Detroit vessel traffic numbers for 2021

Detroit, MI – Here’s a summary of what shipping looked like for Detroit in 2021. There were 1,141 total vessel arrivals in Detroit between Jan 1 and Dec 31, and 645 of those vessel arrivals were to either load or unload cargo. The remaining 496 vessel calls were to take on fuel, layby, lay-up or repairs. (Docks located within the cities of Detroit, River Rouge, Ecorse, and Dearborn, all included and considered to comprise the port of Detroit).

Kaye E. Barker led the way in 2021 with 55 visits to Detroit, easily the most of any vessel. She unloaded cargo on all her visits, and while most of the time she brought iron ore or coal, she also visited with a few stone cargoes,

The second-most frequent visitor was the tug New York and its tank barge Double Skin 509A. The pair carries liquid asphalt from the Marathon Terminal on Fort Street, but also spends quite a bit of time in layby status at the Nicholson Terminal waiting for its next cargo.

The #1 cargo handled by the port (in # of vessel calls) was stone, which is offloaded at at least 7 different docks.

There is much more inbound cargo than outbound cargo in Detroit, and besides stone the other major inbound products included iron ore, coal, asphalt, and cement. There were 86 total deliveries of either cement or cement clinker to Detroit in 2021.

The leading outbound cargo in Detroit was coke. There were 62 coke loads shipped out of Detroit in 2021, and all but one came from DTE’s facility on Zug Island. These cargoes went to steel mills in Sault Ste. Marie, Nanticoke, and Hamilton on Rand Logistics vessels, as well as McKeil Marine ships.

The overwhelming majority of the vessels visiting Detroit were U.S.-flagged, with a steady stream of Canadian vessels as well, and the Netherlands-flagged Iver Bright. Besides those, there were just 29 calls from foreign-flagged ships visiting from saltwater during the year, and only 25 of those were to unload cargo, as the remaining four stopped to take on fuel.

The longest vessel call of the year (besides winter lay-ups) was the Marshall Islands-flagged Federal Oshima, which arrived on May 6 to unload steel from Europe and did not depart until nearly a month later on June 3. She reportedly had Covid-19 issues among her crew that prolonged her stay in town.

One of the year’s pleasant surprises was the Wilfred Sykes. She trades primarily on Lake Michigan but made four visits to Detroit in 2021 to unload coke at Cleveland-Cliffs Dearborn Works, and on two of those visits she also loaded a backhaul cargo there.

In all, 111 different vessels called on Detroit in 2021, and just 80 different vessels accounted for all the cargoes loaded and unloaded. Every major fleet on the Great Lakes was represented, although Great Lakes Fleet was one of the least-frequent callers. Their John G. Munson arrived on October 21 on one of its 14 visits.

Isaac Pennock

Lay-up reports needed

As the end of the shipping season approaches, please send reports of vessel lay-ups to news@boatnerd.net. This will help us compile our annual lay-up list. Include vessel name, date, port and name of lay-up dock. Click here to view the Lay-Up List: https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/winter-layup-2021-2022/

Quebec Express first ship to reach the Port of Montreal in 2022

Montreal, QC – Vylona Jessy’s birthday is Jan. 1 and this year her husband, Captain Felino D’Souza of the Quebec Express, plans to gift her with a prize awarded to him by the Montreal Port Authority.

For more than 180 years, the port authority has awarded a gold-headed cane to the first ocean-going vessel of the year to reach the Port of Montreal. The Quebec Express of the Hapag-Lloyd shipping line crossed the port’s downstream limit at Sorel at 12:21 a.m.

D’Souza is the son of a sailor who has worked on the sea for 27 years. He has been a captain for 16 years.

The crew of the Quebec Express spent Christmas together on their 12-day journey from Germany. There were a few storms along the way but “no other unexpected surprises,” according to a Montreal Port Authority statement.

Montreal Gazzette

Lay-up reports needed

As the end of the shipping season approaches, please send reports of vessel lay-ups to news@boatnerd.net. This will help us compile our annual lay-up list. Include vessel name, date, port and name of lay-up dock. Click here to view the Lay-Up List: https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/winter-layup-2021-2022/

Happy New Year from Boatnerd

Boatnerd wishes all our readers a very happy and successful 2022. Thank you for your support.

