Merry Christmas from Boatnerd!

Jackman freed from grounding
Fog stops St. Marys River traffic again

UPDATED: With the help of the tugs Anglian Lady and Wyoming, the Captain Henry Jackman was freed around 11:15 a.m. Sunday and continued on her way to Port Cartier.

The Algoma Central Corp. vessel went aground Saturday evening after a power failure. Dense fog at the Soo finally lifted Sunday afternoon and the St. Marys River was reopened by Soo Traffic, allowing 19 vessels that had been at anchor to resume their voyages, spaced about an hour apart so as to to avoid congestion at the locks. However the fog returned Monday, bringing downbound traffic to a halt again due to especially heavy fog at the Rock Cut. At 10 a.m. there were 13 downbound boats stopped, with more expected,

The saltwater vessel Onego Durero, which has been anchored off Brimley, MI, and then in Goulas Bay, for the last couple of weeks, left her anchorage Monday morning and will join the downbound line-up. Although nothing official has been released, waterfront reports indicate Onego Durero’s grain cargo shifted after a bulkhead gave way.

Seaway-Great Lakes shipping getting a $10.9 billion boost

Ottawa-The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway is in the middle of a combination of public
and private investment worth at least $10.9 billion to enhance its navigation system
infrastructure for marine shipping, says a study by Martin Associates.

The investments, beginning in 2018 and running to 2027, will support long term planning and
the achievement of economic development goals, while also building confidence in the
system’s future viability, the study said.

The Canadian and U.S. investments include $828 million in vessel enhancements between 2018
and 2022 with another $427 million expected by 2027.

Port and terminal infrastructure received $2.7 billion in funding between 2018 and 2022 with another $1.5 billion expected by 2027.

Waterway infrastructure such as locks, breakwaters and navigation channels, received $3.9
billion between 2018-2022, with at least another $1.6 billion planned between 2023 and 2027.

Martin Associates said the magnitude of investment revealed several important facts about the
future of the economy, supply chains, and net zero initiatives in North America.

One is that the marine shipping industry is focused on maintaining and building on its leadership as the most
efficient, reliable, and sustainable way to move cargo.

As well, there is broad recognition that economic growth and GHG reductions can be achieved
through significant investment in marine shipping, which is also a key conduit for commercial
activity for North American businesses.

As the world undergoes a historic shift towards more sustainable practices, the marine shipping
industry and the U.S. and Canadian governments are partnering to actively invest billions to
lead in the transition.

The study showed that marine shipping on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway supports
tens of billions of dollars in economic activity in North America, hundreds of thousands of jobs,
and billions in wages and taxes each year.

In addition to the billions invested by private marine shipping organizations in research and
development, new infrastructure, and new service offerings, the survey captured major
governmental funding initiatives aimed at enhancing infrastructure and improving supply
chains. This includes the U.S. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, which
were aimed in part at investing in green technologies and infrastructure enhancement,

Canada’s Green Shipping Corridor Program, which will support increased sustainability within
the marine sector and the federal Transportation Supply Chain Office to enhance supply chain
effectiveness.

Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez said the government “is working with industry to develop
stronger and greener supply chains, especially through the new National Supply Chain Office
and new Green Shipping Corridor Program. Canada and the U.S. are committed to developing
green navigation, shipping infrastructure, and supporting sustainable economic growth.

That’s exactly what this study highlights, and we’ll continue building on this in the years ahead.”
Terence Bowles, President and CEO of the Seaway Management Corporation, said,
“Investments by the Canadian and U.S. Seaway Corporations, as well as marine shipping
industry partners, have made the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway the strongest link in the
North American supply chain. This survey speaks to how these partnerships continue to evolve,
and to planned substantial future investments, which will make our economies stronger and
our future greener.”

National Newswatch

Captain Henry Jackman loses power, grounds.
Fog stops Soo traffic

UPDATE: With the help of the tugs Anglian Lady and Wyoming, the Captain Henry Jackman was freed around 11:15 a.m. Sunday and continued on her way to Port Cartier with Anglian Lady following astern. The survey vessel Bufe is scanning the area of the grounding for obstructions.  The St. Marys River remains closed to traffic due to dense fog. There are 11 vessels at anchor above DeTour and eight above the locks. Saltie Solina remains in the Nine Mile anchorage.

