the Anderdaughter’s connection with a famous shipwreck.

“You know the one,” said Fitzgibbons. “If I have to explain it to you, you don’t deserve to ride.”

In similar news, the museum ship Milwaukee Clipper also be retrofit to ply the lakes, however as a bonus she features actual passenger cabins. As part of the rebranding effort, she will henceforth be known as Milwaukee Paperclipper and should be easily identifiable on the horizon thanks to her grossly exaggerated red-painted funnels.

 

Amaze.com to ship packages by ships

In order to solve shipping delays caused by the many tankers now carrying taconite on the nation’s not-always-that-freeways, the online company Amaze.com is turning to the lakes to speed up shipments. Consulting moldy deconstruction blueprints, the company has decided to build an exact replica of the 1897-vintage steamer Amazon. The only difference will be her name: Amaze.com.

“We hope to deliver 10s and 10s of packages this way” said spokeskipper Inarrears Admiral Shy-T “Smileyface” Kicker.  “Work Hard, Have Fun, Make History,” he added, sucking in a lungful of fumes from his vintage meerschaum pipe. “Shipping by ship! What a concept!”

Amaze.com

 

R2 will push all-electronic, un-peopled tug-barge barge DeTour

Planet Tatooine, in a Galaxy Far Far Away – Sea trials have begun for the next generation of automation in Great Lakes shipping with the sailing of the barge DeTour, pushed by the fully-automated tug R2.

“It may not look like much, but it’s got it where it counts,” said Inland Seas Spaceship Co. chief cybermechanic O. B. “Juan” Carnauba. “And I made a few … special modifications … myself.”

Asked if the new AETB (All Electronic Tug-Barge) had been built with the assistance of Great Lakes shipyards, Carnauba said he handled the construction himself. “I built it by hand,” he said. “Solo.”

The project started a long time ago in a river port far, far away but had only been able to make the jump with the admission by the Coast Guard that it had really had no idea about crew-size requirements for a ship with no people aboard.

Industry watcher Lara Organic said the new ETB should be able to make the Duluth run in less than 12 fathoms. “At least, that’s what it says on the spec sheet,” Organic said. “There’s some skepticism, given that a fathom is a unit of depth and not of time, but ISSC explains that by saying the R2 unit has worked out a method hauling more cargo at reduced draft. We’ll see.”

In a separate statement, the R2 unit emitted a series of beeps, whistles and hoots which, according to ISSC, translates as “I think I’m fast enough for you, old man.”

 

A trend that might be trending: Yet another ship for lakes to be built in U.S. yard

Carp Bay, WI – Toledo-Sandusky-Cliffs Shipping Co. is contemplating the building of yet another ship in an American shipyard, maintaining the breakneck building pace of recent decades.

“In keeping with the future uncertainty as to the type of cargoes to be shipped on the Lakes, this new build will feature entry doors in the side of the hull that lead directly into the cargo holds, which will be configured to hold not only dry bulk, windmill blades and (with enough duct tape) liquid cargoes, but also a rack for cars and pre-installed shelves and showcases for museum exhibits,” said T-S-C spokesman Bill Schitter.

The last option represents a unique strategy of looking forward into the past, he said.

“Sitting at dockside producing no revenue and begging for pennies so unpaid volunteers can keep the ship in paint for the edification of cargo-shorted, flip-flop-wearing loudmouths dripping ice cream all over the place is a relatively lucrative market going forward,” he said.

Delivery is expected in 2056.

Thanks to Don “Duck & Cover” Lee, Jeff “Skin & Bones” Gushman, Ethan “Severstar” Severson, Don “Beav” BeVier, Roger “Ramjet” LeLievre and others who wish to go unrecognized for reasons that should be oblivious.

CSL’s new Nukumi arrives in Canada

Halifax, NS – CSL’s new diesel-electric self-unloading ship arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on March 27, 2022, fresh from her maiden voyage. Purpose-built for Windsor Salt, Nukumi will begin servicing the Mines Seleine salt mine in late April. The ship is Canada’s first diesel-electric laker and the first single point loader to operate in Canada.

CSL

Twin Ports roll out snowy welcome mat for Spar

Duluth, MN – The latest U.S. Coast Guard vessel to call the Twin Ports home emerged Wednesday through the shipping canal and into a snow globe on Park Point. Several of the crew’s family members endured the morning’s snowfall to see their loved ones for the first time in roughly 90 days.

“This is a big deal,” said Nicole Browne, of Cloquet, as she and 16-year-old Morgan awaited the arrival of warrant officer David Browne. “Normally, they’re gone for two weeks at a time.”

