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Fraser Shipyards News

13 Jul 2022

Miller Boat Line Adds New Ferry Mary Ann Market

(Photo: Miller Boat Line)

Ohio-based Miller Boat Line has taken delivery of its newest passenger and vehicle ferry Mary Ann Market from Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding.The ferry left the Sturgeon Bay, Wis. shipyard on July 8 and arrived to her home port Put-in-Bay, on Ohio's South Bass Island, on July 10. The vessel is expected to enter service following its U.S. Coast Guard inspection later this month.The newbuild is named in honor of the company's late owner Mary Ann Market (1935-2010), "the backbone of the company", according to Jake Market, vice president at Miller Boat Line.

14 Jan 2021

New Ferry Being Built for Christian Island, Ontario

(Photo: Voith)

An infrastructure upgrade project is underway on Christian Island, Ontario, and one of the main components of the project is the construction of a new double-ended ferry (DEF) – a so-called “Floating Bridge” from the mainland to the island. Christian Island is located in Canada in Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay. Beausoleil First Nation (BFN) will be the owner and operator of the new ferry.The DEF will be constructed at Fraser Shipyards Inc. in Superior, Wisconsin, on Lake Superior…

16 Sep 2020

New Legislation Aims to Boost Great Lakes Icebreaking Capacity

File photo: The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw (WLBB-30) breaks ice and maintains Aids to Navigation across the Great Lakes. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

New legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) will codify the U.S. Coast Guard’s icebreaking mission on the Great Lakes and increase the icebreaking capacity of the Great Lakes fleet.The Great Lakes Winter Commerce Act aims to increase Great lakes icebreaking capacity, which the lawmakers say will help the businesses and workers that rely on the maritime industry to transport their goods to market and grow the regional economy.“In recent years…

23 Jul 2019

28-ft. Lake Assault Boat Delivered

Photo: Lake Assault Boats

Lake Assault Boats, part of Fraser Shipyards, placed a 28-foot vessel into service with the Town of Gibraltar Fire Department located in northern Door County, Wisconsin. The craft provides emergency response and firefighting services for a large section of shoreline and islands located on Lake Michigan’s Green Bay. The purchase of the boat was funded entirely through the Gibraltar Fire-Rescue Association, a local non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.Placed into service earlier this summer, the boatis designed to respond to a wide range of on-the-water emergencies.

21 Mar 2019

2019 Shipping Season to Open for Duluth

USCGC Mackinaw in Duluth. Credit: port of Duluth

Last night’s arrival of United States Coast Guard Cutters Alder and Mackinaw signaled that the 2019 commercial shipping season is soon to commence for the Port of Duluth-Superior and the entire region.The Alder and Mackinaw made their way across Lake Superior from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, opening a 100-foot lane in the ice that will be widened soon by Canadian Coast Guard Ship Samuel Risley in support of breakout efforts that will also include local tugs from the Great Lakes Towing Company and Heritage Marine.

19 Sep 2018

Miller Boat Line Orders New Ferry

(Image: Miller Boat Line)

Miller Boat Line has ordered a new drive-on, drive-off passenger/vehicle ferry for delivery from Superior, Wis. builder Fraser Shipyards in fall 2019. The new ferry will be delivered from Lake Superior to Lake Erie and her new home port of Put-in-Bay, Ohio.The 140-foot-long, 38.5-foot-wide newbuild will be able to accommodate 26 standard sized vehicles or 600 passengers and will join Miller’s present fleet of four passenger/vehicle ferries, which operate between the peninsula of Catawba to Put-in-Bay (South Bass Island) and to Middle Bass Island…

19 Jul 2018

Wisconsin Shipyards Awarded Nearly $2 Mln in Grants

(File photo: Bay Shipbuilding)

Wisconsin shipyards Bay Shipbuilding and Fraser Shipyards have been awarded nearly $2 million in 2018 Small Shipyard Grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin today.The Small Shipyard Grant Program helps small shipyards, like Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay and Fraser Shipyards in Superior, repair and modernize equipment, and train workers.“In Wisconsin, and across America, small shipyards are considered the lifeblood of the maritime economy.

