USACE Awards $222.7M Option 3 Contract for New Soo Lock

USACE awards $222.7M contract for New Soo Lock to KAT. Contract proceeds for construction of lock floor, mechanical/electrical systems, and more. Project on track for completion in 2030, with focus on national security and economic resiliency.

Tue September 24, 2024 – Midwest Edition #20

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District’s New Lock at the Soo project in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., awards $222.7 million contract Option 3 (Chamber Lock Operational) to Kokosing Alberici Traylor LLC (KAT) of Westerville, Ohio. The Option 3 award will allow for construction to proceed as required to have a fully functional lock. Option 3 includes construction of the lock floor; installation of the mechanical and electrical systems; completion of the filling and emptying system; placing soil in between the New Lock and old Davis Lock; and commissioning of the lock chamber.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Detroit District’s New Lock at the Soo project in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., awards $222.7 million contract Option 3 (Chamber Lock Operational) to Kokosing Alberici Traylor LLC (KAT) of Westerville, Ohio.

The Option 3 award will allow for construction to proceed as required to have a fully functional lock.

“Option 3 includes construction of the lock floor; installation of the mechanical and electrical systems; completion of the filling and emptying system; placing soil in between the New Lock and old Davis Lock; and commissioning of the lock chamber,” said Darin White, Inland Navigation Design Center, New Lock at the Soo technical lead.

With the on-time award of Option 3, the project continues to be on track for completion in 2030.

The New Lock at the Soo project is being built in three phases. Phase 1 (Upstream Channel Deepening) was completed in 2022, and Phase 2 (Upstream Approach Walls) is nearing completion this summer. The Phase 3 contract was awarded to KAT in July 2022 as a base contract at $1.068 billion. Awarding the base contract allowed the contractor to begin work in 2022 with the remaining work (contract options), to be awarded over the next three years.

“To date, Options 1A [Upstream Wide Wall Monoliths], 1B [Chamber Wall Monoliths], 1C [New Power Plant Bridge Ramp], 2 [New Pump Well Completion] and 7 [Alligator’s Mouth Mooring Area] have been awarded, totaling $503.7 million,” said Kevin McDaniels, district senior civilian. “The leadership team throughout
theCorps of Engineers have made the New Lock at the Soo project a national priority and we have continued to see strong support every step along the way.”

Three contract options, totaling $95.3 million, await to be awarded. These options are Option 4 (Downstream Work), Option 5 (Hands-Free Mooring) and Option 6 (Downstream Ship Arrestors). The Corps of Engineers aims to award these options over the next year.

Phase 3 construction began in late 2022, and is expected to last seven years, given efficient funding and favorable weather. The New Lock at the Soo will be constructed in the footprint of the Sabin Lock and will be the same size as the Poe Lock (1,200 ft. long, 110 ft. wide and 32 ft. deep).

“The contractor has completed over $400 million worth of work through the end of July 2024,” said Mollie Mahoney, New Lock at the Soo senior project manager. “The contractor is demolishing existing concrete monoliths and beginning bedrock excavation in the footprint of the existing Sabin Lock. In the Davis Lock they are beginning excavating for the new pump well and preparing to fill the Davis Lock with excavated material. The contractor also is constructing a new bridge to the new power plant and a new utility access structure.”

Additional activities planned to occur in 2024 include pump well substructure construction and new concrete monolith construction.

The Soo Locks allow vessels to transit the 21-ft. elevation change at the St. Marys Falls Canal. More than 88 percent of commodity tonnage through the Soo Locks is restricted by vessel size to the Poe Lock. The New Lock at the Soo project will construct a second Poe-sized lock.

The Soo Locks are essential to United States’ manufacturing and National Security. The New Lock at the Soo project will provide resiliency for this critical node in the Great Lakes Navigation System. A 2015 Department of Homeland Security study estimates a six-month Poe Lock closure would temporarily reduce the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) by $1.1 trillion, resulting in the loss of 11 million jobs.

For more information, visit www.lrd.usace.army.mil/Mission/Projects/Article/3833546/new-lock-at-the-soo/ or contact Detroit District Public Affairs Specialist Carrie Fox, 906/259-2841.

Port of Vancouver Grain Workers Strike in Middle of Harvest

Bloomberg

September 24, 2024

By Thomas Seal (Bloomberg) —

Grain workers at Canada’s biggest port went on strike Tuesday over a dispute regarding hours and pay, setting up what an industry association called a “devastating” situation for farmers during the harvest season.

The Grain Workers Union Local 333 served a 72-hour strike notice on Saturday, and the measure took effect at 7 a.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday after talks with the Vancouver Terminal Elevator Association fell through.

Vancouver handled about 52% of grain produced across Canada last year, according to the Grain Growers of Canada trade group, which is calling on the federal labor minister to step in and ensure the parties reach an agreement. The stoppage could prevent about 100,000 metric tonnes of grain from arriving at the port’s shipping terminals each day, meaning a potential loss of C$35 million ($26 million) daily, the association said, citing Canadian Grain Commission estimates. 

“Without intervention, Canada’s international trading reputation will continue to suffer, leading to the loss of key global markets and customers,” the Grain Growers group said. 

Tuesday’s walkout follows recent industrial disputes across the country involving rail workers, port workers and airline workers.

“There will be limited ability to mitigate the impacts of the strike through other corridors” for grain headed to markets over the Pacific Ocean, Wade Sobkowich, from the Western Grain Elevator Association, said by email. “Once again, Canada is unable to get product to our customers just like in the recent rail strike, St. Lawrence Seaway strike and BC longshore strike.”

