Efforts continue to move Manitoulin,
stuck in ice off Buffalo
Buffalo, NY – Icebreaking efforts were underway to free the freighter Manitoulin from the ice of Lake Erie near Buffalo, NY, on Friday morning, but were unsuccessful. Another attempt will be made Saturday with additional icebreaking assets.
The Bristol Bay, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter from Detroit, which headed Thursday toward Buffalo, New York, was working to free the vessel. On Friday night, the CCGS icebreaker Samuel Risley was headed toward Buffalo to lend a hand, as was the USCG Neah Bay.
The 663-foot Manitoulin had just dropped off a load of wheat and sought to return to Sarnia, Ontario, when it became snagged just before noon Wednesday in the frozen water, unable to continue moving forward.
Some reports indicate the ice around the Manitoulin is five feet thick. Winds are not favorable right now to help the situation. It’s unclear how long it might take to free the ship, the Coast Guard said. The lake ice this year, officials added, appears to be much thicker than in the past, and there are few signs that it will soon thaw.
Official said that the 17 crew members aboard the vessel has enough fuel, food and electricity. They are all in good health, and there were no concerns for their safety or wellbeing.
It is common during this time of year for freighters to get stuck, especially with cold temperatures that have been fluctuating between 15 degrees and 1 degree below zero, the Coast Guard added.
Another vessel, Algoma Bear, is anchored across the lake near Long Point waiting to go into Buffalo once the Manitoulin is freed.
Algoma Discovery getting a refit in Quebec
FROM FACEBOOK: The Algoma Discovery will be at our Les Mechins, QC, shipyard for a period of 5 to 6 weeks. This vessel, which is 222 meters long and with a loading capacity of 37,911 tons / 45,615m3 will be under the good care of our teams where mechanical and steel replacement work will be carried out.
Groupe Océan
Konecranes lands $15M adjustment to US Navy contract.
MANITOWOC – Konecranes Nuclear Equipment and Services — which partners with Broadwind Heavy Fabrications to produce cranes — recently was awarded a $15 million adjustment to a U.S. Navy contract valued at $244 million, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
The new contract calls for 175-ton cranes to be completed in New Berlin, Wisconsin, before September 2028. The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command in Norfolk, Virginia, contracted the work.
Finnish company Konecranes has supplied and serviced lifting equipment for the nuclear industry for more than 50 years and has around 16,700 employees in more than 50 countries. It has around 600 workers at its New Berlin facility and 30 at its Manitowoc site.
The company also works closely with Manitowoc-based Broadwind, which makes components for some cranes as part of Konecrane’s Navy contract.
That partnership includes “Big Blue,” the giant blue crane manufactured in the heart of Manitowoc in 2021. The crane became a social media sensation with fans following her journey by barge from Manitowoc to the U.S. East Coast.
Currently, two cranes, around 200 feet tall, are completed and waiting at the Broadwind site waiting for warmer weather to make their own journeys. These cranes can lift 157 tons, compared with Big Blue’s 140-ton capacity. These machines weight more than 2 million pounds.
The new cranes also will travel to Naval shipyards via barge, but this time to the Pacific Ocean. One will go to Washington state and Hawaii.
Herald-Times Reporter
REVISED: U.S.-Flag Cargo Movement on Lakes Down 3.9 Percent in 2024
This is a revision to the report sent 1/21/25
CLEVELAND – U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters (lakers) moved 78.2 million tons of cargo in 2024, a decrease of 3.9 percent compared to 2023. The 2024 float was 2.1 percent below the fleet’s 5-year average.
Compared to 2023, salt shipments increased by 5.8 percent while sand shipments increased by 15.2 percent. Iron ore shipments totaled 43.9 million tons, a 3.6 percent increase from the prior year. Grain cargos decreased by less than one percent to 312,345 tons. Coal cargos were down 12.7 percent to 7.3 million tons. Limestone shipments declined by 14.5 percent to 21.1 million tons and cement shipments dipped by 6.3 percent to 3.5 million tons.
See Chart in Gallery below:
