The 2025-2026 winter layup list is now up and running at  https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/winter-lay-up-list-2025-2026

Algoma Central tankers on the move Friday

    Despite blistering cold weather, the Algoma fleet was on the move Friday, this time with a personal escort from the CCG Vincent Massey. They sailed across Lake Erie Thursday and were headed up the Livingstone Channel Friday morning.  
   Algoterra and Algocanada were bound for Sarnia, while Algoberta is heading to Milwaukee under the command of Capt. Ryan.
   All of Algoma’s product tankers are Ice Class 1A vessels.
   Ice Class 1A ships are designed to operate in difficult ice conditions, often with the assistance of icebreakers, though they are capable of independent operation in lighter ice. Their hulls are reinforced with high-strength, ductile steel to withstand ice pressure and impact – particularly around the ice belt near the waterline.
   While primarily intended for winter navigation in the Baltic Sea, their design makes them well suited for similar, moderately ice-covered, non-Arctic regions. Under the Finnish-Swedish Ice Class system, 1A is one of the highest levels of reinforcement below 1A Super and is often considered roughly equivalent to Polar Class 7 (PC7).
   Below 1A are Classes 1B and 1C, which are intended for lighter ice conditions.

 [Windsor Aerial Drone Photography]