Cuyahoga’s Final Trip Will End at Scrapyard

TUESDAY 9 a.m. UPDATE: The Cuyahoga scrap tow arrived at MRC Tuesday morning

ORIGINAL REPORT: The McKeil Marine tugs Molly M1 and Wyatt M departed Ashtabula, OH, just before noon on Monday towing the fire-damaged laker Cuyahoga on her final voyage, which will end sometime Tuesday at Marine Recycling Corp., Port Colborne, ON.

Cuyahoga was the last active example out of the 16 Great Lakes freighters built for the U.S. Maritime Commission in 1943 to boost iron ore shipping capacity during World War II (known on the Lakes as the “Maritimers”), and the last surviving example of the L6-S-A1 subclass. The Ayers boasted a modern cruiser stern, rounded pilothouse and, before her repowering in 2000, a four-crank Lentz-Poppet double-compound steam engine rated at 2,500 IHP.  

Hull 828 was originally laid down as Mesabi, and shortly after launching was acquired by Great Lakes Steamship Co., which named her J. Burton Ayers. The Ayers cycled through multiple owners – Great Lakes Steamship Co., Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance (1957), Wilson Marine Transit (1966), and Oglebay Norton’s Columbia Transportation Division (1974). That same winter of her sale to Columbia, she was converted from a gearless bulk carrier and fitted with a two-belt gravity-fed self-unloader with a 250-foot boom.

In December 1989 she was laid up in Toledo, marking the end of her first career chapter. Economic shifts left the Ayers languishing in long-term layup starting in August 1991.

Unlike her contemporaries, her career was not yet finished. A new company, Lower Lakes Towing Co., led by Capt. Scott Bravener, saw an opportunity to purchase the vessel. The sale, official on August 1, 1995, brought the American-built Ayers under the Canadian flag. The vessel was towed to a Toledo drydock for a comprehensive hull survey and painting, then towed to Sarnia for topside outfitting under her new grey-and-white livery.

Rechristened Cuyahoga on October 7, after Cleveland’s twisty river, she embarked on her inaugural Lower Lakes Towing voyage from Sarnia to Meldrum Bay on November 12 to load for Cleveland, ending her maiden voyage in her namesake port.

On the evening of May 23, 2023, Cuyahoga suffered an engine room fire while sailing on Lake Erie bound for Kingsville, ON, from Marblehead, OH. Orders were given to abandon ship and nearby vessels Indiana Harbor and Radcliffe R. Latimer arrived on scene to assist until the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards could arrive. The fire was delayed in being put out by issues with the CO2 system, but it was put out later in the evening. Cuyahoga put down anchor during the event. A few days later she was towed into port at Kingsville, ON, and unloaded her cargo with power from mobile generators. She was towed to Ashtabula, OH, for repairs in early June. Over the summer her engine was removed and refurbished and the fire damage repaired. Cuyahoga returned to service on October 4, 2023.

Fire struck Cuyahoga yet again on March 15, 2024, while in winter layup at Ashtabula, OH. The fire was believed to have been started by sparks from a welder’s torch, but the conveyor belt on the self-unloading boom caught fire and burned, and the deck below the boom sustained damage. Repairs were not considered economical give the age of the vessel.

Janey Anderson, Sam Hankinson, Richard Jenkins, Shipwatcher News

OPINION: Michigan inland port offers new option for Great Lakes containerized freight

This article was originally published by the Journal of Commerce and is posted here with the permission of the author.

By Capt. Paul C. LaMarre III, president, American Great Lakes Ports Association

For decades, international containerized freight from Michigan and the broader Midwest has been routed through distant US coastal gateways such as New York, Norfolk and Savannah, or Canadian ports such as Halifax and Montreal. Export-side users have included automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), steel and chemical producers and agricultural shippers, while imports have consisted of tier 1 suppliers, machinery and equipment distributors and retail or e-commerce consolidators.

These routes were not chosen for efficiency or cost. They were imposed by federal restrictions that have for decades prevented containerized freight from entering or exiting the Great Lakes by vessel. US Customs today does not permit such movements through Michigan because no facility in the state meets the required federal standards for security and processing. That is about to change.

In 2026, the Port of Monroe will activate the first SAFE Port Act-compliant international container terminal in the Great Lakes, along with a new roll-on/roll-off (ro/ro) platform that complements existing vessel berths, dual Class I rail access and proximity to interstate highways and Midwest manufacturing. Together, these assets position Monroe as a fully integrated inland gateway for containerized trade and high-value industrial logistics.