The local grain workers union has more than 750 members, according to its website. Affected operations include Viterra Inc.’s Cascadia and Pacific Terminals, the Richardson International Terminal, the Cargill Limited Terminal, the G3 Terminal Vancouver and the Alliance Grain Terminal, according to the Shipping Federation of Canada.

© 2024 Bloomberg L.P.

U.P. shipwreck museum adds webcam with views of lighthouse, sunrises over Lake Superior

Published: Sep. 24, 2024, 11:32 a.m.

By Justine Lofton | jlofton@mlive.com

PARADISE, MI – A new webcam has been added to a shipwreck museum in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

This live video feed boasts views of the Whitefish Point Light Station, sunrises over Lake Superior, freighters, incoming storms, and even the Northern Lights, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society announced on social media.

The camera is at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, 18335 N. Whitefish Point Road in Paradise. It’s part of the WMVision family of cameras that showcase scenic areas all over the country, officials said.

“The quality of this camera is amazing” said Corey Adkins, content and communications director for the historical society. “We are excited that we can now share the beauty of Whitefish Point with the world. We think people will really enjoy this camera from their phone or the comfort of their own home.”

To view the feed, click here, or visit shipwreckmuseum.com and click LIVE WEATHER CAM near the top left of the homepage.

The West Michigan Tourist Association helped make this camera a reality, officials said.

Marine Mart planned for Oct. 12

The Great Lakes Maritime Institute will host its 43rd annual Marine Mart Oct, 12 in St. Clair Shores, MI. See the flier in the photo gallery for details.

Mail boat crew saves man swimming across Detroit River

DETROIT – A man was rescued by a mail boat crew late Monday night after attempting to swim across the Detroit River.

 At around 11 p.m. on Sept. 23, deckhand James Sharp saw the man swimming inside a life ring thrown to him by someone on shore in Windsor, Ontario. The U.S. Mail Boat J.W. Westcott II maneuvered alongside where Sharp and Captain Neil Schultheiss lifted the man onto the deck of the mail boat.

 The swimmer said he was an American citizen from Florida and was trying to return to the United States. Officials said he seemed disoriented or under the influence. He was sent to the Detroit fireboat and transported to shore to an awaiting EMS unit. Officials said that although he was cold, he had no physical injuries.

After the rescue, the Westcott’s crew turned and made a mail delivery to the Algoma Innovator. This year marks the Westcott company’s 150th anniversary on the Detroit River.
Link to Video on this article    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCB5abSa_no

Click on Detroit

 Seaway reports 19.5 million tonnes of cargo moved to date in 2024

Grain, potash, iron, and steel are fueling shipments along the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system, with a total of 19.5 million tonnes of cargo moved so far this season.

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. and the U.S. Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. said grain traffic was up 5.6 per cent over last year.

A release from the two agencies that operate the system said potash traffic continues to be a big mover, up 21 percent. Canada is the world’s largest producer and exporter of potash, exporting 95 percent of production to more than 75 countries.

Alternative sources of potash, an agricultural fertilizer, include Russia and Belarus, which have had sanctions levelled at the industry due to the war in Ukraine. Iron and steel shipments are up 35 percent over last year, and petroleum products up 27 percent.

Seaway Management Corp. president and chief executive officer Jim Athanasiou said the waterway is a vital link in the supply chain that keeps economies moving with its consistency and reliability.

If the system were a standalone country, it would rank as the third-largest economy in the world, the release said.

It also said it supports more 350,000 jobs across the U.S. and Canada. Despite the growth in specific cargo categories, overall figures reveal a 3.48 percent decline in total cargo compared to the same period last year, along with a 3.53 percent drop in vessel transits.

Welland Tribune

Marine Mart planned for Oct. 12

The Great Lakes Maritime Institute will host its 43rd annual Marine Mart Oct, 12 in St. Clair Shores, MI. See the flier in the photo gallery for details.

Marine Mart planned for Oct. 12

The Great Lakes Maritime Institute will host its 43rd annual Marine Mart Oct, 12 in St. Clair Shores, MI. See the flier in the photo gallery for details.

Marine Mart planned for Oct. 12

The Great Lakes Maritime Institute will host its 43rd annual Marine Mart Oct, 12 in St. Clair Shores, MI. See the flier in the photo gallery for details.

“Elusive” 130-Year-Old Lake Michigan Shipwreck Found Near Algoma, Wisconsin

 By AlgomaAreaChamber  Posted September 21, 2024  In Lake Michigan Shipwrecks 

Algoma, Wisconsin – September 20, 2024: “Elusive” 130-Year-Old Lake Michigan Shipwreck Found

The wreck site of the lost steam tug John Evenson has been located by Wisconsin maritime historians Brendon Baillod and Bob Jaeck as the result of a deliberate search using historical records and remote sensing technology.

The 54-foot Evenson was built in 1884 at Milwaukee as a harbor and towing tug.  She was lost on June 5th of 1895 while assisting the big steamer I. Watson Stephenson in entering the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal with a string of schooner-barges in tow.  The Evenson’s captain ran across the bow of the much larger Stephenson, which struck the tug, capsizing her and sending her immediately to the bottom.  The tug’s five crew were cast into the water and rescued except for the tug’s fireman, Martin Boswell, who was asleep below decks and was carried down with the vessel and lost.

The Evenson’s loss was widely reported in marine newspapers, but the locations given varied significantly.  Some stated that the vessel sank in 300 feet of water, others 50 feet.  Divers began looking for the Evenson in the 1980s without success.  A local dive club even offered a cash reward for her discovery, but she continued to elude searchers.

