Erie Trader

The self-unloading barge Erie Trader was completed at the Donjon yard in April 2012. She is mated with the articulated tug Clyde S. Van Enkevort, which was completed in February 2011 at Donjon Shipbuilding and Repair LLC in Erie, Pa. Both are owned and operated by Van Enkevort Tug & Barge of Escanaba, Mich.,

Both units, which were owned at the time by Seajon, a joint venture between SEACOR Holdings Inc. and Donjon, were christened at ceremonies in Erie on April 10, 2012. The combined tug/barge unit entered service under charter to American Steamship Company in May 2012 under the names Ken Boothe Sr. (tug) and Lakes Contender (barge).

Lakes Contender was named by the builder to commemorate its entry into the Great Lakes shipbuilding industry. The Ken Boothe Sr. was named in memory of the former shipyard manager for Donjon Shipbuilding and Repair.

The American Steamship Co, charter was not renewed in 2017. Both are now owned and operated by Van Enkevort Tug & Barge of Escanaba, Mich.

The Erie Trader is equipped with electric power generators for ballast pump operation and hydraulic power units for conveyor system operation. Self-unloading equipment consists of a single tunnel belt and loop belt system which elevates cargo to a hydraulically-actuated unloading boom. The barge is equipped with a 1,000 HP diesel-driven bow thruster.

Clyde S. Van Enkevort, the tug’s namesake, entered the marine industry in the late 1960s. He was a specialist in integrated tug/barge design, with one of his biggest accomplishments being the building of the tug Joyce L. Van Enkevort and the barge Great Lakes Trader. He died Feb. 20, 2016.

Written by Roger LeLievre.