St. Marys River opened to traffic

At around 3:20 p.m. Friday the St. Marys River was reopened to vessel traffic after the American Mariner sailed under her own power to Raber Bay near Lime Island, where she dropped anchor. Inspections are likely underway.

The river was closed Thursday after the American Mariner struck the Mud Lake Junction Light about 1 a.m. and then went aground on the American side of the river, half in and half out of the downbound channel. It was also reported that the vessel was taking on water, and photos showed her with a port list.

Tugs Anglian Lady and WI Scott Purvis remained at anchor near the Mariner Friday night.

Vessels are being cleared the proceed through the locks in the same order as they went to anchor. The traffic jam should be cleared some time Saturday. There has been no word on what caused the incident and there has been no indication of the extent of the damages to the American M

Opening For Chief Engineer – Interlake Logistics

Interlake Logistics Solutions, Inc. operates the versatile articulated tug-barge Undaunted-Pere Marquette, which carries diverse cargoes  on the Great Lakes.   Equipped to self-load cargo with an 800C John Deere excavator, long reach material handler, the uniquely outfitted vessel can utilize a clam bucket for flowable material or a five-tine grapple for large rocks and scrap metal.  The tug Undaunted that powers the Pere Marquette 41 is a repowered Navy ATA/Rescue Tug that served in World War II.  The barge Pere Marquette41 is the repurposed carferry City of Midland.

The Chief Engineer is responsible for the safe and efficient operation of the vessel’s (both tug and barge) machinery and propulsion plants.

Responsibilities: 

• Both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance of equipment / machinery.
• Ordering needed supplies and maintaining inventories.
• Proper record keeping, documentation and adherence to rules and regulations.
• Working with the Engine Utility to maintain a clean, safe, and positive work environment.
• This is not an all-inclusive list, but an overview of responsibilities.

Qualifications/Certifications Required: 

• Minimum requirement; Valid USCG license, Chief Engineer (Limited) with at least a 2000HP endorsement.
• TWIC Card
• Current Physical / USCG Medical Certificate.
• DOT Drug Screen
• Legally eligible to work in the USA (proof of identity or eligibility required.

The rotation is 28 days on the vessel and 28 days off. After completing a 90-day probationary period, your eligible for medical, dental, vision and a 401k plan.

Applicants please apply thru website:  www.ssbadger.com

In the Wake of the Baltimore Ship-Bridge
Collision, a Local Captain’s Perspective

Editor’s note: The Singapore-flagged, 948-foot container ship, the Dali, crashed into a 1.6-mile bridge in Baltimore, Maryland on March 26, at 1:28 am, causing a portion of the Francis Scott Key, four-lane suspension bridge to collapse. People plunged into the Patapsco River below.. A construction crew was fixing potholes on the bridge and eight people fell 185 feet into the 47-degree-F water. Two people were rescued – one unharmed, one critically injured – two bodies were recovered and four people remained missing. The cause of the collision, still under investigation, is believed to be the ship losing propulsion.

With Door County’s three bridges spanning the canal, and Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding hosting Great Lakes freighters, the collision cuts close to home.

Freelance writer John Mielke wrote a piece for us in the Winter 2023/24 issue of Door County Living magazine entitled, “Steering the Big Boats: Retired Captain Ray Sheldon on piloting boats into winter layup.” We asked him to reach out to the Captain for comment on what the options are when a ship loses power, as had been reported had happened, as of deadline, with the Dali

When large ocean-going or Great Lakes freighters lose power, Ray Sheldon, who served as captain of the Wilfred Sykes and Joseph L. Block for more than 30 years, said the choices may be limited. One option might be trying to safely ground the vessel to keep it from drifting. Another could be the anchor. While dropping an anchor might seem to be a rather simple solution, Sheldon said captains must be aware of what’s below the surface.

“There’s different things you can try,” Sheldon said. “It’s always thinking outside the box about what the surrounding area is like.”

Without knowing the exact circumstances, Sheldon said that other propulsion systems such as bow and stern thrusters – which may not have been in use – would take time to engage. Emergency generators on board would also take time to bring online and may not be designed to power engines and thrusters.

Thanks to the advent of computer simulators with a virtual pilot house and surrounding views of various ports, Great Lakes captains are able to learn correct procedures for emergency situations.

“What do you do? Who do you contact?” Sheldon said. “First of all, it’s always thinking of minimizing damage to the surrounding area and thinking about minimizing damage to the ship.”

All the while, Sheldon said captains must be aware that, “you are reacting to the boat, the boat is not reacting to you.”

Sheldon has heard of other Great Lakes freighters losing power “out in the lake and not near anything dangerous.” Strict maintenance, he said, is designed to prevent that from happening. Sheldon said that monitoring the ship’s performance is an ongoing priority.

“There is always somebody watching monitors for the engines and generators,” he said. “There is always an engineer on watch and the chief engineer is on call 24 hours a day, just like the captain is. And there is always shore-side support staff, such as a fleet engineer.”

In addition to day-to-day maintenance, every five years each Great Lakes freighter goes into dry dock for mechanical, structural and electrical inspection and updates.

“The boat is actually dry-docked in Sturgeon Bay,” Sheldon said. “They pull them in, put them on the blocks and go through everything. They get their stamp of approval.”Sheldon remembers one time where he was forced to reduce power. “The Joe Block has those twin engines,” he said, “I’ve had where one engine wasn’t playing nice with the other engine – they have a governor that controls them. So, I had to go down to one engine.”

By John Mielke , Peninsula Pulse

S.S. Badger planning busy season
The wait is now over for those who want to travel across the pond!

“Their team’s been working really hard to get rolling for their 71st season,” said CEO and president Chamber of Commerce of Ludington Brandy Miller. Last July, the S.S. Badger had to cut their season short because of a failure that left the boat at bay.

“We ended up having a dock failure. Everything is fine with the ship. The counterweight and the port side ended up falling into the lake,” said General Manager of Interlake Maritime Services Sara Spore. “We ended up having to call the season, which was unfortunate,” she adds.

Sport says it was not easy to tell people that their trips were cancelled, but said travelers were very understanding, “Everyone that’s reached out is very positive and excited for this new season for me,” says Spore.

And without travelers coming to Ludington to Wisconsin after the cancelled season, small businesses also felt the halt. “Overall, we fared pretty well in terms of our year over year tourism numbers. We did see quite a little impact,” said Miller.

With the mild winter and lots of hard work, the Badger is now back in business. “To have her back on the water, we’re really excited,” says Miller.

If you see the boat docked right now don’t worry, its due to high winds. But in just a few months, you’ll be able to climb aboard the Badger.  “Right now, we’re only starting on June 17th at the first date, but we plan on opening dates in May as we get closer to the construction wrapping up,” said Spore.

You can already book your spot on the historic ferry. “Besides it being a floating national historical landmark and being an extension of Highway ten, there’s so many things to do on board. You have bingo, a bar, an arcade, there’s food, you can lounge on the decks, there’s the museum, there’s something for everyone,” said Spore.

“I think for our local community, it’s a point of pride, you know, being able to see the boat in the port every day,” said Miller. “They really play a vital role in our local tourism economy and deliver visitors right to our front door daily.”