Canadian owner puts Duluth’s Great Lakes Fleet up for sale
Duluth, MN – In an earnings call last month, Canadian National Railway shared a desire to sell off its Twin Ports-based Great Lakes Fleet of ore carriers.
The move comes as the freight rail company reviews its non-rail business, including a trucking firm, TransX. “We are in negotiations regarding the divestiture of the Great Lakes vessel (sic),” said Jean-Jacques Ruest, CN president, chief executive officer and director, during an earnings call with shareholders Jan. 25.
The Great Lakes Fleet of lake freighters features nine ore boats, including three 1,000-footers. Its base of operations is located in offices at the CN ore docks in Duluth, near 34th Avenue West. The vessels are itinerant, often visiting the local ore dock for loading, but only occasionally making a long-term visit. For instance, there are no members of the fleet wintering in Duluth this offseason.
A potential vessel sale process is progressing with some active bidders,” said Helen Quirke, senior vice president and chief strategy officer, in a transcript of the call. “But any transaction needs to be at a favorable value to us. Therefore, we are willing to continue to operate the vessels should a deal not be concluded at a favorable value to us.”
Quirke further explained that while the fleet of ore boats helps earnings, it dilutes the company’s operations. “Great Lakes Fleet is a heritage brand in our port, with decades of history,” she said. “It’s an important part of the past, present, and hopefully the future of our region’s maritime industry.”
The Great Lakes Fleet is operated under the locally based company, Key Lakes Inc., a workaround that allows the Canadian owner to apply its assets on the Great Lakes, between U.S. ports — from Minnesota ore mines to the country’s blast furnaces and steel mills on the lower Great Lakes. The Jones Act prohibits foreign ships from delivering cargoes between American ports.
The Great Lakes Fleet is home to the popular Arthur M. Anderson, the last vessel to communicate with the Edmund Fitzgerald prior to its infamous sinking in 1975. Other vessels in the fleet include 1,000-footers Edgar B. Speer, Edwin H. Gott and Presque Isle, along with the John G. Munson, Cason J. Callaway, Philip R. Clarke and Great Republic.
A final vessel in the fleet, the Roger Blough, was badly damaged by fire in February 2021 during its winter layup in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. CN did not illuminate the current status of Roger Blough. At the time of the fire, the Sturgeon Bay Fire Department reported an estimated $20 million in damages to the $100 million laker.
The Port Authority’s DeLuca noted the potential jobs at stake. “The local jobs and commerce connected with Great Lakes Fleet being home-ported in Duluth are meaningful,” DeLuca said. “So, we certainly want to see a good local outcome for the fleet and its employees.”
Read the story here: https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/canadian-owner-puts-duluths-great-lakes-fleet-up-for-sale?fbclid=IwAR3Zam_8gqMV5puSNEDIckyRBdSQfwj-z02hN2Ge6FREX_FgEtdueIO2DT0
Cleveland to be port of call for new Viking ‘Great Lakes Collection’ cruise starting in 2023
Cleveland, OH – Starting next summer, travelers on Viking’s “Great Lakes Collection” luxury cruise will get to experience the city of Cleveland as one of its ports of call. The 15-day tour from Toronto, Canada, to Duluth, Minnesota will allow travelers to sail on all five of the Great Lakes. Stops will include Niagara Falls, Cleveland, Detroit, Mackinac Island, and Sault Sainte Marie.
During the day-long stop in Cleveland, travelers will have an opportunity to experience:
“Cleveland Highlights” – A scenic drive through Cleveland before delving into music history at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
“Arts & Parks” – A visit to the Cultural Gardens and the Cleveland Museum of Art.
“Taste of Cleveland” – Sampling the city’s diversity at the West Side Market.
“Cleveland’s Waterfront” – A tour of the Great Lakes Science Center and the historic Great Lakes bulk freighter William G. Mather.