Coast Guard Cutter Spar arrived after an adventurous year, bringing with it the former cast of the last vessel to call Duluth home, Cutter Alder. Sources said about 80% of the crew arriving home sailed last summer with the Alder to Baltimore, where they later joined Spar, a 225-foot buoy tender beginning its second life after a year of refurbishment and career spent in Alaskan waters.

“This was something very unnatural to the crew,” said Lt. Cmdr. Joel Wright, heaping praise on his charges, of which there are 48 assigned though it’s lighter than that at the moment.

“We are Spar as a crew, and we are Spar as a vessel,” Wright continued, “and to cross-deck, the way we call it, giving Alder away, which was a pristine ship, and taking a ship that had been up in Alaska, being used and reconstituted, that was a very difficult task.”

The crew members will enjoy two weeks of well-earned rest, Wright said, but not before having been put to the test already when Spar encountered nine vessels stuck in ice in Whitefish Bay earlier this week. Spar went to work alongside the heavy icebreaker Mackinaw, and the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Griffon to assist some of the first commercial lakers underway this season, including the Arthur M. Anderson and American Mariner — the first arrivals into Duluth and Superior, respectively, since the shipping season opened last Friday.

Lt. Kyle Hansen counted six vessels aided by Spar in Whitefish Bay. A deck hand, Hansen described the rubble field of ice. “There were parts that were at least 6 feet thick,” Hansen said.

For the captain, Wright, it was an easy choice to help. “For us to get through Whitefish Bay, we had to help others get through Whitefish Bay,” Wright said.

The Spar now takes its position as the regional buoy tender and icebreaker on eastern Lake Superior. Soon, once the ice leaves, the mission will call for aids to navigation to be set out on the lake.

Read more and view more images at this link: https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/twin-ports-rolls-out-snowy-welcome-mat-for-spar

 

Arthur M. Anderson opens Duluth-Superior season

Duluth-Superior – The port of Duluth-Superior welcomed their first arriving Great Lakes vessels on Wednesday in the new navigation season. The Great Lakes Fleet’s Arthur M. Anderson, the freighter famed for its search for the Edmund Fitzgerald during the 1975 storm, came into the Duluth Ship Canal at about noon CT to load iron ore pellets at CN#6. It is  sporting a special decal commemorating its 70 years of service. American Mariner arrived in the afternoon at 14:05 to load wheat at General Mills.

Steve Sola, owner of the South Pier Range Light near the Aerial Lift Bridge, took this video of the Anderson’s  arrival, including the two-blast salute. https://www.facebook.com/steve.sola.3/videos/505531857856316

Lake Superior Magazine

 

Biden’s budget includes billions in funding for Corps projects, including new Soo Lock

The President’s Budget for fiscal year 2023 includes more than $6.6 billion in discretionary funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works program, with just over $117.2 million set aside for Detroit District projects.

Of great regional significance is an additional $600,000 for the Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study, a project that includes the three Great Lakes districts: Detroit, Buffalo and Chicago. The goal is to create a plan identifying vulnerable coastal areas and recommending actions to bolster the coastal resources’ ability to withstand, recover from and adapt to future hydrologic uncertainty with respect to built and natural coastal environments. Recent high-water events across the Great Lakes brought about the study’s need.

The $117.2 million Civil Works budget is for the district’s Operation and Maintenance Program, which includes the maintenance of federal shipping channels and navigation structures within the Detroit District’s area of responsibility including the Soo Locks, Duluth-Superior Harbor, and Detroit and Saginaw rivers. These are part of the Great Lakes Navigation System, which provides significant economic benefit to the nation, in addition to added shoreline protection and flood reduction benefits to areas behind the structures.

The district operates and maintains the Soo Locks along with 81 harbors and nearly 400 miles of connecting channels on lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, St. Clair and portions of Lake Erie bordering Michigan.

The FY23 funding will be distributed among the projects as follows:

Michigan
Alpena Harbor $29,000
Channels In Lake St. Clair $248,000
Charlevoix Harbor $25,000
Detroit River $8,041,000
Grand Haven Harbor $3,425,000
Grand Traverse Bay Harbor $23,000
Holland Harbor $1,317,000
Inland Route $127,000
Keweenaw Waterway $1,458,000
Leland Harbor $22,000
Lexington Harbor $505,000
Little Lake Harbor $204,000
Ludington Harbor $1,164,300
Marquette Harbor $805,200
Monroe Harbor $1,286,300
Muskegon Harbor $980,500
New Buffalo Harbor $26,000
Port Sanilac Harbor $506,000
Saginaw River $4,058,000
Sebewaing River $68,000
St. Clair River $833,000
St. Joseph Harbor $3,033,000
St. Marys River, Soo Locks $82,566,000

Minnesota
Duluth-Superior Harbor, includes WI $6,185,000
Knife River Harbor $22,000

Wisconsin
La Pointe Harbor $22,000

Funding received also includes over $231,000 to support real estate coordination at 36 Detroit District navigation projects. Projects not funded through the President’s budget have the potential for funding through the FY22 Workplan and Infrastructure Investments and Job Act. FY22 Workplan projects and their funding amounts are scheduled to be released in early summer 2022.