ORIGINAL REPORT: Sault Ste. Marie, MI – At around 4 p.m. Saturday, the downbound Captain Henry Jackman reported a power blackout just below the Rock Cut off Conley Point. She reported being aground with her port anchor out awaiting word from the company about a salvage plan.

The downbound Solina quickly ducked into the Nine Mile anchorage. Federal Katsura tied up at the
lower Poe Lock pier and Burns Harbor tied up on the west center pier. Due to heavy fog, the river was closed to traffic around 5 p.m. from Mud Lake up to the locks.

The Purvis Marine tug Anglian Lady from Sault Ste. Marie, ON, was dispatched to the Jackman but anchored in the Nine Mile anchorage around 8:30 p.m. due to fog.

CSL Laurentien went to anchor above DeTour, as did James R. Barker, Indiana Harbor, Sam Laud, Cuyahoga and Michigan Trader/Dirk S. VanEnkevort, all waiting for visibility to improve. Downbound Edwin H. Gott was expected to anchor above the locks.

Algoma Transport due at scrapyard first week of January

Marine Recycling Corp. update: Tecumseh is up out of the water at Marine Recycling Corp. Port
Colborne On. Norisle next out and Algoma Transport expected to arrive under her own power
to Port Colborne first week of January. She departed Toledo with coal at Hamilton on Friday.

MRC – Wayne Elliott

Federal Alster crewman injured at Soo Locks

Sault Ste. Marie, MI – A crewman from the Fednav vessel Federal Alster had to be taken by
ambulance to MyMichigan Medical Center in Sault Ste. Marie around noon Friday after he was
injured when a cable broke as the vessel was approaching the Poe Lock downbound.

There is no update on his injuries.

The vessel, which loaded at Duluth, locked through and continued her voyage to Montreal.

Jim Lehocky

Great Lakes ice coverage lagging behind previous years as first signs of formation appear

DETROIT, MI – Another sign of winter’s icy grip coming to Michigan has surfaced, this time in
the form of the first sightings of ice cover on the Great Lakes. According to an ice tracker that
pulls data from NOAA, 1% of Lake Superior has ice cover. Lake Michigan also has some ice
coverage in Wisconsin’s Green Bay, as well as Big Bay De Noc and Little Bay de Noc, which is
attached to the southern shore of the Upper Peninsula.

Lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario haven’t reported any ice cover as of Dec. 19.

Ice cover has increasingly become an elusive feature of the Great Lakes as warming winters
disrupt normal processes of the lakes freezing over. Tracking ice coverage for the 2023-2024
winter is still on the early side, but there are early signs this year will be below the average.
Over the past 50 years, the average ice coverage over all the Great Lakes by Dec. 19 is about
5%. Ice coverage averages are down in all the Great Lakes with Lake Huron coming in the
furthest from the norm. Typically, 7% of the lake has ice on it. But this season, there is virtually
no ice.

Other signs of a warm winter this season is a forecast from FOX Weather that finds most in the
U.S. will not experience a snowy Christmas. Models show no major snowstorms in the final days
before Dec. 25.

FOX 2 Detroit

From Canada to Ireland: Cocaine Bust
Aboard Arriving Bulker

A bulker arriving in Ireland from Canada is part of an ongoing operation as the Irish police and
revenue service search the vessel for illegal drugs. The first phase of the search turned up at
least 300 KG of cocaine in bundles aboard the ship and starting on Wednesday morning the
authorities were planning to undertake a more thorough sweep of the vessel.

The Verila, a 32,000 dwt bulker arrived in the Irish port of Foynes on the West Coast near the
city of Limerick early on Tuesday. Owned by Bulgaria’s Navigation Maritime Bulgare
(Navibulgar), the ship which is registered in Malta is reported to be carrying a load of grain from
Canada. She departed Montreal on December 9. Navibulgar lists her grain capacity at 41,000 cbm.

She also visited the Great Lakes in mid-September 2023.