Conservatively, 1 million to 2 million TEUs of oceangoing cargo are generated annually from the Great Lakes’ industrial core, according to port estimates. This includes high-value shipments from sectors such as automotive, machinery, chemicals and electronics. Rather than projecting future throughput volumes, the Port of Monroe is focused on establishing a lawful and functioning corridor, allowing the market to respond.

The goal is to restore balance, provide carriers with a practical entry point and give shippers a logistics option that should have existed decades ago. The terminal at Monroe will be available to operators who recognize the value of establishing service in an underserved but strategically positioned market.

The automotive industry, in particular, stands to benefit. With production concentrated in the Midwest and export demand on the rise, direct vessel service from Monroe reduces complexity and supports just-in-time inventory models. Monroe offers a new point of connection between Midwest production and global markets, servings a strategic outlet for general containerized freight and, more uniquely, for the direct shipment of new vehicles via ro/ro or in containers.

Resilience has become a defining priority for today’s logistics networks. The March 2024 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, a critical ro/ro and vehicle export hub, exposed the system’s fragility. Overnight, cargo flows were disrupted, schedules were delayed and shippers were forced to reroute at significant cost. Inland ports such as the Port of Monroe offer a hedge against that kind of single-point failure.

‘Manageable’ constraints

Do the Great Lakes have constraints? Yes, but they are manageable. The annual three-month winter closure of the St. Lawrence Seaway is predictable and published well in advance, allowing cargo owners and carriers to plan accordingly. Intra-lake shipping continues throughout the winter, particularly with ice-class vessels. Recent climate trends indicate shorter freeze periods and milder conditions, which are gradually increasing intralake shipping capacity during the winter months.

Other northern regions facing even harsher winter conditions have demonstrated what is possible. The Baltic Sea offers a relevant example. Despite a smaller economic footprint and more severe ice conditions, Baltic ports remain active year-round through the use of ice-capable vessels and integrated multimodal infrastructure.

There is no reason the Great Lakes, now that the regulatory path has been cleared, should not do the same and make a comparable contribution to North American trade resilience. Unlike coastal gateways, which face sudden disruptions from hurricanes, labor action and infrastructure failures, the risks on the Great Lakes are stable and foreseeable. That reliability offers a competitive advantage for shippers navigating global volatility.

But infrastructure alone is not enough. What is required is a shift in mindset. Federal freight policy must treat the Great Lakes as a fully integrated corridor. Carriers need to revisit assumptions about vessel size and routing patterns.

Shippers will now be able to prioritize proximity, reliability and carbon performance rather than adhering to legacy paths shaped by outdated restrictions. The introduction of containerized shipping to Michigan presents an opportunity to reinforce the domestic maritime industrial base. Supporting inland container movement by vessel can drive demand for US-built ships, sustain skilled shipyard jobs, and expand the national maritime workforce.

This is not just a logistics upgrade. It is a long-term investment in national capacity, employment, and competitiveness. This is a practical opportunity to enhance the national freight system using inland infrastructure that is efficient, cost-effective and underutilized.

Monroe stands ready to serve shippers, carriers and policymakers seeking flexible, durable solutions. The Great Lakes have always had the potential to support containerized trade. Now that the path is open, the Port of Monroe is prepared to deliver.

More cargo shipped on St. Lawrence Seaway

author of the article:Brian Kelly

A Total cargo shipped on the St. Lawrence Seaway is up as of June.

The seaway that includes Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., saw an increase of 496,000 tonnes of goods transported, rising from 12.19 million tonnes as of June 2024 to 12.68 million tonnes as of June 30.

Grain shipments climbed 28 per cent from 3.3 million tonnes to 4.2 million tonnes.

Iron ore fell 5.9 per cent from 1.98 million tonnes to 1.86 million tonnes.

Coal dropped 34 per cent from 647,000 tonnes to 424,000 tonnes.

Dry bulk edged up 3.2 per cent from 3.75 million tonnes to 3.87 million tonnes.

Liquid bulk dipped 2.3 per cent from 1.46 million tonnes to 1.43 million tonnes.

General cargo slipped 16.4 per cent from 1,03 million tonnes to 862,000 tonnes.

Total transits inched up from 1,326 to 1,335.

An idled Dearborn steel factory tells
a larger story about tariffs and the economy

Dearborn, MI – A steel plant in Dearborn went idle early Saturday, citing decreased demand in the automotive market. That’s despite promises from President Donald Trump to make the domestic steel industry competitive through tariffs on foreign steel.