Soo Leader

 

2022 edition of “Know Your Ships” ready for new shipping season

The new shipping season has started, and the 2022 edition of Know Your Ships, the popular annual field guide to boats and boatwatching on the Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway, has been released.

This year’s 200-page book includes information on U.S., Canadian and international-flag cargo vessels, tugs, excursion boats and barges in regular Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway service, including owner and port of registry, year and shipyard where built, length, beam, depth, cargo capacity and former names, plus type of engine, horsepower and more.

In the Spotlight section, you can read stories about the 50^th anniversary of the Stewart J. Cort, check out some of the unique cargos carried on the lakes in 2021, get to know the ship-to-shore chef Catherine Schmuck and more.

Standard and spiral bindings are available. Order here: www.knowyourships.com

 

Long-idle Manistee reaches her final dock

Port Colborne, ON – Manistee arrived at Wharf 17 Marine Recycling Corp. in Port Colborne about 0830 March 30. She was towed from Toledo to MRC by tug Beverly M 1 and assisted by tugs Vac and John D. to the scrap yard.

Built in 1943 at Great Lakes Engineering Works, River Rouge, Michigan, Manistee sailed originally as Richard J. Reiss. Her name was shortened to Richard when she was sold to the Erie Sand fleet in 1986. A sale to Grand River Navigation Co. in 2005 saw her name changed to Manistee. She went into permanent layup at Toledo in 2015.

 

Two lakers arrive Wednesday to open Port of Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay, ON – Two domestic vessels arrived in the early morning hours Wednesday, March 30, marking the official opening of the navigation season in the Port of Thunder Bay. M/V Michipicoten came abeam of the light marking the Mission Bay entrance to the Port at 04:31 a.m. local time. M/V Captain Henry Jackman crossed the north entrance at 05:04 a.m.

The Michipicoten, namesake of the river that empties into Lake Superior near Wawa, Ontario, achieved the honor of being the Port’s Top Hat recipient for 2022.  A seasoned vessel on the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway, this is the first time Michipicoten has received Thunder Bay’s Top Hat.  Michipicoten is owned and operated by Lower Lakes Towing, subsidiary of Rand Logistics.

Both vessels are taking on grain shipments.  Michipicoten is currently receiving 9,000 metric tonnes of oats at Superior Elevator and will depart overnight for Toledo, Ohio.The Michipicoten’s crew is led by Captain Adam Barnes and Chief Engineer Ralph Reeves.

Due to weather and other factors, a ceremony was not held.

Meanwhile, a winner has been declared in the Port of Thunder Bay’s Top Hats 2022 Laker Contest.  With a guess of March 30 at 04:30 a.m., Michael Hull was the closest to the actual date and time of the first vessel’s arrival.

Lake Superior News

 

Nine Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships in commission tapped for early disposal

The Pentagon – The nine Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships currently in Navy service – built in Manitowoc, WI, the youngest of which was commissioned in 2020 – have been marked for disposal as part of the Department of Defense’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget proposal, USNI News has learned.

The ships – USS Fort Worth (LCS-3), USS Milwaukee (LCS-5), USS Detroit (LCS-7), USS Little Rock (LCS-9), USS Sioux City (LCS-11), USS Wichita (LCS-13), USS Billings (LCS-15) and USS St. Louis (LCS-19) – are part of the 24 ships the service has chosen to decommission in FY 2023 for an estimated $3.6 billion in savings.

In the Navy’s last plan for the Littoral Combat Ship program, the Freedom-class ships had been tapped to shoulder the anti-submarine warfare role with the LCS ASW mission package. The key component was a towed variable depth low-frequency active sonar that the Navy doesn’t have in the fleet. The promise behind the VDS was to give the Navy more tools to find the more sophisticated Russian submarines that have been entering service in the last several years.

Flourish logoInteractive content by Flourish

While it showed promise in early testing, the Raytheon-built AN/SQS-62 VDS suffered stability problems and had towing issues with the Freedom-class, several Navy officials have told USNI News. As a result of the poor performance, the Navy announced it had terminated the mission module on Monday.

A Raytheon spokesperson referred all questions on the sonar to the Navy when contacted by USNI News on Tuesday.

With no mission module and unexpected costs for the repair to a complex combining gear for the Freedom-class ships, Navy officials said it wasn’t worth keeping the ships in commission.

