Happy Rover, frequent visitor on the Great Lakes, catches on fire in Rotterdam
ROTTERDAM, NL – Fire erupted in the fore part of general cargo ship HAPPY ROVER early in the morning Aug 21, dry docked at Schiedam, Rotterdam, and undergoing repairs, including fire works. The ship arrived at Rotterdam on Aug 8, from Canada. Fire engines responded, at one time ship’s horn self-switched and woke up local residents, until it was switched off. As of 0600 UTC Aug 21, the fire was still raging, officials said fire fighting might stretch on into the day.
Fleetmon
Verplank opens Muskegon port facility
MUSKEGON, MI – A new port along the lakeshore opened this past weekend.
Verplank Family Holding Co. hosted a ribbon cutting and facility tour of its new Muskegon port facility Saturday, Aug. 20, at 151 N. Causeway St.
The new facility is on the site of the former B.C. Cobb plant, which was owned by Consumers Energy before it was decommissioned in 2018.
The weekend’s ceremony marked the official opening of the port, which the company said is the largest deep-water port facility on the western shore of Michigan and the only one capable of taking a 1,000-foot freighter. In addition, the new facility can handle more than 1 million tons annually, according to Verplank.
The ribbon cutting ceremony featured remarks from Verplank CEO Ron Matthews, COO Nathan Gates, retired CEO and third-generation family leader Midge Verplank and Rep. Terry Sabo from the 92nd House District.
After formal remarks and the ribbon cutting, guests toured the docks on Muskegon Lake via the Aquastar, courtesy of the West Michigan Port Operators.
Verplank officials also opened the doors to their new state-of-the-art asphalt plant, which the company relocated from its longtime location on Sherman Boulevard to a location one mile from the port site.
Verplank Dock Co., one of the subsidiaries of Verplank Family Holding Co., acquired the 115-acre site of the former B.C. Cobb plant in June 2020 from North Carolina-based Forsite Development Inc. Forsite acquired the site from Consumers Energy in October 2017.
GRBJ
Toronto Island ferry service partially resumes
TORONTO, ON – Ferry service to and from the Toronto Islands has been partially restored after a boat struck the dock at the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal late Saturday afternoon.
The first ferries of the day to Ward’s Island and Hanlan’s Point departed at 7 a.m. Sunday.
In a series of tweets, Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation (PFR) said due to incident ferry service between the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and Toronto Island will be operating on a “modified schedule” for the next several weeks. The city is also advising passengers to “expect much longer than usual wait times for the remainder of the summer.”
“Until further notice, there will be only three ferries operating between Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and Toronto Island – two passenger-only vessels and one vehicle/passenger vessel. Unnecessary vehicular passage is discouraged,” Toronto PFR said in a tweet.
Read the full article here: https://www.cp24.com/news/toronto-island-ferry-service-resumes-but-only-partially-after-boat-crashes-into-dock-1.6036035?fbclid=IwAR3Sdi6L-m0JMjQAZxELombndbsotPDQF1PmZkbPy9u3d6CzZhOKG_GXrAQ
CP24 News
Reserve now for MHSD’s Detroit River cruise on September 10
Join other members of the MHSD aboard the passenger vessel Diamond Queen, (captained by MHSD’s very own Mike Nicholls and with MHSD member Ken Borg as narrator) for a Detroit River cruise 1-4 p.m. Saturday, September 10. We will do our best to get up close to freighter traffic and, if conditions are favorable, go up the Rouge River (however, the Rouge is not guaranteed). Snacks and refreshments will be available on the boat.
Tickets are $28 ($30 at the dock if space is still available). Buy tickets online at BrownPaperTickets.com (put Marine Historical Society in the search box to find our event).
By mail, send a check, payable to the Marine Historical Society of Detroit, to MHSD Cruise, 1020 Iroquois St., Detroit, MI 48214. Late orders will not be mailed – they will be held for you at the dock. We are limiting the number to 100 passengers so there will be plenty of room to move about the boat.
MHSD
