Captain of Joseph L. Block retiring
after 50 years on freighters
SAULT STE. MARIE< MI – Right out of high school, then 18-year-old Thomas Garvey started working on-board the freighters to earn some money for college. The pay was good, but that was working
seven days a week.
Fifty years later, at age 68, Garvey will be retiring after this shipping season as captain
of the Joseph L. Block. He has been captain since 2021.
Garvey started with the Hannah Mining Company in 1974 on the steamer Leon Falk Jr.
Then he worked at the Interlake Steamship Company for five years and then eventually
moved on to Inland Steel, which eventually turned into Cleveland Cliffs, which is
currently operating the Block. The 48-year-old Block was the first vessel through the
Soo Locks Friday evening as it officially opened up for the 2024-25 shipping season.
I have never been on the first ship before. It’s kinda like hitting the lottery. You always
think you will get there first. It’s been a good lifestyle for me the last 50 years and it
really means something special being the first one through, Garvey said.
Garvey and his crew welcomed in several dignitaries and special guests to his pilot
house Friday afternoon. They presented him with gifts for being the first ship of the
season.
I have been through the Soo Locks here in my career almost 4,000 times coming and
going. Getting these items will help me remember today, and it’s a special day for me,
and I appreciate everything they have done,Garvey said.
The Block is not the biggest freighter on the Great Lakes but it still takes all workers on
board to make each cargo run a success.
We have 23 sailors on the Block. I am an anomaly here. Most of them have come up
through a maritime academy. I started at the very bottom as a deckhand and worked
every job getting up to captain. I think I have a good grasp of what everybody on this
boat is doing, feeling, thinking. What I try to do is pass on to them what I have learned
and usually you learn and I like to pass it on to the younger sailors. They appreciate it
and sometimes they teach me a few things,Garvey said.
One such sailor aboard the Block is Bob Haworth. He appreciates Capt. Garvey, but
also all those on the mainland that follow the freighters.
It’s cool to see people follow us. What I like is that it gives me a chance, especially
through social media, to show those on land what this is really like out here, or to at
least give them a glance at it. There’s a lot of romance that everyone who’s never been
out here before has, and it’s not always sunsets and blowing salutes out here. I do enjoy
interacting with people though and answering questions. Back when I was young, quite
a few sailors took the time to talk and show me what it was all about and I try to pay that
forward, Haworth said.
It’s been a good life. It’s time to let the younger people move up and get into this
industry, Garvey said.
Soo Leader
Successful first voyages for
Wagenborg EasyMax vessel Amalia
After delivery in January, the motor vessel Amalia – the latest sustainable MPP vessel in
the Wagenborg fleet – left her home port Delfzijl, The Netherlands, for her first voyages.
Under command of Capt. Joenamar S. Bacuetes the first trips have been completed
successfully.
The EasyMax ship concept is the latest and greenest type of ship in the Wagenborg
fleet, whose vessels are familiar sights along the Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway.
Wagenborg was awarded the Maritime Shipping Award for this ship design in 2017,
partly due to its superior fuel efficiency. With a cargo capacity of 13.800 tonnes and a
large hold intake of 625.000 cbft, Wagenborg was able to build a relatively large vessel
without a major increase in overall dimensions. With an installed power of less than
3.000 kW and an aerodynamic hull shape, the Amalia has an extremely low fuel
consumption resulting in over 60% savings in CO2- emissions compared to her peer
group. This makes the EasyMax the greenest multipurpose vessel in her class, which
fits perfectly in the sustainability strategy of Wagenborg.
In 2024 a fourth new build Easymax vessel is expected to be delivered to Wagenborg
after which a fifth sister vessel will follow in the next year.
Wagenborg