After docking yesterday, December 19, the search of the vessel began using specially trained
dogs and turning up large bundles which preliminary estimates set at 300 kg. Each was wrapped
with life preservers as flotation devices and a GPS beacon. The police suspect the cocaine was
to be tossed overboard at some point to be recovered by a smaller boat coming from shore.

The Irish Times is reporting that the drugs still need to be tested for purity. They are quoting
sources that said the final amount might be around 500 kg. Also, the newspaper says the drugs
are thought likely to be high purity with the smugglers planning to mix them before distributing
the cocaine.

The police are estimating the current value of the seizure at least $23 million. The newspaper is
saying that it could rise to as much as $38 million when the final amount is determined. The
crew of the vessel is currently being held for questioning. Navibulgar confirmed to the Bulgarian
media that the vessel is currently the subject of an investigation. So far, no arrests have been made.

It is the second major seizure the Irish have made in recent months. In September, another
bulker, the Matthew, was found to be smuggling approximately 2,000 kg of cocaine. The vessel
was seized and a prosecution is ongoing in that case.

The Maritime Executive

Chamber Wall Monoliths Option 1B
Awarded for New Lock at the Soo

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District’s New Lock at the Soo
project in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, awards $213.8 million contract Option 1B (Chamber Wall
Monoliths) to Kokosing Alberici Traylor, LLC (KAT) of Westerville, Ohio.

Contract Option 1B includes construction of the lock wall monoliths, very large concrete wall
portions that make up the sides of the chamber along the north and south side of the lock
chamber. The chamber monoliths span between the upstream wide wall monoliths and
downstream wide wall monoliths.

“There are 21 chamber monoliths that make up the north wall and 21 chamber monoliths that
make up the south wall,” Jeremy Nichols, Inland Navigation Design Center, New Lock at the Soo
Design Engineer said. “The chamber monoliths are approximately 44 feet wide and 70 feet tall.
Each monolith will be constructed by placing mass concrete in roughly five-foot-high lifts, with a
total of 14 lifts per monolith.”

The New Lock at the Soo project is being built in 3 phases. Phase 1 (Upstream Channel
Deepening) was completed in 2022, and Phase 2 (Upstream Approach Walls) is expected to be
completed in summer 2024. 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.

“The remaining options are required for a complete lock,” said Kevin McDaniels, Deputy District
Engineer.

“To date, Options 1A (Upstream Wide Wall Monoliths), 1C (New Power Plant Bridge Ramp), 2
(New Pump Well Completion) and 7 (Alligator’s Mouth Mooring Area) have been awarded,
totaling $281.3 million,” said McDaniels. “The leadership team throughout the Corps of
Engineers has made the New Lock at the Soo project a national priority and we have continued
to see strong support every step along the way.”

Four contract options, totaling $320 million, await to be awarded. These options are Option 3
(Lock Operational), 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
two years.

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 feet long, 110 feet wide and 32
feet deep).

As of Dec. 4, 2023, KAT has completed over $240 million worth of work. Work to date includes
Upstream cofferdam construction, cells are set and fill is being placed; Downstream cofferdam
construction, cells are being set; abatement of hazardous materials; demolition of existing
structures; partial construction of a new bridge to the hydropower plant; adding stability
structures for the existing monoliths in preparation for dewatering and excavation; installing a
grout curtain for upcoming dewatering and blasting/excavation for a new utility shaft.

“Construction will continue over the winter season, to include hazardous waste abatement,
concrete demolition, utility shaft excavation and electrical work,” said Mollie Mahoney, New
Lock at the Soo Senior Project Manager.

The Soo Locks are essential to U.S. 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 about the New Lock at the Soo project,

visit: https://www.lre.usace.army.mil/About/Highlighted-Projects/New_Soo_Lock/ or contact
Detroit District Public Affairs Specialist Brandon Hubbard, 313-500-3251.

Post Your Christmas Cards on Boatnerd
Information Search Page

Share your Christmas cards with others (attachments must be under 2 MB.) A gallery has been
created here: https://newsearch.boatnerd.com/viewtopic.php?t=166227

‘Tis the Season for the Winter Lay-up List

Although no vessels have officials entered winter lay-up, you can monitor our annual lay-up
listing page here: https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/winter-lay-up-list-2023-2024/

That page will be updated throughout the winter as people send lay-up reports to the
news@boatnerd.net.