Around 600 workers at the Cleveland Cliffs-owned Dearborn Works plant are at risk of losing their jobs. Michigan Public reporter Sarah Cwiek spoke to Stateside about why this is happening, and what it all means.

Why is Cleveland Cliffs idling this particular plant?

Cleveland Cliffs made the announcement that it’s idling Dearborn Works in March. The company is making some larger adjustments in terms of where it’s producing steel, and how much, across the country. But what’s interesting about Dearborn Works is that the company specifically cited weak demand from the automotive industry — which is that plant’s biggest customer by far — as the reason why they’re pursuing this shutdown right now.

It’s important to note that Cleveland Cliffs isn’t completely shutting the facility down. It’s keeping the finishing shop open, for example, and some other parts of the plant will continue to operate. But the core part of the plant, where they actually make the steel, is what’s affected by this.

Is this plant shutting down permanently or is production just paused? What does the timeline look like?

It’s not totally clear at this point. Cleveland Cliffs has said it’s a temporary move, and they expect to get Dearborn Works up and running again in the future. But the company didn’t give any sort of timeline for that. So it’s fair to say right now that even if this isn’t a permanent shutdown, it’s an indefinite one.

What do Dearborn Works workers and their union representatives say about this? What options are there for the workers who suddenly don’t have a shift to work?

The UAW — specifically UAW Local 600 in Dearborn — represents the workers at this plant. Around 600 union workers got notices that they’d be laid off during the idling earlier this year.

Local 600 leaders have said that they were “blindsided” by the announcement, and called the situation “chaos” when the idling was first announced. They said they were going to try to find other positions for the laid-off workers, but also said it would likely be difficult because few of the other companies they work with locally are hiring right now.

The laid-off workers will get money out of a union compensation pool. But because there are so many of them, and it’s a fixed pot of money, that probably won’t last long. So this leaves workers facing a lot of uncertainty and possibly a lot of hardship, too.

President Trump has said he’s raising tariffs on foreign-made steel to support the domestic steel industry. But this particular plant doesn’t seem to be benefitting. Why is that?

This is a complicated situation. Whenever a major manufacturer makes a decision like this, there are usually a lot of factors playing into it. There are other things going on here, like an excess inventory of the type of steel Dearborn Works makes, and a larger restructuring going on at Cleveland Cliffs.

But it’s also fair to say that tariffs play a role here. President Trump has put 25% tariffs on foreign cars, and 50% tariffs on foreign steel. His reasoning is that this will protect the domestic steel and automotive industries from overseas competitors, keep jobs here, and rebuild those industries in the U.S.

But this gets really complicated. With the American automakers, for example, they may build a lot of their cars here, but often the parts come from outside the country. So they’re dealing with tariffs on those parts, and also demand issues in the marketplace because, with uncertainty about tariff impacts and the larger economy, a lot of consumers are watching and waiting for now (note: car sales were up very marginally in the first half of 2025, but analysts overall expect a year-over-year decline once tariff impacts truly kick in, in the third quarter).

So a plant like Dearborn Works, which is selling mainly to the automotive industry, is dealing with that situation on the demand side, plus more production costs on the supply side. That’s according to Hilary Lewis with the non-profit group Industrious Labs, which advocates for cleaner heavy industry.

“If their buyers have all these new tariffs they have to pay, and American steel is getting more expensive, it’s going to have a negative impact on how much steel a company like Cleveland Cliffs is able to sell,” Lewis said.

It’s important to note here that Cleveland Cliffs did express optimism that in the longer run, President Trump’s tariff policies will ultimately strengthen production in the U.S. But it’s hard to predict if or when that will happen. And in the shorter term, the company is feeling the pinch from tariffs as well as other economic forces.

Michigan Public contacted both the White House and the U.S. Trade Representative’s office for comment on this story; neither replied.

How do those who live near Dearborn Works feel about it pausing production? How has this affected them?

There are two schools of thought here. 600 jobs is a lot, and that’s going to have a ripple effect in the community beyond just the people who are directly affected.

But Dearborn Works is located in an area, near the Ford Rouge complex in Dearborn, where there’s a lot of heavy industry. And the community suffers from that in terms of air pollution, and its impacts on things like asthma rates and other health conditions.

Natalie Sampson, a professor of public health at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, said this is about a lot more than Dearborn Works or any other single industrial facility. It’s about the cumulative impacts of all those places in one concentrated area.