“As we look across LCS, this is a place where we have identified that there are real costs, especially – for the Freedom-class to be able to make some of the repairs that are needed on those as we measure that against what is the best contribution to the capabilities that we need,” Meredith Berger, who is performing the duties of Under Secretary of the Navy, said on Monday.

In the same briefing, Navy budget chief Rear Adm. John Gumbleton said the ASW mission would be a major part of the emerging Constellation-class (FFG-62) frigate program.

“This is about opportunity cost. ASW mission, that went away. Roughly $50 million a year support cost for these vessels and an opportunity to reinvest $1.8 billion when this ASW mission sets [are] going to be taken up by the frigate, of which we’re buying the fourth of the line in this budget request,” he said. “It speaks to a return on investment to get at the lethality we need for our near-peer competitor.”

The Navy planned to field the VDS Raytheon sonar on the frigates, but the service now intends to use Thales’ CAPTAS-4, a Navy official confirmed to USNI News on Tuesday.

CAPTAS-4 is widely in use by “anti-submarine warfare (ASW) frigates such as the Royal Navy Type 23 and Type 26 frigates, the French Navy FREMM and FDI frigates, the Italian FREMMs, the Spanish F110 frigates, and the Chilean Type 23,” reported Naval News.

The Navy intends to take the remaining six Freedom-class ships under construction and fit them with a variation of the surface warfare mission package for missions in U.S. Central and Southern commands, a service official told USNI News.

The move from the Pentagon to shed the Freedom-class ships comes days after Congress officially rejected the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2022 proposal to decommission Fort Worth, Detroit and Little Rock as part of the FY 2022 defense budget.

Freedom-class shipbuilder Lockheed Martin told USNI News on Tuesday, “we look forward to working with the administration and the Congress as the President’s Fiscal Year 23 budget receives full consideration in the months ahead.”

USNI News

 

New report reveals biggest barriers to recruiting younger workforce to Canadian marine sector

Ottawa, ON – A new survey of Canadian youth confirms that the biggest barrier to recruit new candidates is a lack of knowledge of the diversity of jobs available in the marine sector — with 67% of those in the millennial and Gen Z generations believing the industry is hard to get into and 60% saying they can only think of a few types of jobs.

The findings of the National Youth Report: Marine and the Next Generation, which was commissioned by the Canadian Marine Industry Foundation (CMIF) and conducted by Abacus Data, reinforce the need for the public and private sector to accelerate awareness efforts in the face of a looming labour and skills crisis.

Canada’s marine sector includes over 1,000 employers — both in the private and public sectors — and employs more than 100,000 skilled workers and professionals across Canada. The diverse sector offers job seekers exciting opportunities in everything from shipping and logistics to ports to marine services to infrastructure to government services.

However, maritime workforce recruitment and retention has become an increasing challenge with positions going unfilled both on ships and ashore — a problem expected to only get worse.

Transport Canada estimates that 43% of the marine transportation workforce (onboard commercial vessels and ferries) is expected to retire over the next 10 years. There is also the need to replace workers who voluntarily leave the marine sector or who move to shore-based positions. It is projected that there will be a need to hire approximately 19,000 new seafarers over the next 10 years. And that doesn’t include marine-related job opportunities in the public sector or in ports or other shore-based marine operations.

A first of its kind, the CMIF’s National Youth Report details the current landscape of marine sector career awareness and value in young people (aged 14 to 29) – serving as a baseline to track against over time. The report also indicates:

Overall, the marine industry is in a good starting position. Many young people think highly of the industry, especially when it comes to aligning with their own values.

Just under half of young people are open to considering a career in the marine industry, 20% have thought about a career in the industry before today and are at least open to pursuing this interest.

Compared to other industries, 69% of respondents believe that the marine industry provides interesting and fulfilling work; 67% believe it offers good pay and benefits; 56% believe that it values corporate/environmental responsibility; and 57% believe there are lots of opportunities to advance.

Millennials and those in Generation Z place a lot of importance on pay and stability. But pay and security are not their only priorities. Young people are also concerned about flexibility and finding a job that affords them a life that includes more than work. They want a job that affords a work-life balance every day, not just generous vacations, and they want a job that seamlessly fits into their goals, values, and interests.

The biggest barrier for the sector is a lack of knowledge on the diversity of jobs offered in the marine sector. 40% of respondents had “never heard anything about it.” However, among this 40%, a third still say they would consider a career in the industry.

The National Youth Report research, which was sponsored by the Chamber of Marine Commerce, is part of the CMIF’s Imagine Marine communication campaign. Through this campaign, the CMIF combines dynamic storytelling and targeted outreach to deliver marine’s substantial career offerings to students, young adults and other new candidates. The CMIF’s efforts address the marine sector’s near- and long-term talent development objectives by creating campaigns to grow awareness and providing information and resources necessary to those interested in taking the first steps toward a rewarding future in marine.