How to Watch Special About Life on Lee A. Tregurtha

A reporter from Marquette’s TV6 recently road aboard the Lee A. Tregurtha. See how to watch
it at this link: https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2023/12/20/how-watch-tv6s-elizabeth-
petersons-hour-long-special-about-life-lee-tregur-tha/?fbclid=IwAR1oQNI8oIBEGsqVIvb80baVr0fezxwHl7lkWjXa5Um_4M0C6ihCrkdQQzc#lqehr3i
m7axeew1jwf

Errant research boat completes solo
journey across Lake Michigan

PORT WASHINGTON, WI — The autumn sun was out as Chelsea Volpano lugged her Bathycat, a
small orange catamaran filled with scientific instruments, down to the beach.

Volpano, 29, a geoscience doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, had remote
piloted the craft many times during her research into the way eroded coastal sand moves
around underneath Lake Michigan. But Monday, Oct. 30, was different. Volpano didn’t know it,
but the small Bathycat was about to embark on a big journey.

The 3-foot boat was running a grid in calm water off Lion’s Den Gorge, a long term Wisconsin
coastal monitoring near Port Washington when it stopped communicating with the controller.
And just like that, all Volpano could do was watch, crestfallen, as gusty winds pushed a still-
running $10,000 grant-funded boat into the big water and quickly out-of-sight
.
Volpano had brought an inflatable kayak in case something went awry, but her faculty advisor
warned her not to paddle after the escaping Bathycat alone in late October. “I just kind of
watched it float away,” Volpano said, ruefully. It was a difficult moment. “I questioned a lot of
my life choices.”

The story might have ended there, but Volpano wasn’t ready to give up on her Bathycat. She
pleaded for help on Facebook. Had anyone seen a little orange boat sailing alone? Perhaps it
came ashore on the beach somewhere.

People responded. Her post was shared thousands of times. News stations amplified the story.
Private pilots flew the coast in search of the little orange Bathycat. The U.S. Coast Guard even
attempted to model the boat’s drift.

Days turned to weeks with no sign of the Bathycat. Then, on Dec. 4, word came. The boat had
been found roughly 120 miles in the other direction. It washed ashore in northern Michigan
near Frankfort, where hunters found it on a stretch of private beach.

Apparently, the Bathycat had been in Michigan for a while. The man who found it gave the boat
to an electrical engineer to see whether the soggy electronics could be salvaged.

They told Volpano it was found about November 14. The Bathycat was returned through intermediaries. Read the rest of the story and view images at this MLive link:

https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2023/12/errant-student-research-boat-solo-sails-
across-lake-michigan.html

Ocean Voyager ties up next to sistership at Portland

The American Queen Voyages’ cruise ship Ocean Voyager tied up alongside Ocean Navigator at
Portland, ME, Dec. 17. It is not known if Voyager has gone into lay-up next to her sistership. AIS
shows her voyage originated in Jacksonville, FL.

Ocean Navigator has been laid up after a generator fire that broke out following an explosion
on board early Oct. 17. The ship was docked at a pier in Portland when the incident happened,
leaving the crew member with serious injuries and launching an investigation into the cause.

Earlier this year, American Queen announced they were pulling out of the Great Lakes after this
season to focus on river cruises and that the two vessels would be sold.

Paul Beesley

Fate decided: Norgoma will be ripped apart by Purvis cutting torches

Sault Ste. Marie, ON – City council has decided to pay Purvis Marine $395,000 to break the 188-
foot M.S. Norgoma into scrap metal.

The Monday-night decision settles months of squabbling between those determined to save
the rusting former package freighter/passenger ferry/museum ship, and those who believe it’s
a costly blight on the Sault waterfront.

The Norgoma decision that we’ve got before us today will lead to questions of what could
have been, had the ship received the type of funding it ought to have received all these years, had we just tried this tact instead of that one, said Mayor Matthew Shoemaker. I think the questions of what ought to have been are misplaced, the mayor said.