Thank you to our reporters!

A big three long and two short goes out to all who send news to this page or contribute to the Port Reports, among them Gary A. Putney, Scott Bjorklund, Gordy Garris, Todd Shorkey, Arthur Pickering, Rene Beauchamp, Ron Beaupre, Rod Burdick, Bruce Douglas, Stephen Sostaric, Bill Kloss, Barry Andersen, Ron Walsh, MKE Marine Reports, Brian R Wroblewski, Tyler Fairfield, Port of Monroe, Bill Van Appledorn, Capt. Mike Nicholls, Fred A. Tijan, Jeremy Whitman, Brendan Falkowski, Marc Dease, Tom Brewer, Graham Grattan, Sam Hankinson, Matt Miner, Denny Dushane, Ken Borg, Bill Bird, Al Miller, Tom Hynes, Roger LeLievre and anyone else we’ve inadvertently left off this list, including those who wish to remain anonymous. It is the contributions of all these volunteers, and many others, that make Boatnerd possible.

We are always seeking contributions to this page from readers around the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. If you see news in your area or want to offer your observations of vessel arrivals and departures, please send to news@boatnerd.net. If you spot an interesting shipping-related story in your local news, please take a moment to forward a link so that we may share it with our audience. Thank you!

Seaway closes with downbound Helena G

On Friday, the downbound saltie Helena G was the last ship through the Seaway for 2021. She was preceded by Federal Bristol and Ojibway.

Pat English

Grand Haven marine reporter Dick Fox honored by his successor

Grand Haven, MI – It has been a busy end of December in Grand Haven’s harbor, but before we get into that, I’d like to pay tribute to my dear friend, Richard “Dick” Fox, who recently passed away. Mr. Fox, as he was known to me, wrote this column from 2002 to 2016. As a kid, I was so excited to attend one of his “ship talks” at the Tri Cities Museum and finally meet him. We communicated frequently through email after that and he helped me learn a lot about the ships that were coming and going out of the Grand Haven harbor.

I enjoyed any time I could spend with him talking about his career, and of course, ships! He transitioned from being the writer of the column to a reader when he passed it along to me, and always had nice things to say about my articles. I am forever grateful for Mr Fox’s friendship.

In other news, the steamship Wilfred Sykes paid a visit to Meekhof’s D&M on Harbor Island on Sunday with a load of slag.

Port City Marine’s articulated tug/barge Caroline McKee/Commander arrived at the St. Marys Cement terminal in Ferrysburg on Monday afternoon to discharge a cargo of cement. The pair departed the next day.

Interlake’s articulated tug/barge Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder came in early Wednesday morning with a load of slag for the Verplank dock in Ferrysburg and was outbound for the lake a few hours later. Later that afternoon, Grand River Navigation’s motor vessel Manitowoc delivered a cargo of slag to Meekhof’s.

Samuel Hankinson

Lay-up reports needed

As the end of the shipping season approaches, please send reports of vessel lay-ups to news@boatnerd.net. This will help us compile our annual lay-up list. Include vessel name, date, port and name of lay-up dock. Click here to view the Lay-Up List: https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/winter-layup-2021-2022/

New address for BoatNerd donations

Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping Online Inc., the nonprofit organization that operates the BoatNerd website and vessel tracking service, has a new mailing address to accept donations. The change was made after one of our longtime volunteers decided to start spending winters in another (warmer) state. Maintaining the old address would have required seasonal address changes each spring and fall. The new address can be maintained year-round.

Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping Online is a 501c(3) non-profit organization incorporated and registered in Michigan. Our primary purpose is to enhance the general public’s knowledge of maritime commercial operations and history on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. To that end, we operate the BoatNerd website and vessel tracking service.  In pre-pandemic times, we also sponsored multiple ship-watching gatherings and day cruises around the lakes, and hope to resume those soon.