19 Mar 2018

Duluth-Superior Shipping Season To Open Today

The anticipated departure of six vessels this week signals a strong start to the 2018 commercial shipping season for the Port of Duluth-Superior and the entire region. All will be leaving their winter berths to load iron ore for delivery to steel mills on the Lower Great Lakes—this nation’s industrial heartland. U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alder made several passes through the ice in the shipping channels last week, and, starting today, Heritage Marine tugs will be assisting with breakout operations in the harbor. Exact departure times are difficult to pinpoint during start-up, especially with strong winds and shifting ice conditions plus final onboard inspections in progress.

04 Jan 2017

Great Lakes Shipyards Heating up for Winter

© chirnoagarazvan / Adobe Stock

As temperatures drop, the pace is heating up at Great Lakes shipyards where winter is typically the busiest season, and this year is no exception. U.S.-flag Great Lakes vessel operators will spend more than $80 million to maintain and modernize their vessels for the 2017 shipping season, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA). “Once again Lake Carriers’ Association members are demonstrating their commitment to Great Lakes shipping,” said James H.I. Weakley, President of the trade association representing the major U.S.-flag carriers.

25 Oct 2016

Vessel Aids Fire Emergency While in Final Testing

Photo: Lake Assault Boats

Lake Assault Boats, manufacturer of purpose-built and mission-specific fire and rescue boats, recently assisted the Superior, Wis. Fire Department in its response to a fire on an ore boat at Fraser Shipyards. At the time, a team from Lake Assault was in the final stages of testing the 28-foot fireboat destined for the City of Newburgh, N.Y. After its assist – by providing a water supply for the Superior FD – the craft was placed into service with the City of Newburgh Fire Department.

26 Sep 2016

Interlake Steamship Bulk Carrier Repowered

The newly repowered M/V Herbert C. Jackson departed Fraser Shipyards in Superior, Wis., yesterday giving a farewell salute to the Twin Ports where it has been undergoing its steam-to-diesel conversion since December 21. As the last steam-powered ship in Interlake Steamship Company’s fleet, the conversion of the Herbert C. Jackson represents the final phase of the company’s decade-long modernization program to create the most efficient, reliable and environmentally responsible fleet on the Great Lakes. The 690-foot Jackson is the fifth ship to undergo a major overhaul and Interlake’s fourth and last steam-to-diesel conversion since 2006. “After a successful repowering at Fraser Shipyards, the Herbert C.

07 Jun 2016

New Great Lakes Icebreaker Nearing Reality

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw breaks ice in Whitefish Bay, Mich., in March 2009 (U.S. Coast Guard file photo by George Degener)

Plans for a second heavy icebreaker for service on the Great Lakes have taken another step toward reality with Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) including $2 million for initial survey and design work for a vessel that is at least as capable as the current icebreaker Mackinaw in the committee report on the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill. The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015 had previously authorized a new heavy icebreaker for Lakes service. Senator Baldwin’s…

18 Apr 2016

Lake Assault Boats Available Through GSA

Photo: Lake Assault

Lake Assault Boats, part of Fraser Shipyards and a  manufacturer of purpose-built, mission-specific fire and rescue boats,has announced that the company’s boats are now listed on the U.S. government’s General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule. Government agencies, including most municipal fire departments and law enforcement organizations can use GSA Schedule contracts – which contain pre-negotiated prices, delivery terms, warranties, and other terms and conditions – to streamline the process and leverage the buying power of the federal government.