We got the Norgoma for a dollar in roughly 1975 and have had the debate ever since of
whether or not it was proper for our waterfront. I hold the view… that it was not a proper use of municipal resources to invest in its viability all those years. We are at this point in our decision-making because of a decision that probably ought never to have been made in the first place, Shoemaker said.

Tom Vair, the citys deputy chief administrative officer for community development and
enterprise services, said city staff have worked hard to try to find another home for the Norgoma.

The city has signed two agreements for purchase and sale for the Norgoma, Vair said.
Neither of those groups were able to consummate the deal. Were probably talked with 10
different groups over the last few years trying to find another solution.

Ultimately the cost of relocation, the cost to refurbish, the cost to dock, and now the looming
cost that other municipalities have asked to have money in escrow in case it didn’t work out so
they can’t dismantle the boat, has made it not feasible for anyone else, Vair told the meeting.

From the city’s perspective, were spending money on insurance and were spending money on
docking fees so it is getting expensive. That bill has been adding up. It really came down to
trying to find a viable solution.

Unfortunately, the best solution is decommissioning the vessel. We were able to get a quote
from a local firm which was much less than we received from an out-of-town firm, Vair said.

I don’t think anyone around this table originally would have wanted to see the Norgoma be
decommissioned, but I think were at a state where that is our best option, said Ward 3 Coun.
Angela Caputo.

At Purvis’s request, the city will waive $5,000 to $8,000 in landfill fees associated with disposal
of non-ferrous materials including wood, roofing materials, asbestos, oil, lubricants and paint.

Purvis must now move the boat as soon as possible from its current $40-a-day berth at Algoma
Steel to a ship-breaking location.

Soo Today

US Brig Niagara will get ‘multi-million-dollar’ maintenance and upgrades

Published: Dec. 18, 2023, 11:00 a.m.

By Deb Kiner | dkiner@pennlive.com

The U.S. Brig Niagara in Erie will get “multi-million-dollar” maintenance and upgrades with plans to sail “Pennsylvania’s northwest coast in 2026 when the United States and the Commonwealth celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary.”

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission said today its contract with the Flagship Niagara League will expire on Dec. 31 but “both organizations are pleased to reaffirm their commitment to continued collaboration for the advancement of Erie and the region’s maritime history.”

The commission said it will make a “substantial investment” in the Erie Maritime Museum Complex and the U.S. Brig Niagara.

“Both the museum and the ship will receive significant upgrades, with the development of new exhibits at the museum and repairs and improvements to the ship over the next few years.  The elevation of the museum as a top-tier maritime history destination will draw a wider audience, educating more people about this important history and serving as a driver for Erie’s tourism economy.”

The commission said that while Niagara will spend most of her time day-sailing from her home port, there are plans “to sail to other Great Lakes destinations several times a year and to continue to participate in Tall Ships.”

The commission said it will “resume direct management of the U.S. Brig Niagara, hiring the ship’s professional crew, a staffing model successfully employed from 1992 to 2009. This model will include hiring a full-time captain, chief mate, shipwright, as well as seasonal crew members.”

The commission will allocate an additional $400,00 to support the Niagara’s operations. That is in addition to an existing $350,000 for maintenance and operations.

In the coming year, the commission said it will “embark on a multi-million-dollar Commonwealth Capital Project to tackle Niagara’s deferred maintenance and to make major systems upgrades. The significant investment of resources over the next two years will culminate in the ship sailing Pennsylvania’s northwest coast in 2026 when the United States and the Commonwealth celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary.”

The U.S. Brig Niagara, according to Flagship Niagara League, “is a faithful reconstruction of Oliver Hazard Perry’s relief flagship during the Battle of Lake Erie.”

This past summer, the U.S. Brig Niagara suspended its sailing schedule “due to mechanical issues outside the control of both organizations …”

MacArthur Lock closes for the season

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – The MacArthur Lock in Sault Ste. Marie closed Dec. 17 for safety
inspections and routine maintenance. The branch chief on site said the maintenance period is
critical for the 800-foot long, 80-year-old lock’s operations during the shipping season.

In addition to inspections, the dam will be dewatered, and crews will replace fender timbers on
the piers, as well as any damaged electrical and mechanical systems. The Poe Lock will remain
open until Jan. 15, or until commercial traffic ceases.