Monetary donations are greatly appreciated and can be made via check (in US funds) made out to Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping Online, Inc.  and sent to:

Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping Online, Inc.
PO Box 304
Paris, MI 49338

Monetary donations are also accepted via PayPal at the DONATE link on the BoatNerd home page. Please note that PayPal deducts a nominal processing fee from all donations made via PayPal.

St. Marys Challenger pilothouse moved to National Museum

Toledo, Ohio – The pilothouse of the former Great Lakes freighter St. Marys Challenger, which was converted to a barge in 2014, was moved Thursday from storage to its permanent home on the grounds of the National Museum of the Great Lakes.

In November 2013, St. Marys Challenger reached the end of her working life as a self-propelled vessel. She steamed to the Bay Shipbuilding Co. in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, to be cut down to an articulated lake barge pushed by a dedicated tugboat. The vessel’s pilothouse was conserved and, in spring 2015, was donated to the National Museum of the Great Lakes.

In an ironic twist, as the pilothouse was being moved to the museum, the barge St. Marys Challenger was passing by, pushed by the tug Prentiss Brown. The old pilothouse was moved via deck barge by Capt. Joe Cioletti on the tug George Gradel, whose services were donated by the Geo Gradel Co.

Beaver Island ferry captain retires after 46 years

Beaver Island, MI – After 46 years, Mike Green took his final voyage as senior captain of the Beaver Island Boat Company on Dec. 20.

Family and friends rode with him on the Emerald Isle Ferry for the 32-mile journey across Lake Michigan from Charlevoix to Beaver Island.

Mother Nature gave the captain a send-off of her own that day, raising wind gusts up to 35 knots and sending 8-12 foot waves crashing on the ferry’s bow (adding an occasional 16-footer for good measure), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

On board, ferry passengers less sea-worthy felt their stomachs lurch. Those more prepared said they were thankful they remembered to take a motion sickness pill before boarding.

Green, who has never experienced sea sickness, was unphased by the rocking boat. He commanded the vessel through the winds from the wheel house on the boat’s top deck.

Comenting on the waves, as those standing near him struggled to maintain balance, he said, “It’s going to be a little rough. But I’ve seen worse.”  Adding, with a smile, “My wife and a couple grandkids are on board so I have to make it the best ride I can.”

Read more and view images here:

https://www.sooeveningnews.com/story/news/2021/12/30/beaver-island-ferry-captain-green-retires-after-46-years/9019167002/?fbclid=IwAR1fZtWYxsONaspxvPobKX8LyvZHl_xUfNikuVUZBl_MFbToy1HzTNMwSBEMicahe

Coast Guard begins Operation Taconite

Sault Ste. Marie, MI – U.S. Coast Guard Sector Sault Sainte Marie commenced Operation Taconite to prevent newly formed ice from hampering commercial shipping across the western Great Lakes.

On Tuesday, U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Biscayne Bay was assigned to manage the ice breaking needs of western Lake Superior, specifically the twin ports of Duluth, MN and Superior, WI. Wednesday, U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay joins the operation, initially to work the ice in southern Green Bay before making their way to the St Marys River. As ice coverage expands, U.S. Coast Guard officials will assign additional assets.

Operation Taconite is the Coast Guard’s largest domestic icebreaking operation. The operation encompasses Lake Superior, St. Marys River, the Straits of Mackinac, Georgian Bay, and all of Lake Michigan. Various commercial waterways may close after due consideration is given to the protection of the marine environment, the need for cross-channel traffic (e.g. ferries) and the safety of the island residents; who in the course of their daily business use naturally formed ice bridges for transportation to and from the mainland.

The implementation of Operation Taconite places additional movement criteria on commercial ships plying the Western Lakes, St. Marys River, and the Straits of Mackinac. These measures may include restricting tanker transits to daylight in the presence of ice, reducing speeds by 2 miles per hour in specified locations to reduce incidental ice breaking, and requiring additional voice and position reporting points throughout the operation’s area of responsibility.

The Coast Guard recommends all recreational ice users plan their activities carefully, dress appropriately, use caution on the ice, and stay away from shipping channels. Recreational users and island residents should stay tuned to local media resources for the status of regional waterway closures.

