Trade winds blowing at the Port of Monroe
MONROE, MI – The Port of Monroe (Port) along with port tenant Ventower Industries (Ventower) and terminal operator DRM are working to develop and expand new renewable energy supply chain opportunities during the 2022 shipping season.
The Port and DRM are working to load wind tower sections manufactured in Monroe by Ventower for outbound shipment on US-flagged barges. The wind towers are being transported to the Port of Oswego, New York where they will be staged with other components for delivery to a project site in upstate New York.
Ventower Industries is the only active wind turbine tower manufacturer in the United States located at a Port. The relationship between the Port and Ventower has been critical in developing these new supply chains. A load of tower sections was loaded aboard a foreign-flagged vessel in 2019 for delivery to a project in South America but this current project is a positive step forward for short-sea-shipping on the Great Lakes.
“The fabrication of utility-scale wind turbine towers is what we do best. When you combine the skills of our manufacturing team and the capabilities we developed at our Port of Monroe manufacturing facility with a world class marine transportation facility next door, it creates an environment which allows us to serve our customers more effectively and makes our products that much more competitive in the region,” said Gregory Adanin, CEO/President at Ventower.
Ashton Marine Corporation, a Michigan-based tug company, is handling the transportation for the project.
“We are honored to partner with the Port, Ventower and DRM on this renewable energy project,” said Seth Andrie, President of Ashton Marine. “Transporting project cargo for our customers throughout the Great Lakes is one of our specialties.”
In 2016, the U.S. Maritime Administration designated the Port of Monroe as part of the Marine Highway Route M-90. As a Marine Highway, the Port and its stakeholders are committed to developing and expanding marine highway service options in the United States to expand the use of America’s navigable waterways. “In a single project we have Michigan manufactured renewable energy components, built right here at the Port of Monroe, being transported under the American flag on a designated Marine Highway Route,” said Capt. Paul C. LaMarre III, Port Director at the Port of Monroe. “The Port of Monroe is proud to be at the forefront of domestic cargo diversification which will ultimately benefit the system as a whole.”
The Port recently welcomed a new Manitowoc crawler crane to the port which will be used to load tower sections. Funds to purchase the crane were awarded through the Marine Highway program.
The wind tower project is expected to be completed later this summer.
Port of Monroe
Photograph shows M/V Gwen loading US fireboat
PICTON, ON – The new MetalCraft Marine US fireboat bring lifted aboard M/V Gwen in Picton Bay Thursday morning, now departed for Italy to load other cargo for South East Asia, and then off to Kuwait. This custom-built fireboat (FireCat 25M) based on a catamaran is heading to Kuwait. It is the 6th vessel built for Kuwait. The towers go up 45 feet above the water, and shoot huge velocity of water (5,500 gallons per minute).
Janey Anderson
World’s largest rubber duck to make 2 appearances in Michigan this summer
Known as Mama Duck, the “World’s Largest Rubber Duck” is set to make two appearances in Michigan over the summer.
The first will be at the Festival of Sails in Alpena, along the shores of Lake Huron, from July 15-17. Then, Mama Duck will head to Marquette’s Mattson Lower Harbor Park, along Lake Superior, from Aug. 12-14.
Make no mistake about it, this isn’t your ordinary rubber duck. It’s 61-feet high, 69-feet wide, 79-feet long and weighs 31,500 pounds, according to Craig Samborski, president and owner of the World’s Largest Rubber Duck.
Samborski said the duck made its debut in August 2014, when it appeared in Los Angeles. The duck is available for events and festivals throughout the summer from late June until October, Samborski said.
“The duck uses three high-intensity blowers to keep it inflated during each of its visits,” Samborski said. Samborski added the duck travels by semi-truck everywhere it goes, and is stored when not in use at a warehouse just outside of Cleveland, Ohio.
Click on Detroit
Museum’s new self-guided walking tour explores the fascinating maritime history of Toledo port
TOLEDO, OH – The National Museum of the Great Lakes (NMGL) is releasing a new, stand-alone product for individuals to explore the story behind the museum’s hometown maritime history. Using VoiceMap, a self-guided tour app, individuals can travel back in time with author, storyteller, and holytoledohistory.com curator Tedd Long on a 90-minute walk along the heart of downtown Toledo’s riverfront while sightseeing, boat watching and enjoying the winding path along the Maumee.
“There are so many fascinating maritime stories to explore in Toledo—from why Toledo’s Warehouse District was centered on Swan Creek, to how the canals helped to transform the Glass City, and how a change in wind direction saved downtown Toledo in 1894,” shares Mr. Long, who donated his time and talents to support the museum’s mission through this new product. “Stories like the crash of the Yuma into the Cherry Street Bridge and the building of the first 5-masted sailing vessel the David Dows help to highlight a whole new perspective on Toledo, the Maumee River, and the largest landmass port on the Great Lakes.” The walking tour begins across the river from the museum at Middlegrounds Metropark and follows a path to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge and back.
The Port of Toledo Walking Tour costs $5.99 and can be purchased at the Museum or online at nmglstore.org. Once purchased, the walking tour can be accessed at the owner’s convenience. Individuals can make a full day or multi-day activity of a museum visit and the Port of Toledo Walking Tour as well as take the tour as a stand-alone activity. Through the generous donation of Tedd Long, all proceeds from the tour purchase support the National Museum of the Great Lakes and its mission, to preserve and make known the history of the Great Lakes. For additional information visit nmgl.org or call 419-214-5000.
National Museum of the Great Lakes