Cuyahoga Valley hike
Cuyahoga River by kayak
Cuyahoga Valley by bike
Passengers for the Great Lakes Collection will sail aboard the Viking Polaris, which is due to join the company’s fleet later this year. Like its sister ship Viking Octantis, 378 guests will be able to be hosted in 189 luxurious staterooms.
Viking first announced the addition of Great Lakes destination cruises in January of 2020, just prior to the pandemic. “The Great Lakes are a phenomenal destination in the world, and they are currently underserved [by cruise lines],” said Viking chairman Torsten Hagen at the time of the announcement.
The company now offers six different cruising options for the Great Lakes and Canada. However, a Great Lakes Collection trip on Viking Polaris will cost you some bucks. Prices for the 15-day cruise start at just under $14,000. One of Viking’s eight-day Great Lakes trips will cost you about $6,000.
The first Great Lakes Collection trip is due to set sail on June 10, 2023. Click here for more information. https://www.vikingcruises.com/expeditions/cruise-destinations/great-lakes-canada/great-lakes-collection/pricing.html?return=true
Lorain, Lordstown could become sites for new naval submarine dry dock, equipment depot
Cleveland, OH – Thousands of jobs may soon be coming to two Northeast Ohio communities as part of a plan to address a shortage of naval shipyards across the nation.
Bartlett Maritime Corporation is seeking to build a submarine dry dock for the U.S. Navy in Lorain and a naval equipment depot in Lordstown. According to The Bartlett Maritime Plan™, 2,000-3,000 new jobs would be created in Lorain, with an additional 500-1,000 in Lordstown.
The project is being led by Bartlett Maritime Corporation CEO and former Navy captain Edward Bartlett, who served as a submariner and also a submarine design engineer. He founded the company in 2019 as a response to a shortage of dry docks and shipyards in the Navy.
Last month, Bartlett told 3News’ NBC sister station 21 WFMJ that Lordstown would become “the Navy’s centralized equipment depot for the nuclear powered fleet aircraft carriers and submarines.” The proposed American Naval Shipyard in Lorain would bring the total number of certified naval dry docks to 20.
Bartlett believes Ohio is the ideal place for the facilities to be built due to the state’s available industrial revenue bond program, which would fund the multi-billion dollar cost via a 3-way public-private partnership.
Response to the proposal has been enthusiastic. On Monday, Lorain City Council passed a resolution in support of the dry dock. Last month, the Metal Trades Department (MTD) of the AFL-CIO, which has represented the vast majority of shipyard skilled trades personnel in the United States since 1908, signed a cooperation agreement with Bartlett Maritime Corporation.
“The Metal Trades Department and its affiliated international unions are proud to join Bartlett Maritime in its efforts to become the next public-private U.S. Navy maintenance and repair shipyard,” said MTD President James Hart. “We look forward to this partnership and the impact it will have on creating and sustaining good, unionized jobs in Ohio.”
The proposal is currently being reviewed by the United States Navy. Phase 1 of the plan calls for a six-month research, planning, and concept demonstration. It could be completed by the end of the summer.
Bartlett told 3News that the hope is for ceremonial groundbreaking for both facilities to take place in October, with heavy construction to start at both locations in the early spring of 2023.
WKYC
Boatnerd Soo Gathering returns June 23-24
Boatnerd is delighted to announce the return of our annual boat watching events in conjunction with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers annual Engineer’s Day (Friday, June 24) open house at the Soo Locks, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
- Boatnerd Picnic at Sherman Park, Thursday, June 23*
- Optional: Three-hour Soo Locks Freighter Chasing Cruise aboard the tour boat LeVoyageur (ticket prices and information TBA) at 6 p.m. Friday, June 24
- Boat watching at Sherman Park and at Mission Point Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
- Lots of friendly Boatnerds
*The Boatnerd Picnic will be Thursday, June 23, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Sherman Park, just west of the locks. Bring a dish to pass. Burgers, hot dogs, buns and condiments will be provided by Boatnerd. Free.) Save the date and think early about your travel plans and lodging. The event will be held rain or shine, but lets hope for sunshine!