USCG

Seaway season winding down

As of Tuesday morning, five days before the closure of the Seaway, there were still 19 ocean-going vessels above the St-Lambert Lock. BBC Edge, BBC Oregon, Chestnut, Federal Alster, Federal Bristol, Federal Dart, Federal Delta, Federal Elbe, Federal Fraser, Federal Katsura, Federal Oshima, Fortunagracht, Harbour Fashion, Helena G, Johanna G, Ludogorets, Mia Desgagnés, Ocean Castle and Paul A. Desgagnés. List compiled by Barry Andersen, Yvan Gingras and René Beauchamp.

Barry Andersen

Federal Elbe paying last visit to lakes?

Waterfront reports indicate the Fednav saltie Federal Elbe is on her last trip. She was loading grain at Sarnia Monday to be discharged in Italy, after which she may be sold. Federal Elbe was built in 2003. It is unknown if she will be scrapped or sold to another operator.

Interlake Steamship, Cleveland Shipmasters’ lodge hold ship trip raffle

Winner of the raffle will get a five-day, round-trip freighter cruise for you and three of your friends a Interlake Steamship Co. vessels. Details are here:

https://www.greatlakesshiptripraffle.com/?fbclid=IwAR0Poo63DdmciQYygdVNr9laaibFMji4Fu7cvZp7eMiKtQNV7E9nJpALRPc

SS Badger nearing return to home port

Ludington, MI – Soon, an icon of Ludington may be making its return.

The 410-foot SS Badger departed, under tow, Pere Marquette Lake heading for dry dock in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, in mid-November for its inspection and to receive a fresh coat of paint.

The Badger is across Lake Michigan for its inspection that is scheduled for every five years. In the past few weeks, it’s shared a slot at Fincatieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay with another ship, the Alpena. The Alpena is a 503-foot-long cement carrier that was built in 1942, according to MarineTraffic.com. The Badger launched in 1953.

“We do not fill the dock up,” said Chuck Cart, director of operations with the Lake Michigan Carferry. “It is a very large dock so there is another ship along side of us.”

Cart said during this visit to dry dock, it is the first time since 1992 the ship is having the bottom sandblasted. “The bottom of the ship will be repainted with a special slick paint that should make us faster in the water,” he said. “Also, for the first time since who knows how long, we are blasting the black and stripes on the side and having that all repainted as well.”

Cart said the color scheme will not change the only difference is it will be freshly painted. “We are about three-quarters done,” he said. “We have some stripping to do and a little bit of the bottom yet.”

Cart said there has not been anything that has been a surprise while the ship has been in dry dock. “We have been operating the Badger a long time,” he said. “Nothing that happens is really a surprise if you are paying attention to it.”

The Badger’s stay in dry dock is a bit different than in previous times, Cart said. “A lot of the things we would have normally done at home (and) in-house, we have the opportunity to have the shipyard to do, which opens up our time in Ludington to do other projects,” he said.

Cart said the shipyard crews took the ship’s propellers off of the Badger after the water was drained out. From there, the inspection includes the propeller shafts and sea valves, looking at all of the hull, analyzing each rivet and looking for any new dents, bumps or bruises.

“Crews will take all of the anchor chain out of the ship and inspect the chain as well as the anchors,” he said. “This is pretty much a standard dry dock inspection that everybody gets.”

Cart said people can expect to see the ship back home soon. There is work that still needs to be done once the painting is completed like putting the propellers back in place. Weather, too, may factor into when it can get towed from Wisconsin back to Ludington

Also, because the Badger is in dry dock with the Alpena, both ships need to leave dry dock together. Any work on the Alpena will need to be completed, too.

The plan is to have the Badger towed back to Ludington once the work is complete. “We are hoping for another eight to 10 days,” he said.

Ludington Daily News

The Steamship Grandpa Built: Family holiday
gathering includes stop to see SS Badger in dry dock

Sturgeon Bay, WI – A recent family gathering for the holidays included a tour of the Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding dry dock in Sturgeon Bay for the extended family of the late Ray Christianson, who once ran the yard.