Baillod and Jaeck collected all the accounts of her loss as well as an original customs house wreck report prepared by her captain, John Laurie.  They plotted all the locations given and noticed that a few clustered in the same small area as that given in the wreck report, approximately 4 miles northeast of Algoma, Wisconsin.

On Friday, September 13, 2024, at 9 AM, the pair had just deployed their remote sensing equipment and were tuning the sonar signals when a huge boiler crawled across the screen only five minutes into what had been planned as a three-day search.  They deployed a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) which immediately descended on the ship’s giant propeller, steam engine, and boiler.  The tug’s hull-bed is present along with all of her machinery, giving a fascinating look at the steam technology of the late 1800s.

Baillod and Jaeck notified Wisconsin State Underwater Archeologist Tamara Thomsen who arrived the next day with diver Zach Whitrock to survey and document the wreck.  A 3D photogrammetry model was created by capturing over 2000 high-resolution images, recording the site in detail.  The interactive 3D model can be visited here.  Plans for the site include nominating it to the National Register of Historic Places and making it available for sport divers to visit.

This is the third significant shipwreck discovered by Baillod and Jaeck in the last two years.  The pair located the intact remains of the schooner Trinidad in June of 2023 and the schooner Margaret A. Muir in June of this year (2024).  Baillod and Jaeck use the wrecks as a vehicle for connecting the people of Wisconsin’s port communities with their maritime past, and they work in partnership with community history organizations to preserve and interpret historic underwater sites.

Baillod and Jaeck are members of the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association, a non-profit citizen science group that provides opportunities for the public to participate in the study and documentation of underwater history.

Great Lakes freighter Michipicoten still idle at a U.S. shipyard

SUPERIOR, Wis. — More than three months after escaping disaster on Lake Superior, the Canadian-flagged bulk carrier Michipicoten remains dockside in Superior, Wis.

The Michipicoten sustained a rupture to its hull on June 8 while carrying iron ore pellets from Two Harbors, Minn. to Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie. With water entering through a four-metre-long crack, the ship limped toward Thunder Bay, exposing the crew to what one member described later as a “horrifying journey.”

After a temporary patch was applied at Keefer Terminal, Transport Canada gave permission to the freighter’s owner – Lower Lakes Towing of Port Dover, Ont. – to have it escorted by tugs on June 20 to Fraser Shipyards in Superior for additional repairs.

But a government spokesperson said that, as of Wednesday, federal regulators have not given permission for the Michipicoten to be returned to service.

The spokesperson referred TBnewswatch to the company for more information. Lower Lakes Towing to date has released no public statements on its plans for the ship, and a person who answered the phone at the company’s headquarters this week stated “We have no comment.”

The crew of the 72-year-old vessel reported hearing a loud bang when the crack developed.

A preliminary investigation in June pointed to stress or fatigue as the possible cause of the fracture in the hull.

TB Newswatch

UWS’s New Floating Classroom and Research Vessel is in Final Stages of Completion

September 19, 2024  Paige Hansen

SUPERIOR, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin Superior’s new state of the art floating classroom and research vessel is in its final stages before opening its doors to students.

It has been over a year in the making for UWS’s Lake Superior Research Institute, who, with the help of donations are making the floating classroom come to life.

The vessel, named “The Sadie Ann“will support learning for educators, researchers and UWS students.

Along with providing programs for K-12 education and adults.

“We think that the classroom can be used by all learners, grade school, up through adults 55 and older. We also believe that it can meet many disciplines. So, arts and humanities will be able to use the floating classroom vessel, The Sadie Ann.”

The vessel was built in Louisiana and is expected to be finished by the end of the year.

After coast guard requirements are finalized, “The Sadie Ann” will sail to its new home of Lake Superior.

All video and pictures are courtesy for UW-Superior.

Scientists find signs of sinkholes on the floor of Lake Michigan

WUWM 89.7 FM | By Lina Tran
Published September 19, 2024 at 3:00 PM CDT

In August, scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory discovered signs of sinkholes on the floor of Lake Michigan, in the national marine sanctuary off Wisconsin’s lakeshore, near Sheboygan. They found around 40 large underwater features, most of which are about as long as an Olympic swimming pool. They’re cold, dark, and weirdly circular.

The features are similar to sinkholes previously discovered in Lake Huron. In that case, groundwater eroded the layer of limestone that sits on the bottom of the lake, creating caverns. When the roof of a cavern collapsed, a sinkhole was born.

But Steve Ruberg, a physical scientist with the lab, says the researchers need more information before they can confirm that what’s in Lake Michigan is just like those in Lake Huron.

“I’m not ready to say that this is a sinkhole that’s similar to Lake Huron,” he said. “These are much bigger, and they’re just very strangely circular. They’re very interesting.”

They were, however, discovered in a manner very much like what happened in Lake Huron — accidentally. Acoustic surveys in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, intended to uncover historic shipwrecks, revealed the bottom features almost 20 years ago. A similar, recent hunt for shipwrecks in Wisconsin’s Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary uncovered signs of similar depressions in the limestone layer on the lake’s bottom.

That led Ruberg and other researchers to return to the site this summer to take a closer look.

Life in a Great Lakes sinkhole

The subterranean holes, with their extreme environments, offer scientists a look at the Great Lakes’ distant past. In Lake Huron, they are home to a rich tapestry of microbial life.

“Presumably, life was like this everywhere in the early biosphere,” said Bopi Biddanda, a microbial ecologist at Grand Valley State University in Michigan who has studied the microbes in Lake Huron’s sinkholes.

Some two to three billion years ago, low-oxygen, high-sulfur conditions — much like those in the sinkholes — in shallow, light-filled holes fueled the growth of photosynthesizing cyanobacteria, which first oxygenated the planet. Studying similar microbial mats of these bacteria today provides insight to how microbes of the past helped produce the oxygen that life needs to thrive.