NEWS19

Japan’s Nippon Steel to buy U.S. Steel in $14.9 billion deal

Editor’s note: U.S. Steel once operated the largest fleet of vessels on the Great Lakes. Great Lakes Fleet, Duluth, MN, operated by Key Lakes Inc. and owned by Canadian National Railway, took over the last of U.S. Steels Great Lakes vessels in 2004. Their vessels, including the Arthur M. Anderson, Edwin H. Gott and Edgar B. Speer, haul the majority of U.S. Steels raw materials to various ports on the lakes. 

Japan’s Nippon Steel clinched a deal on Monday to buy U.S. Steel for $14.9 billion in cash, prevailing in an auction for the 122-year-old iconic steelmaker over rivals including Cleveland-Cliffs and ArcellorMittal.

The deal price of $55 per share represents a 142% premium to Aug. 11, the last trading day before Cleveland-Cliffs unveiled a $35-per-share cash-and-stock bid for U.S. Steel.

Cleveland-Cliffs’ move prompted U.S. Steel to launch a sale process. In a meeting of its board of directors on Sunday, U.S. Steel deemed Nippon’s offer superior to a sale to Cleveland-Cliffs, which had raised its bid in the high $40-per-share range, the sources said.

The outcome is also a blow for ArcelorMittal, which Reuters has reported also pursued U.S. Steel. Nippon and ArcelorMittal own a plant in Alabama that produces steel sheet products by processing semi-finished products, or slabs, procured from local and overseas suppliers. They are also investing about $1 billion in an electric arc furnace.

The deal will help Nippon, the world’s fourth largest steel maker, move toward 100 million tonnes of global crude steel capacity, while significantly expanding its production in the United States, where steel prices are expected to rise as automakers ramp up production following their recent deals with labor unions to end strikes.

Nippon did not give any projections of the synergies that will arise from the deal that justify the price it will pay. It said the synergies will come from pooling advanced production technology and know-how in product development, operations, energy savings and recycling.

“We feel Nippon is overpaying for those assets. This isn’t the technology space. This is still the cyclical steel industry,” said Gordon Johnson, analyst at GLJ Research.

U.S Steel shares traded up 28% at $50.50 in pre-market trading in New York on Monday.

All of U.S. Steel’s commitments with its employees, including all collective bargaining agreements in place with its union, will be honored, Nippon said.

The company’s executive vice president, Takahiro Mori, told Reuters in an interview that the company had operated in the United States for 40 years and that it was confident the transaction would be completed.

“Standard Steel and Wheeling Nippon Steel that we own are unionized companies in the United States, we have a good history of working with unions. We see no regulatory or antitrust issues with the deal,” Mori said.

Nippon’s joint venture with Arcelor is not unionized.

Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel’s shares had suffered after several quarters of falling revenue and profit, making it an attractive takeover target for rivals looking to add a maker of steel used by the automobile industry.

U.S. Steel also supplies to the renewable energy industry and stands to benefit from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which provides tax credits and other incentives for such projects, something that attracted suitors.

The transaction with Nippon is expected to close in the second or third quarter of 2024, subject to approvals, U.S. Steel said. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a U.S. panel that scrutinizes deals for potential national security risks, is expected to review the transaction.

Reuters

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awards contract for Erie Harbor dredging in 2024

Dana Massing
Erie Times-News

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently awarded a contract for the dredging of Erie’s harbor in 2024.

The Corps’ Buffalo District awarded the $682,000 contract to Michigan-based Ryba Marine Construction Co. on Dec. 6 for the work on the federal navigation channel in Erie Harbor, according to a news release.

Why does the harbor need dredged?

Dredging of harbors like Erie’s ensures accessible depths for large vessels, the continued flow of commodities across the Great Lakes, and the economic viability of United States waterways, according to the news release.

“Maintaining the operation of ports like Erie is a core part of our mission and essential to the economic strength of the nation,” Lt. Col. Colby Krug, commander of the Buffalo District, said in the news release.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District contractor Ryba Marine Construction Co. of Michigan dredges the Erie Harbor on June 30, 2021. The Corps has awarded Ryba a contract for 2024 dredging work in Erie.