Susan Shannon, great-niece of Christianson, served as the Christy Corporation’s president when the SS Badger was constructed, and she wanted her family members to see the historical steamship up close while it’s in dry dock this fall for maintenance work. She gained clearance from Fincantieri staff just before Thanksgiving.

“For our little extended family, it was pretty meaningful,” Shannon said. “We didn’t actually get on the ship. We just walked beside her and got a sense of the scale and felt nostalgic.”

She said it was a “feel-good moment” for her, her cousins and younger family members.

Shannon also said it was great that Carl Christianson, grandson of Ray, could talk to family members about the ferry and the work that went on at the shipyard and dry dock back when they had separate owners.

“Seeing the Badger, to me, was kind of like a busman’s holiday,” said Christianson, who had enjoyed a career in the marine business. “We walked the grounds alongside the Badger; it was a nice tour. It was short, but it was wonderful to see the floating dry dock and the amount of work that they have down there. It’s pretty impressive.”

Read more here: https://doorcountypulse.com/the-steamship-grandpa-built-family-holiday-gathering-includes-stop-to-see-ss-badger-in-dry-dock/?fbclid=IwAR1QAj_Uo_ohMjU4YcNj9fugNVJHVwOKarWPgtw7b7sAL8FqFjsdQpjFzvA

Obituary: Captain Roger G. Desgagnés, 1926-2021

On a windy Saturday afternoon, December 11, 2021, Roger cast off for one last voyage at the age of 95. Originally from Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive, he was the youngest and the last survivor of the late Captain Joseph Desgagnés and Amélia (Bella) Audet.Roger has been a shipowner (Roden D, Champlain, Jean-Talon (ex Franquelin) and an emeritus master on numerous vessel,s navigating mainly on the St. Lawrence River the Gulf and the Great Lakes. His last job was as shore master for Logistec Navigation.

Via Toronto Marine Historical Society

Lay-up reports needed

As the end of the shipping season approaches, please send reports of vessel lay-ups to news@boatnerd.net. This will help us compile our annual lay-up list. Include vessel name, date, port and name of lay-up dock. Click here to view the Lay-Up List: https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/winter-layup-2021-2022/

Ojibway runs aground in Seaway

Update: The Ojbway was moving again in the early afternoon and, after turning around, resumed her downbound voyage.

Monday at around 2 a.m., the bulk carrier Ojibway ran aground just east of Cardinal, ON., in the St. Lawrence Seaway. According to Michael Folsom’s Seaway Ship Watchers Network on Twitter, she is around off Sparrowhawk Point on the U.S. side. Crews are currently assessing the ship and developing a plan to release her, however she is not believed to be hard aground. She was on her way to Port Cartier from Hamilton with grain. There are no injuries or known damage to Ojibway. Information widely circulated on social media recently indicates the vessel will be retired at the end of this season.

Manistee scrap tow delated until spring

According to a social media post from Wayne Elliott, owner of Marine Recycling Corp., the Manistee scrap tow out of Toledo for MRC is now set for April 1, 2022.

Port of Toledo having strong 2021 shipping season

Toledo, OH – 2021 has been a great year for the Port of Toledo, and the good news doesn’t end there.

Joe Cappel is the Vice President of Business Development for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. “In terms of tonnage, we have surpassed the 10 million ton mark. That is something we haven’t done since 2014.”

There was a more than 60% jump in iron ore coming into the port this year. “We anticipated the increase in that tonnage due to a full year of production at Cleveland Cliffs, but we also saw commodities rebounded after the COVID crisis started. ”

Other cargo also saw increases. “Products like aluminum, general cargo and steel coils, we are seeing more of that activity. As tariffs on Canadian products burned off puts us in a good position coming down the home stretch.”

Toledo is the largest land mass port on the Great Lakes, and over 7,000 jobs are connected to it. “The port has a roughly one billion dollar annual economic impact. The seaport is truly an economic driver of this community.”

And the port is building on its on-going success with a number of projects on tap for 2022. Tens of millions in state and federal grants will be reinvested in several major improvement projects. “We’re hiring construction crews, surveyors, engineers, everything it takes to bring mega-projects to fruition.”