In Lake Huron’s deeper holes, where light wasn’t available, bacteria made use of sulfur to produce their food. These microbial colonies grew into white mats, much like those that live around deep sea vents today.

“So, right in our backyard, we have a window to the past, as well as to the deep sea,” Biddanda said.

Studying the microbes that live in such extreme environments can also offer insights to modern problems, from biochemicals that could be of pharmaceutical value to carbon sequestration.

“It’s very interesting to me that these things — hard to find and very little in stature — might have had an impact on our being here today, in evolutionary terms,” Biddanda said. “And that threatened as they might be, they might even survive us in the long run.”

Dive into the discovery

Steve Ruberg joins Lake Effect to share more about the potential for sinkholes in Lake Michigan.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What are we even talking about here? What is a sinkhole?

We’ve been looking at sinkholes on Lake Huron, and the sinkholes in that situation are eroded limestone features. When you look at the geology of the Great Lakes — Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, especially — they sit on a limestone geologic layer that was laid down four to five hundred million years ago. And then on top of that, you have glacial activity.

In Lake Huron, those are karst features. Limestone geology that is eroded, and a cavern forms. That cavern collapses and forms a sinkhole. It appears that’s what’s happening on Lake Michigan. But we haven’t been able to verify that to a high degree of certainty. We feel like they probably are, but there are other options for what they could be as well.

The interesting thing about the Great Lakes in general is that a very small portion of the Great Lakes have been explored. We haven’t mapped a lot of the bottom, and we haven’t gone and looked at the things that we see when we map the bottom. What we want to do, in this case, is not just to go look — we’re trying to understand the amount of groundwater that might be coming into these systems. And along with groundwater, we want to know what the chemical makeup is.

At first, there was this hint that they might be there through the acoustic surveys. What did that look like?

We took a remotely operated vehicle with some sensors on it that would allow us to detect groundwater. We’re measuring something called specific conductivity. We’re measuring temperature.

When we get into the zone where there’s groundwater, in Lake Huron, we’re seeing higher than normal water temperatures — that’s an indication of groundwater. We’re seeing much higher than normal levels of specific conductivity, which indicates that water is going through this limestone system, picking up a lot of salt and sulfur and other minerals. So that’s an indication that we’re seeing groundwater coming into these systems too.

What we wanted to do is quantify the amount of groundwater that’s residing in a sinkhole. Unfortunately, [when] we looked in Wisconsin and on Lake Michigan, we did not detect a groundwater signature.

So, what does that mean? Jury’s still out?

Jury’s still out, that’s exactly what it means. We did see a lot of interesting life down there. We saw deep water sculpin and, of course, unfortunately, a lot of quagga mussels and creatures like that.

I’m not ready to say that this is a sinkhole that’s similar to Lake Huron. These are much bigger, and they’re just very strangely circular. They’re very interesting. It’s possible that if we get out deeper, just [due to] the natural erosion of the limestone, the groundwater will eventually stop coming into them. It’s possible that the deeper ones may still have groundwater.

In the long run, we want to know how much water is coming in from these features. That adds to our model of lake water levels. We know that the groundwater input is very, very small, but still, for completion, we’d like to try to get an idea of how much groundwater is coming in. The other thing is that the groundwater has a lot of salt and sulfur. Knowing how much salt and sulfur chloride is getting into the system is important to get a baseline for what the inputs of those sorts of things into the Great Lakes are.

What kinds of things might we learn from these features? What could it tell us about Lake Michigan, or the geological history of the Great Lakes?

That’s what we’re hoping. If there are these limestone karst features, you’re going back four to five hundred million years ago. The shallow sea that we sit on now is providing this, this signal of the chloride and sulfate. But in more recent times, we’ve had glacial activity that formed the Great Lakes, and that could have laid down some of the clay that we’re seeing too. So it’s just telling us the history of these systems and how they’ve changed over time.

Lock 8 mechanical issue delays Welland Canal traffic

A mechanical issue at Port Colborne’s Lock 8 brought shipping traffic to a halt on the Welland Canal Tuesday, stranding six vessels on the 43-kilometre-long waterway for six hours.

Nicole Giroux-Laplante, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp.’s manager of communications, said traffic was suspended at 3:30 p.m.

There were no safety concerns, she said in an email to The Tribune. In a followup email, Giroux-Laplante said the mechanical issue — she did not say what it was — was resolved and seaway traffic resumed at 9:30 p.m.

When the seaway shut down the canal, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Hanseatic Inspiration, built in 2019 and designed for luxury expedition travel, was in Lock 8.

According to the Cruise Mapper website, the 138-metre-long vessel, which holds 199 to 230 passengers and 170 crew members, is on a 13-day cruise from Toronto to Milwaukee, Wisc.

On the Marine Traffic website, the cruise ship’s Automatic Identification System (AIS) showed its destination as Windsor.

Above Lock 8, on the Lake Erie side of the canal, the Polsteam vessel Miedwie, was listed as headed to Gibraltar. Behind Hanseatic Inspiration were Algoma Discovery, the tug-barge combination Wilf Seymour-Alouette Spirit, in Port Colborne.

Other vessels delayed by the issue at Lock 8 included tug-barge combination Everlast-Norman McLeod, and the tanker Algotitan in the Thorold area.

Welland Tribune – David Johnson

McAsphalt Advantage heads for Canada on maiden voyage

McAsphalt Industries Ltd. has officially taken ownership of the McAsphalt Advantage. This custom-designed vessel is specifically built for trading on the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence, and Eastern seaboard. She has set off on her maiden voyage across the Pacific, heading home to Canada.