Sampson said if you talk to people who live in the community, they know who the good and bad actors are.

“And they’ll tell you straight up who are the good neighbors, who are the not so good neighbors,” she said. “But we are at a point where we need to get everybody up to speed on being a good neighbor, because it’s just not acceptable.”

By getting people up to speed, Sampson means that due to the cumulative effects of pollution over many years, all producers need to cut down on emissions and move to cleaner, more advanced production methods.

But with the Trump administration focused on both loosening environmental regulations and subsidizing some of the dirtiest industrial materials like coal, the prospects for that look pretty grim at the national level. So for some in the community, the idling of Dearborn Works comes as a relief in that way, because it’s taking a big industrial manufacturer offline — at least for now.

https://www.michiganpublic.org/economy/2025-07-17/an-idled-dearborn-steel-factory-tells-a-larger-story-about-tariffs-and-the-economy

‘Perfect for it’: Victory Cruise Lines commits to bringing ships to Buffalo by 2027

BUFFALO, N.Y. – It’s official, cruise ships are coming to Buffalo. The possibility of bringing cruise ships to Buffalo’s waterfront has been discussed quite a lot over the years, but now Victory Cruise Lines, Inc. has committed to bringing its 200-passenger ships to Buffalo in 2027.

“I think that’d be awesome,” said Mike Sullivan of Grand Island. “I think the waterfront’s a huge part, I wish they developed it sooner, and glad we’re around for it.”

At a press conference, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that Victory has sent a commitment letter to the state, stating it intends to include Buffalo in its 2027 and beyond cruise itineraries.

“It’s perfect for it,” said Hochul. “[The terminal] can have two at a time down there, we’ll have amenities for the guests and they’ll be transported to all these great opportunities…this is an economic driver.”

There’s still a lot to be done in the meantime. Terminals in Buffalo must be completed, and an agreement on the terms of use of the seawall mooring must be ironed out.

At a June 2025 Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation board meeting, the board approved a $1.65 million contract for architectural and engineering design and construction administration for a terminal on the Outer Harbor.

Construction work on the new cruise ship terminal is set to begin by early 2026 and with completion planned for mid-2027.

Tour the US Geological Survey vessel Kiyi August 9th

The Steamship Historical Society of America Museum ship of the year award goes to the SS Keewatin

Congratulations to the SS KEEWATIN! This weekend SSHSA will present the coveted Museum Ship of the Year award, an honor bestowed on only one vessel annually.

Built in 1907 by Fairfield Works in Glasgow, Scotland, SS KEEWATIN was designed for the Canadian Pacific Railways continental route linking C.P.’s Owen Sound depot to Fort William Port Arthur on Lake Superior, before moving to Port McNicoll, Ontario in 1912. With Port McNicoll established as the new ‘super port’ and rail terminus, SS KEEWATIN took two and a half days to make the trip each way, including half a day traversing the Soo Locks.

In the last fifteen years of her working life, KEEWATIN operated under stringent regulations for wooden cabin steamships following the NORONIC disaster in 1949. She worked from 1907 to 1965 and never missed a sailing. Then, in order to continue service, rebuilding of the wooden superstructures was required. Instead, she was withdrawn from the passenger trade on November 29, 1965. The following year KEEWATIN operated a freight–only service, but in fall of 1966, she was sold for demolition.

Fortunately, before scrapping, in January 1967 KEEWATIN was rescued by Michigan entrepreneur Roland J. Peterson Sr. He operated her as the Keewatin Maritime Museum for 45 years, docked in Douglas, Michigan, across the river from the popular summer resort town of Saugatauk.

In 2011, Skyline Investments purchased the ship, and later, she was relocated to her original Port in Canada as a tourist attraction. After several years of uncertainty, in 2023, SS KEEWATIN was towed to her new home at the Great Lakes Museum in Kingston, Ontario, and opened in Spring 2024.

Today, she remains a unique Edwardian era Steamship, with an authentic quadruple expansion reciprocating engine, working steering gear and windlass. Of 3,800 similar ships in Great Britain between 1900 and 1920, she is the only remaining restored example in the world.

Lodge # 12 has announced that sponsorships and convention book advertising are now open. For more info about sponsoring or advertising, please visit their website at https://ismalodge12.com

Lodge # 12 has announced that sponsorships and convention book advertising are now open. For more info about sponsoring or advertising, please visit their website at https://ismalodge12.com