Erie Harbor is a deep draft commercial harbor that handled 787,000 tons of cargo, including limestone, sand and gravel, and salt in 2021. Waterborne transportation facilitated by the harbor supports $29.3 million in business revenue; 139 direct, indirect and induced jobs; and $9.4 million in labor income to the national transportation sector, according to the news release.

Operation, maintenance and dredging of harbors like Erie by the Corps of Engineers is critical to the economy of Pennsylvania, the Great Lakes region and the United States, the news release stated.

Shipping spot: Erie’s port on the Great Lakes is entry point for hundreds of thousands of tons of cargo
Project details

Dredging will be focused in the lake approach channel and areas between the entrance piers, according to information from the Corps of Engineers.

About 100,000 cubic yards of material is contracted to be mechanically dredged and placed in an authorized open Lake Erie placement area.

When will it take place?
Work is to take place from mid-June through July 2024.

Dredging of Erie Harbor is now scheduled to be conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers every three to four years, based on availability of funding.
In the 2021 dredging cycle, Ryba was to remove 290,000 cubic yards from the Erie Harbor federal channel.

Dana Massing can be reached at dmassing@timesnews.com.

Funds requested to scrap ex-passenger ship/museum Norgoma

Sault Ste. Marie, ON – City council will be asked Monday to earmark $395,000 from a reserve
fund to scrap the M.S. Norgoma, which has been rusting for almost five years at a private berth
near Algoma Steel.

If councillors agree, the cost of decommissioning the 188-foot former package freighter/
passenger ferry/ museum ship will be paid to Purvis Marine, which has asked the city to waive
$5,000 to $8,000 in landfill fees associated with disposal of non-ferrous materials, including
contaminants.

From 1963 to 1974 the Norgoma was a car ferry, running between Manitoulin Island and the
Bruce Peninsula. Since 1975, it’s been on the Sault waterfront, operating as a museum ship and
raising concerns about the condition of the ship and its viability as a business.

In 2019, exasperated city councillors voted to evict the Norgoma from the berth it had occupied
for four decades, to allow a dock-replacement project. The ship was towed to a slip leased by
Purvis Marine at Algoma Steel, where it remains at a discounted berthing rate of $40 a day.

City staff have made numerous attempts to find a home for the vessel with many different
proponents, says Tom Vair, the citys deputy chief administrative officer for community
development and enterprise services.

Two agreements for the sale of the vessel were entered into (The Sweet Shop, Tobermory; Jeff
Dwor, Port Colborne) but neither proponent was able to conclude the agreement. Vair says in a
report prepared for Mayor Matthew Shoemaker and city councillors.

Staff have had discussions with a number of other proponents to try and find a home for the
vessel since these agreements were terminated but none of the groups expressing interest have
been able to move forward.

This is largely due to the cost of relocating the vessel, costs of refurbishment, ability to find a
suitable location to dock the vessel and the requirements of host municipalities to provide funds
in escrow should the vessel need to be decommissioned.

Staff also explored the option to scuttle the vessel for a dive site. In discussions with experts in
the field, it was advised that the Norgoma would require extensive environmental work to ensure
the vessel is clean of oil and other contaminants.

The probability for a viable solution appears to be very low at this point and it is not
recommended to incur further expenses for insurance and docking fees, Vair said.

Soo Today

Work continues on carferry Badger’s dock

LUDINGTON, MI – Work continues on the replacing the carferry dock and its counterweight
structures. Mild late fall weather has likely helped to progress the work.

On July 21, the counterweight structure on the port side of the Ludington dock failed, which
rendered the apron ramp non-operational and caused an abrupt end to the Badger’s 70th season.

Nobody was injured in the incident and neither the ramp itself nor did the Badger sustained any
damage.

In early November, Lake Michigan Carferry received the final permits required from the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers to start rebuilding the dock infrastructure necessary to operate the SS
Badger.

The King Construction Co., of Holland, Mich., and Underwater Construction Corporation, from
its regional office in Michigan, have been working on the extensive below-water work while Al
Bufka Construction of Grant Township has done demolition work of the port side counterweight.

Company officials anticipate the work will be completed before the Badger’s 2024 sailing season
in early May.