This marks a significant milestone in McAsphalt’s journey, opening a new chapter in our tradition of innovation and leadership. The McAsphalt Advantage is not just a ship; she symbolizes our dedication to safety, sustainability, operational excellence, and growth in the asphalt industry.

McAsphalt Industries Ltd.

Autonomous vessel visits Traverse City to explore Great Lakes’ depths

by Kody BairWed, September 18th 2024 at 6:15 AM
Updated Wed, September 18th 2024 at 11:36 AM

GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) — An autonomous surface vessel that will be used to find out more about the Great Lakes made a stop in Traverse City on Tuesday.

The boat was put on display at the Lakebed 2030 Conference at the Northwestern Michigan College Great Lakes campus.

It’s a small boat with a big goal.

“How many square miles our Great Lakes have and how unmapped they are, we’re going to need this technology to basically cover that entire expanse,” Michigan Technological University Research Engineer Travis White said.

Ocean Infinity has partnered with Michigan Tech to send this search vessel on the water in hopes of mapping the entirety of the Great Lakes by 2030.

“Less than 15% of our lakes are mapped at high resolution, and that means we know and understand more about the moon than we do about what’s at the bottom of our own lakes, which are our own backyard,” White said.

Michigan Tech said understanding more about the Great Lakes is crucial to keeping them preserved.

“The Great Lakes are a huge resource and understanding what is at the bottom of these lakes can help us better manage those water resources and be able to protect them,” White said.

There’s one more unique thing about this watercraft: the boat’s captains aren’t on board.

They’re right here. This is their deck. And this is their helm:

The boat is an autonomous surface vessel, it controls itself entirely, only having a remote crew for emergencies.

Ocean Infinity said it will make them work faster in putting eyes on the lakebed.

“It’s something that we can program through a computer, set it on a mission and keep an eye on it, but for the most part, forget that it’s even over there working,” White said.

The first mission of this vessel was to find the wreckage of a 1968 plane crash in Lake Superior.

That mission was conducted last week, where the crew searched about 46 square miles of lakebed in a little more than three days.

As they continue to analyze the data gathered from the expedition, they use it as a learning opportunity for the next year to come.

“After this, we’ll winterize the boat, then we’ll be coming back in the spring to get it ready again,” White said.

Wisconsin’s historic year-round research vessel prepares for another winter on the Great Lakes

When winter descends on the Great Lakes, most boats retreat to the harbor to wait out the icy weather. But one research vessel based in Milwaukee will keep on sailing and helping scientists in the state gather valuable data. 

The Neeskay got its start more than 70 years ago as a supply vessel in the Korean War. Today, it travels Lake Michigan on various research projects for UW-Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences and other agencies.

The ship’s captain, Maxwell Morgan, told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” that the main challenge of operating through the winter is how isolated you get out on the lakes, in addition to the ice, high waves and strong winds.

“When we’re going out to the mid-lake reef, which is 30-35 miles offshore, we’re the only boat out there,” he said. “The Coast Guard is miles and miles away. You really have to be careful. You really have to be ready at a moment’s notice and jump on those good days when they come around.”

The Neeskay is in the midst of wrapping up a buoy maintenance project for the Great Lakes Observing System, or GLOSS. The buoys monitor weather conditions constantly, which scientists can then use to observe the impacts of climate change on the region.

Morgan talked with host Kate Archer Kent about currentresearch projects, life on the Neeskay and the future of Great Lakes science.

Kate Archer Kent: We are reaching you on the Neesaky. You’re on a hydroacoustic testing project from what I understand. Can you tell us what you see around you on the ship?

Max Morgan: Right now, we are sitting on the anchor, or “on the hook,” as we like to call it, in the south section of the outer harbor in Milwaukee. I can see the Milwaukee skyline and all the happenings in the city. It’s nice to be out here and just watch the hustle and bustle on land.

We’re out with a company called OceanComm, and they do hydroacoustic testing. They are looking to develop technology that can send signals through the water without using a cord. At the moment, remote-operated vehicles and anything that communicates from the ship to the water require a tether to send information. This is more like WiFi but through the water. It’s very cool.

KAK: The ship’s first job was as an Army T boat in the Korean War. Why keep using the Neeskay as a research vessel over 50 years later?

MM: The Neeskay has been very well taken care of and it’s had a lot of updates. It’s a stout, sturdy vessel. But it’s also pretty small, so it’s good on fuel economy and it can go in near shore, which was its purpose in the first place. It’s very diverse in the things that it can do.

We could use a little bit more classroom and laboratory space on board, so we’re looking at updating our research vessel fleet. But it has everything you could need in a laboratory. We’re getting a brand new sonar this year, which is going to be really great for underwater mapping and fish finding.

KAK: Can you talk a little bit about the different types of projects that may occur on the ship?

MM: I like to say that the Neeskay is a vessel of opportunity, like a jack-of-all-trades. We do a little bit of everything. We are a research vessel for the UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences, so one of our main missions is to support the school. That includes supporting the professors there, their research projects and any types of experimentation they’d like to do with their grad students or anything they’d like to look at in the Great Lakes. It’s a way for them to get their feet wet, per say, and to get some hands-on experience.

KAK: One of the Neeskay’s projects is deploying buoys to measure weather patterns. How challenging are buoy deployments in the Great Lakes?

MM: They can be very challenging for a lot of reasons. Weather basically rules all on the lakes. You’re dealing with very heavy equipment and a very complicated mooring setup. It’s very delicate, it’s very expensive and it’s very heavy. And then you have to go try and set that in a very exact spot in potentially very deep waters. It comes down to good planning, really good weather and a little bit of luck.

