U.S. Great Lakes fleet invests $83 million in maintenance
Cleveland OH – It is an annual occurrence which keeps the iron ore, stone, and cement moving on the Great Lakes fueling the North American economy and infrastructure improvements. U.S.-flagged Great Lakes shipping companies’ partner with repair facilities around the region to conduct annual maintenance and upgrades to keep vessels operating efficiently during the nine-month operating season when the Soo Locks are open for business.
This year, companies will invest nearly $83 million in their vessels moored in New York, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. That translates into jobs for hundreds of workers in these Great Lakes states. Wisconsin shipyards will get $41 million in work, Ohio $37 million, Pennsylvania $4 million, and New York $1 million.
Work on the vessels will range from engine and navigation system upgrades to steel replacement on the hulls and decks of the vessels. The same iron ore these vessels hauled from Lake Superior ports during the summer which was turned into steel in Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania will now go back into the large self-unloading ships.
“The Great Lakes Navigation System is truly interdependent. From the mines that produce the bulk materials, to the ports which deliver and receive products, to the U.S.-flag ships that move the material to production facilities, to the end products being used to make our lives better and more efficient. The jobs sustained by this system are vital to the economy,” stated Jim Weakley, president of the Lake Carriers’ Association.
Two shipyards in the Great Lakes were specially designed to handle 1000-foot-long vessels that are 105-feet wide. Some of those vessels will be removed from the water and placed on blocks so the underwater hull can be inspected and painted. Others will have their massive engines lifted out and replaced with new. With only two-months left before the Soo Locks open, the work is critical and time sensitive to ensure vessels are ready to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from March through January.
Lake Carriers’ Association
Cliffs to idle Northshore Mining in the spring
Silver Bay, MN – Cleveland-Cliffs announced on Friday that the company is going to idle Northshore Mining in the spring, and it could go into the fall or beyond. Northshore’s mine is in Babbitt, and the pellet plant is in Silver Bay. Nearly 600 people work between the two.
CEO Lourenco Goncalves told investors that one factor is they need fewer pellets, because they are using more scrap metal. And when they decide to reduce production, the first thing they look at is cost structure.
“Because we are able to produce DR grade pellets at Minorca, and mainly due to ridiculous royalty structure in place with Mesabi Trust, we are idling all production at Northshore in the spring, carrying through at least the fall, and maybe beyond,” Goncalves said.
During the last call, in October, he referenced that Northshore could be idled every now and then, and be their swing operation.
Silver Bay’s mayor, Wade LeBlanc, said, “Hopefully it’s a short term deal, and not a long term deal. We’ve been through this before, we’ll weather it again.”
WDIO
Thunder Bay ready for influx of cruise ships
Thunder Bay, ON – Beginning in late May, the Thunder Bay cruise ship port will be bustling with travelers arriving on the Viking Expeditions’ Viking Octantis and the American Queen Voyages’ Ocean Navigator passenger vessels.
Paul Pepe, manager of tourism for the city, says the arrival of the cruise ships will mark the first time Thunder Bay has seen passenger ships in more than nine years. The Octantis will arrive for seven turnarounds this summer and the Navigator will visit twice.
“This is a pretty big advancement in the cruise shipping industry from the Great Lakes and for Thunder Bay, because (the Viking Octantis) will be in port for about 48 hours every two weeks while exchanging passengers, and with that, taking on groceries and supplies for the ship’s servicing of the vessel,” said Pepe.
“Passengers will be flying in and out of Thunder Bay to pick up the ship here and some will be staying a few days longer as a result — so it extends the economic impacts on the city immensely.”
The Octantis, which will arrive around May 26 from Milwaukee, is a new ship that went into service about three weeks ago and is currently in the Antarctic.
“The 378-passenger vessel is very luxurious and at 665 feet long, it is the largest cruise ship ever in the Great Lakes, in the history of the Great Lakes,” said Pepe. “It’s absolutely beautiful and it’s an ice-class polarized vessel.”
As an added attraction, passengers on board will be able to take advantage of two submersible vessels that can be deployed for the guests to explore shipwrecks and other underwater life.
“It’s a big development in cruising and it definitely appeals to a global audience like a global clientele and affluent travelers that are looking to connect with a new destination,” Pepe added.
Toronto Star
Kingston’s Marine Museum of the Great Lakes gets ready to open its doors
Kingston, ON – COVID-19 has taken its toll on a number of sectors, including tourism. But for at least one Kingston museum and one local art gallery, that’s about to change. Starting on Feb. 9, the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes will be conducting tours. At the Marine Museum, lessons will be learned about Kingston and the water that surrounds it.
“We’re the only museum in Canada representing the maritime heritage of the Great Lakes,” says Michelle Clarabut, the museum’s programs and communications manager.“ We’re very committed to being able to connect people with that natural, social, cultural heritage in any way that we can through programs, through exhibits, through guided tours and even on social media.”
Clarabut says there were a few people through the museum a few months ago, but when the doors open on Feb. 9, it will mark the first time since 2016 that the general public has been able to visit the Ontario Street facility.
“For those who register for our pre-booked guided tour of our national historic site, the Kingston drydock, you’d be welcomed by a staff member who will take you on a 45-minute guided tour of the site,” says Clarabut.
“Weather permitting, we will start outside and come inside — at this time of year, likely the the whole inside. But we’ll take you through the entire historic site and see spaces that have not been seen in many, many years.”
Obituary: Captain Nathan Smith
Capt. Nathan Smith passed peacefully on Wednesday Jan.19, at Sarnia, ON, in his 93rd. year. Captain Smith was born in Petrolia and moved with his family to Sarnia as a young boy and remained in the Sarnia area until the present time. He first went to sea at the age of 15 on the ship Hamonic. He left to return to school but after two years he went back to sea and has been a sailor ever since. He loved sailing and never looked back. He came aboard the Imperial Sarnia in 1969 and acquired his captain’s papers in 1974. He loved his ship and his life on the Great Lakes
He had a great sense of humor and loved to share his stories of being on the ships for 42 years. After retirement, he enjoyed many years on his yacht ‘Masters Plan’. He was a member of the International Ship Masters Association (ISMA), Port Huron Lodge No. 2 and For decades was an active photographer, writer for Imperial Oil Fleet News.
He will be greatly missed by his loving wife Velma Smith and family. He was predeceased by his parents Dorothy and Lyall Smith, his 3 brothers, 2 sisters and his daughter Dorothy Smith. Memories and condolences may be sent online at www.smithfuneralhome.ca