View a video here: https://www.13abc.com/2021/12/16/port-toledo-having-strong-2021-shipping-season/?fbclid=IwAR0DrdPhZgBdAE7MzwJngXdboKiiTGwPp2kYZzV4rSjD1U9cbfVnuTlgtM0

Financially ‘afloat?’: Milwaukee Clipper group sets lofty goal for 2022

Muskegon, MI – 2022 will mark the 25th year since the Milwaukee Clipper returned to Muskegon.  Restoration efforts have continued aboard the Great Lakes’ treasure ever since, but due to COVID-plagued years of 2020 and 2021, the group heading-up the project has not able to host fundraisers, which have kept the initiative financially afloat for decades.

To compensate for the back-to-back down years, the Milwaukee Clipper Preservation Group has set a large fundraising goal for the upcoming year.

“2022 will mark the 25th anniversary of the Milwaukee Clipper having returned to Muskegon,” said Pam Babbitt, treasurer of the Milwaukee Clipper Preservation Group. “We plan to celebrate that silver anniversary with several fundraising events.”

The Milwaukee Clipper survives exclusively on donations, of which the group received very few of in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. “No one is paid within our organization,” Babbitt said. “Everything we do is volunteer. If we don’t receive donations, we won’t be able to pay for the supplies needed for the volunteer workers to continue with the restoration of the ship.”

To compensate for the past two down years, the group has set a lofty goal for 2022. “We’d like to raise $100,000 next year,” added Babbitt.

If a cash donation isn’t something people feel comfortable with giving, Babbitt says certain items are needed. “We’re looking for computers, printers, DVD players, gallons of marine paint and cleaning supplies,” Babbitt said. “That’s just naming a few.”

While the group’s fundraisers will dominate the new year, an ongoing discussion with the City of Muskegon about relocating the Clipper closer to downtown will intensify.

“We have three locations we’re looking at,” Babbitt said, when asked about the possible relocation of the ship. “The Clipper is 361-feet long so wherever it goes, a big dock will need to exist to accommodate it, along with a parking lot.”

While Babbitt wouldn’t disclose two of the Clipper’s possible future homes, she did reveal the group’s primary location. “We’d love to at Mart Dock,” Babbitt said. “That’s where other ships are docked, offering higher visibility and making that area a one-stop shop destination for people wanting to tour the ships.”

Donations are currently being accepted. “This means a great deal to our organization,” Babbitt said. The Milwaukee Clipper has closed for the season and will reopen again next spring.

If you’re interested in making a donation, head to the Milwaukee Clipper’s website, or you can mail a check to: S.S. Milwaukee Clipper, P.O. Box 1370, Muskegon, MI, 49443.

Lay-up reports needed

As the end of the shipping season approaches, please send reports of vessel lay-ups to news@boatnerd.net. This will help us compile our annual lay-up list. Include vessel name, date, port and name of lay-up dock. Click here to view the Lay-Up List: https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/winter-layup-2021-2022/

Staggering wave heights expected on Lake Superior

Sault Ste. Marie – A deepening low pressure system that has prompted wind warnings all around Lake Superior will show us all that Lake Superior acts more like an ocean than an inland lake. Wave heights are forecast to reach as high as 25 feet or 7.6 meters at the peak of the storm Thursday night.

To put that into perspective, 23 to 26 foot waves sank the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975. The highest wave ever recorded was a height of 29 feet (8.8 meters) on October 24, 2017 on Lake Superior just north of Marquette, Michigan.

Most storms over the oceans of the world can produce average wave heights of 30 feet. Hurricane Sandy – the largest hurricane on record, battered the North American east coast in October 2012, produced peak wave heights of 42 feet.

Gale warnings are now in place for Whitefish Bay while a storm warning is in effect for eastern Lake Superior. Waves heights of 22 feet (7 meters) are forecast for Thursday afternoon, subsiding to 16-foot waves Thursday evening.

Gale force winds are classified by exceeding 45 to 90 km/h and this storm is packing those types of gusts for most of the day Thursday.