KAK: You’re working with different groups that are placing buoys on the Great Lakes. What data do researchers hope to get from maintaining these buoys? 

MM: The great thing about our buoys is there are multiple functions for them. One of the functions is long-term weather monitoring. So, we can monitor climate change as it goes over a long period of time and we can see what’s happening and we can compare it to older data.

The other great thing about these buoys is the data is there for everybody. You can go on the website and access it from your phone. Any recreational or commercial mariner can click on there and see exactly what the water temperature is through the water column and down to the bottom of the lake. You can see the direction of the wind, too. All that stuff is very important to fishermen and to boaters.

New piece of Great Lakes history
welcomed at museum

This past Saturday was a special day at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point. Museum officials welcomed a piece of Great Lakes history to its grounds. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) 36381 lifeboat, and the restored lifeboat house it will be displayed in, were dedicated in a ceremony at the popular historical site.

A little bit of background on the lifeboat. The USCG 36371 lifeboat was the original lifeboat housed at Whitefish Point starting in the 1930’s. Once that vessel was taken out of service, it was nowhere to be found. Lynn said many lifeboats back then were burnt when taken out of service.

Around a decade ago, the Historical Society learned of a lifeboat very similar to the 36371 in Maryland. It was in very bad shape. It was the 36381 lifeboat. A boat only 10 digits off from the original.

USCG 36381 was transported from Maryland to Mertaugh Boat Works in Hessel where it took several years to restore. After its restoration, in Oct. 2023, the boat was transported one last time to its home at Whitefish Point. It was then meticulously moved into a restored 1923 lifeboat house.

While USCG 36381 is not the official lifeboat that was stationed at Whitefish Point, having this similar boat on site is still a gem to the museum.

“For us to find this one, with help from the friends of the organization, to be able to get it back here, get it restored, and now have it on display, it’s a part of Whitefish Point that most people don’t know about,” Lynn explained.

The museum is open until Oct. 31 and is about 15 minutes north of Paradise.

Tug James Whalen to be recycled and displayed in the future

THUNDER BAY – In a seven to five vote, Thunder Bay council has decided to recycle the James Whalen Tugboat and save the entire deck at the request of the Transportation Museum of Thunder Bay.

Wally Peterson, Chairman of the Transportation Museum of Thunder Bay, told Newswatch they are happy that council had voted in favour of recycling the James Whalen.

“We want to try and preserve as much of it as we possibly can and hopefully in the future that it would come to our site and then we could be the ones maintaining and looking after it,” said Peterson.

After a short presentation by Manager of Parks and Open Spaces Corey Halverson explaining this historical significance and outlining the specific area that the park department would like to salvage and restore for a future monument, a lengthy discussion followed with many councillors weighing the cost-benefit of recycling versus disposing of the tug.

Halverson took his report off of the Sept. 9 council agenda because further information was presented by stakeholders about preserving more of the tugboat. Halverson wanted to make sure that his report reflected that information, while still meeting the intended recommendation in the agenda.

His revised report included that after consulting with the Transportation Museum of Thunder Bay they are recommending council consider the entire deck be preserved in one piece.

In light of the conversation with the Transportation Museum, Halverson still recommends that council consider recycling the James Whalen, but adds the Transportation Museum recommendation that the entire deck of the James Whalen be installed at Fisherman’s Park West, but on the condition that the cost would be no greater than 10 per cent above the costs for abatement, environmental remediation, and recycling of the vessel.

Halverson estimates costs for the necessary abatement, remediation and recycling, including the retention of selected pieces, to be approximately $135,000 for abatement and $155,000 for vessel recycling and preservation.

He noted that this estimate can vary, positive or negative, by 30 per cent. However, the total cost can not exceed greater than $415,000.

 “We’re looking at approximately $300,000 to preserve select pieces and an EOI to determine whether or not we can include the deck or a reasonable cost, which is 10 per cent of the recycle of the restoration cost,” Halverson told council.

The total cost of disposing of the tub was estimated at $250,000.

Councillor Brian Hamilton was the first to ask Halverson what the final product would look like once the project was completed and the James Whalen found a home, but he wasn’t the last.

Nearly all the councillors around the table wanted to know where the monument’s exact final resting place was, if there were any extra funding opportunities to help supplement the cost of construction, and even if the tourist attraction could be monetized.

City Manager John Collin put all inquiries to rest several times by simply stating that city staff did not know and reminded council that they couldn’t proceed to the next phases of the project until a decision on the recommendation was made.

Staff were asked to provide council with a recommendation on what to do with the historic tug.

Collin pointed out that phase three of the asset management plan was a year away.

“Council will regrettably have to continue to just balance decisions based on public need versus their understanding of the relative impacts of the decision they make,” Colling said. “I cannot give you any more than that in the coming months as to the relative ways of this will go because we just don’t know yet.”

Councillors Mark Bentz and Trevor Giertuga thought the cost was too high on an asset that has been in disrepair for many years and essentially bleeding infrastructure dollars from more important projects. 

“I’m all for heritage and I really appreciate the Transportation Museum wanting to maintain these assets,” “Bentz said. “But, when you have an infrastructure deficit of over $30 million per year and in a total of billion dollars, we’re told, do we wanna be spending $300,000 on a tug boat?

“That’s saying obviously we weren’t maintaining it. It’s saying it cost us a million dollars to bring it from the bottom. And now we’re gonna be spending a half million more.”

Bentz and Giertuga all noted that they would rather see the tug disposed of than recycled. Giertuga went as far as to ask for a motion disposes of the tug before council had a chance to attempt to defeat the recommendation.

Hamilton stated that the disrepair of the tug falls council’s shoulders because of a lack of interest; particular, in his “lap” as the councillor of the Mackellar ward for the past six years.

“It’s never come up in any budget to actually invest in the James Whalen before. I wouldn’t rest that up an administration. Those budget directions are ours to own as a council,” Hamilton said.

“So, I think when you’re talking about the fault of the sinking and that expenditure that would fall on council and our ability to kind of have that vision. How we could have had that vision I don’t know how we could have.

“But we didn’t choose to invest in it. We choose to keep taxes low. We chose to invest in other things and what, but ultimately, that falls on us and then to some degree of community.”

TB Newswatch

Agriculture and Steel Lead Great Lakes Tonnage Traffic in 2024, Supported by Innovation and Development at Ports

September 17, 2024 —  As summer ends for the 2024 marine shipping season on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, a theme within the statistical reporting has emerged this year: agricultural commodities and steel are leading the way.

As noted in a release recently issued by the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation and the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, there has been:

• 5.2 million metric tons (mt) of Canadian and U.S. grain traffic, which is up by 277,000 mt or 5.6% year over year;
• 849 thousand mt of Potash traffic, representing an increase of 145,000 mt or 21% year over year; and
• 1.3 million mt of iron and steel traffic, which is up by 347,000 mt or 35% over last year.

Ports within Chamber of Marine Commerce (CMC) membership are key conduits for moving these and many other vital commodities, and they have met that responsibility with ongoing development and innovation.  A good example is the Port of Duluth-Superior, which is the Great Lakes’ largest port by tonnage. Located at the westernmost tip of Lake Superior, the Port of Duluth-Superior is North America’s farthest-inland freshwater seaport, and is home to 20 privately owned bulk cargo docks, an award-winning general cargo terminal, a marine fueling depot, a shipyard with dry docks, multiple tug and barge services, and an intermodal cargo terminal.

In keeping with the Seaway’s 2024 grain gains, Duluth-Superior wheat exports have more than tripled compared to the 2023 pace through August 31. Breakbulk cargo moves have also been a highlight this season, with high, wide and heavy tonnage tracking toward its best finish since 2020. Fortifying the multimodal logistics hub that supports those breakbulk and project cargo moves, the Duluth Seaway Port Authority has invested over $50 million USD in the improvement and expansion of Clure Public Marine Terminal assets since 2015. Part of that effort includes a dock reconstruction project underway this summer that will increase vessel berthing capacity and cargo laydown space.

“Our port plays a vital role in moving critical cargoes to and from North America’s midsection, and doing it efficiently,” said Deb DeLuca, executive director, Duluth Seaway Port Authority. “Modern, resilient port infrastructure is essential to accomplishing that mission, and also for driving success and dependability on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System as a whole, so it’s an ongoing top priority for us.”

“The world can count on marine shipping to be the most reliable and efficient means of moving what matters because CMC members like the Port of Duluth-Superior are investing, innovating, and finding new ways to meet the needs of shippers across diverse industries,” said Bruce Burrows, President and CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. “The ambition and commitment to customer success shown by ports like Duluth-Superior is why I expect marine shipping to lead in these vital areas for many years to come.”

About the Chamber of Marine Commerce (CMC): The Chamber of Marine Commerce (CMC) is a bi-national association that represents diverse marine industry stakeholders including major Canadian and American shippers, ports, terminals and marine service providers, as well as Canadian domestic and international ship owners. The Chamber advocates for safe, sustainable, harmonized and competitive policy and regulation that recognizes the marine transportation system’s significant advantages in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence, Coastal and Arctic regions.

Flickr – Download photos of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence shipping industry

https://www.flickr.com/photos/marinecommerce/albums/72157657049769546

Media Contacts:
 Jason Card
Chamber of Marine Commerce
jcard@cmc-ccm.com
(613) 447 5401

Biden Administration Invests $300 Million to Modernize U.S. Ferry Systems

Mike Schuler
September 16, 2024

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced nearly $300 million in grants to expand and modernize ferry systems across the United States.

The funding, part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, aims to improve transportation options for millions of Americans who rely on ferries for their daily commutes and travel needs.

“These funds will make it easier for Americans to move about their day while also protecting the rivers and waterways they depend on economically,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

The grants will support 18 projects across 14 states, focusing on replacing aging vessels with electric ships, expanding fleets, and constructing new terminals and docks. Notably, eight of these projects will receive federal support for environmentally friendly propulsion technologies.

FTA Acting Administrator Veronica Vanterpool praised the initiative, saying, “This historic funding for FTA’s Ferry Programs will enhance ways for people to travel by water. We applaud ferry agencies for taking the big step toward electrification, increasing reliability, and bringing their aging ferry systems into a state of good repair.”

The funding is distributed across three competitive grant programs: the Ferry Service for Rural Communities Program ($194 million), the Passenger Ferry Grant Program ($56.3 million), and the Electric or Low Emitting Ferry Program ($49 million). These programs aim to boost ferry service in rural areas, modernize urban ferry systems, and promote the adoption of low- and zero-emission technology.

The FTA highlighted three notable project grant awards, including a $106.4 million grant to the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities for a new diesel-electric ferry to serve rural southwest Alaska, replacing a 60-year-old vessel. In San Francisco, $11.5 million will go towards building two new electric ferries to enhance emission-free service between downtown, Treasure Island, and Mission Bay. Additionally, the Maine Department of Transportation will receive $16.6 million to modernize rural ferry terminals in Lincolnville and Islesboro, supporting the future operation of a new hybrid ferry

The St. Lawrence Seaway Unveils New Figures That Demonstrate Its Resilience, Predictability and Sustainability

CORNWALL, ON / WASHINGTON D.C. (Sept 16,2024) – Today, the St. Lawrence Seaway is releasing new figures on its performance. As of the end of August, 19.5 million metric tons of cargo have been shipped on the St. Lawrence Seaway so far this navigation season.  The consistency and reliability of the binational system makes it a key supply chain link moving the goods that drive the North American economy.  