As of Wednesday evening, more than seven freighters were en-route on Lake Superior according to marinetraffic.com

Damaging winds will affect shoreline areas of Western Lake Superior with winds from the southeast then switching to the eastern shoreline with winds shifting to westerly Thursday afternoon.  Environment Canada as well as the U.S. based National Weather Service warn of shoreline flooding in areas as well as wind and storm warnings along with marine warnings in place for Wednesday night to Thursday evening.

Soo Today

Marilyn Bell I is now Canada’s first truly zero emission, lithium-ion electric ferry

Toronto, ON  – The Marilyn Bell I ferry, which connects passengers, vehicles and supplies to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, is now the first electric ferry service in Canada to be powered by a zero-emission, lithium-ion power and propulsion system containing no diesel components.

PortsToronto, owners and operators of Billy Bishop Airport, Tuesday celebrated the return to service of the Marilyn Bell I following its conversion to 100 percent electric power. In operation since 2010, and upgraded to bio-diesel fuel in 2018, the vessel’s diesel generators and engines were removed in 2021 to make way for a new electric power and propulsion system and a suite of lithium-ion batteries fueled by 100 per cent Bullfrog Power renewable electricity.

Powered entirely by electricity from clean wind and solar sources provided by Bullfrog Power, the retrofitted Marilyn Bell I has eliminated greenhouse gas emissions from the ferry operation, reducing the airport’s direct emissions by approximately 530 tonnes per year. In addition to operating more efficiently and eliminating related air emissions, the retrofitted vessel builds on the airport’s award-winning Noise Management Program, as it will operate far more quietly, dramatically reducing related noise in the surrounding community.

Port of Toronto

New buoy will help monitor water quality in the Detroit River

Detroit, MI – The Great Lakes Water Authority and several other partners are now monitoring the water quality of the Detroit River through a new buoy.

The buoy is equipped with a camera that provides 20-second clips every 10 minutes and can serve as an early warning for changing water quality. It was deployed on the Canadian side of the river and monitors oxygen reduction potential, conductivity, temperature, pH levels, total algae and more.

Due to climate change and the warming of the Great Lakes, Michigan is experiencing more harmful algae blooms every year and increasing rain, which results in increased runoff and sewer discharge.

There is not a cause for concern about algae blooms in the Detroit River currently, but the GLWA wanted to proactively monitor the river and gather data.

The GLWA is working with LimnoTech and the University of Windsor on the project.

WXYZ

US Brig Niagara to return to Erie

Erie, PA ­– For the first time in years, the US Brig Niagara has been out of the water, sitting in Cleveland for some much-needed repairs. But after two months away, Erie’s beloved tall ship is returning home.

After a long journey west on Lake Erie, the US Brig Niagara was pulled out of the water at the Great Lakes Shipyard in Cleveland. The boat was long overdue for maintenance and repairs. “A lot of it was assessing what’s going on with the ship, assessing the hull, removing some of the pieces that need to be removed, putting new planks in, and getting her ready to sail again,” said Brig Niagara Captain Chris Cusson.

Niagara had previously not been out of the water in about five years. The crew was anxious to see what the ship looked like below the surface. “When a ship gets hauled out, it’s very nerve-wracking because we don’t know what we’re going to find. We don’t know what the bottom’s going to look like,” said Capt. Billy Sabatini, Executive Director and Captain of the Flagship Niagara League.

Some surprises were in store for crews after Niagara did get on land. They knew work was needed on the ship’s hull, but because Brig Niagara did not sail in 2020 or 2021, additional repairs were needed for the 33-year-old ship.

“Having the ship sit for two years throughout the pandemic really did not do the ship any favors, so it was good to get the ship here and get all those things taken care of, so we’re ready to go,” said Sabatini. Now, the Brig Niagara is ready to go for Tall Ships Festival 2022.

“To put Erie on the map at the center of sail training and at the center of tall ships in the country for that one weekend is truly a magical and wonderful thing,” said Sabatini. Until then, crews are ready to take the ship out on Lake Erie and dock her at the Erie Bayfront for the winter.

“Getting tied up and having that big sigh after two months of hard work, then we’ll leave the ship tied up just in time to visit family for the holidays,” said Cusson.

View video report at this link: https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/45440499/us-brig-niagara-to-return-to-erie