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System supports over 350,000 jobs across the U.S. and Canada, in a region that if it were its own country, would be the third largest economy in the world.  From the food we consume, highlighted by increasing shipments of grain and potash fertilizer, to the materials and fuels that support transportation and build infrastructure across North America, the Seaway keeps costs down.

 “The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System continues to provide shippers a reliable route for a diverse range of commodities flowing in and out of the U.S. heartland,” said Adam Tindall-Schlicht, Administrator, Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.  “Cargo numbers continue to improve thanks to the dedicated workers at U.S. and Canadian ports and on the vessels who are keeping vital products like grain and steel moving efficiently through the Great Lakes maritime supply chain.”

Cargos which showed significant increases compared to the same period in 2023 are:

• Grain 5.2 million metric tons of Canadian and U.S. grain, up by 277,000 mt or 5.6%

       .    Potash 849 thousand metric tons of Potash, a product mined in the prairies and used                   in agricultural fertilizers, up by 145,000 mt. or 21%

       ,     Petroleum 1.8 million metric tons of petroleum products, up by 385, 000 mt or 27%

       ,      Iron and steel 1.3 million metric tons of iron and steel, up by 347,000 mt or 35%

“The St. Lawrence Seaway is a vital link in the supply chain that keeps our economies moving,” said Jim Athanasiou, President and CEO of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation. “Marine shipping on the Seaway is an environmentally-friendly method for transporting goods. That’s why we’re actively working with the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS) on initiatives like the Green Shipping Corridor to further increase our sustainability.”

As the season progresses, we expect tonnage levels to remain on trend demonstrating the Seaway as a resilient, predictable and sustainable binational system for global shipping.

 About the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC):

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, on behalf of the Government of Canada, manages the Canadian portion of the waterway system and its associated lands.  The binational St. Lawrence Seaway system serves as a key corridor and vital supply chain link for North America, driving significant economic activity.

About the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS): The GLS is a wholly owned U.S. government corporation created by statute to construct, operate, and maintain that part of the St. Lawrence Seaway between the Port of Montreal and Lake Erie, within the territorial limits of the United States. Its mission is to serve the U.S. intermodal and international transportation system by improving the operation and maintenance of a safe, reliable, efficient, and environmentally responsible deep-draft waterway, in cooperation with its Canadian counterpart. The GLS also encourages the development of trade through the Great Lakes-Seaway System, which contributes to the comprehensive economic and environmental development of the entire Great Lakes region. Some 241,286 jobs and $36 billion in economic activity are supported by the movement of goods within the Great Lakes-Seaway System. For more information on the St. Lawrence Seaway, please consult the websites.

Quick Fact

The Great Lakes- St. Lawrence region is the industrial and agricultural heartland of both the United States and Canada – with a combined GDP of more than $6 trillion U.S. dollars. This output would represent the third-largest economy in the world – behind the U.S. and China – if it were a country.

Director emeritus of Great Lakes museum reflects on national award

Eric Taunton
The Blade
etaunton@theblade.com

 Sep 15, 2024 5:08 PM

He only dreamed of what the National Museum of the Great Lakes could be when he started as executive director in 1999.

Chris Gillcrist, now director emeritus of the museum, remembers thinking, along with the rest of the staff at the museum’s former location in Vermilion, “If only.”

“If only we had space for that,” he said. “If only we could get involved in that. It’s things that you want for the organization because your organization will then be serving more people.”

Mr. Gillcrist’s efforts to preserve Great Lakes history over the past 25 years earned him the 2024 C. Patrick Labadie Award for Historic Preservation from the Association for Great Lakes Maritime History, a conglomerate of institutions and individuals in the United States and Canada who work to preserve Great Lakes history.

Community members and friends of the National Museum of the Great Lakes attend a groundbreaking ceremony for the museum’s expansion on Monday in Toledo.

The national award, which he received in Buffalo on Sept. 7, was named after Great Lakes preservationist C. Patrick Labadie and is presented to individuals who have contributed to the education and preservation of the Great Lakes.

“It was a great honor but, as I said in my acceptance speech, it’s an honor for the organization because I don’t think there are a lot of times where one person is solely responsible for everything,” Mr. Gillcrist said. “I used to call them my staff, now I call them my colleagues. I have had a great staff. … I’m energized by their skills and enthusiasm. It’s really an award for the organization.”

Before he became the executive director of the museum in 1999, he worked as a teacher for small Catholic colleges on the east side of Cleveland and then for museums and other historical organizations before he came across the job listing for executive director at the National Museum of the Great Lakes.

“My background in history wasn’t in Great Lakes history, it was in American museum history and in early 20th century history,” he said. “I just said, ‘It sounds interesting.’ I applied and 25 years later [I’m still here]. It’s been a crazy ride because we were a small organization that did a lot because we had a little museum in Vermilion.”

For the first decade during his time as executive director, they had a “tiny” staff of three people before moving to Toledo, which is the seed that led the museum to sprout to success, he said.

 Oakglen Sails

Great News – OAKGLEN left Montreal now upbound to Thunder Bay. She has been out of service since January 2024!
Janey Anderson

A look back on Bay City’s Jupiter explosion 30 years ago
Kaytie Boomer | kboomer@mlive.com
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