21 Mar 2016

Duluth-Superior Shipping Season Underway

Edwin H. Gott arriving in Port of Duluth-Superior early last year (Photo: Paul Scinocca)

The first two U.S.-flag lakers are on schedule to depart the Port of Duluth-Superior Tuesday, March 22, signaling the start of the 2016 commercial shipping season at this, the farthest inland port on the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway (GLSLS) system. Shortly after 7 a.m., the Edwin H. Gott, is scheduled to move from its winter berth at the Clure Public Marine Terminal – first to fuel, then to depart mid-morning beneath Duluth’s famed Aerial Bridge en route to the CN Dock in Two Harbors to load iron ore pellets. Shortly thereafter, another ship in the Great Lakes Fleet, the Philip R.

01 Mar 2016

Interlake Steamship Begins 2016 Sailing Season

Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder (Photo: Interlake Steamship Company)

The Interlake Steamship Company’s Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder, an articulated tug-barge unit (ATB), departs winter layup today to begin early-season shuttles of iron ore for ArcelorMittal, an integrated steel and mining company with blast furnaces at the head of the Cuyahoga River. A workhorse of Interlake’s nine-vessel fleet, the combined 711-foot Dorothy Ann-Pathfinder is one of Interlake’s two River-Class vessels, a designation given to ships that can traverse the narrowest harbors of the Great Lakes.

13 Jan 2016

Seven Ships Laid up at Duluth-Superior

The Port of Duluth-Superior said it will welcome seven ships for winter layup this year. The firs tvessel Indiana Harbor laid up early on November 3 for a repowering project is already underway at Fraser Shipyards on the Herbert C. Jackson, in dry dock since early December. The Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie are set to close at midnight on Friday, January 15. By then, four more wintering vessels are expected to have arrived in the Twin Ports beginning Thursday morning with the anticipated arrival of the Edwin H. Gott, followed Friday or later by the American Century, the Kaye E. Barker and the Philip R. Clarke. The last laker, the thousand-footer Paul R.

21 Dec 2015

Final Interlake Steamship Vessel in for Repower

hoto: Dave Brendorfer

The S.S. Herbert C. Jackson made its final journey as a steamship this month when it sailed into Fraser Shipyards in Superior, Wis., where it will undergo a six-month conversion to a highly automated diesel propulsion system. As the last steam-powered ship in Interlake Steamship Company’s fleet, the Jackson is the fifth ship to undergo a major overhaul and its fourth steam-to-diesel conversion since 2006. This conversion represents the final phase of the company’s 10-year, $100 million modernization effort.

15 Jan 2015

Lakes Defend US Build Requirement of Jones Act

Jim Weakley (Photo courtesy of LCA)

An effort to remove the U.S.-build requirement from the Jones Act is being soundly rejected by Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, the largest labor/management coalition ever assembled to promote shipping on America’s Fourth Sea Coast. The Task Force said it sees no benefit to allowing foreign-built vessels to carry cargo between U.S. ports, but warns that nearly 60,000 jobs in the Great Lakes states will be sacrificed for no good reason if the amendment to the Keystone pipeline bill offered by Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) is accepted.

11 Jul 2014

Dept. of Interior Fuel Barge Launched after Repairs

The Greenstone II, a U.S. Department of Interior fuel barge, was relaunched at Port Calcite upon completion of drydocking, repair work and inspections. The barge was hauled out at the Port Calcite facility in late May by Port Calcite Collaborative’s 440-ton Manitowoc 16000 crane. Schwartz Boiler of Cheboygan, Mich. performed the blasting, painting and repair work. Upon inspection and approval by the U.S. Coast Guard, the barge was returned to the water in late June. It has departed for the transit back to its homeport of Houghton, Michigan.

10 Jul 2014

Lakes Legislators Help Boost Corps Funding

photo by Rod Burdick

Great Lakes legislators played a key role in yesterday’s vote in the House of Representatives to increase the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ national budget by nearly $58 million. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), along with Rep. Janice Hahn (D-Calif.), authored the amendment to the House’s FY15 Energy & Water Appropriations bill and Representatives Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Dan Benishek (R-Mich.) and Rick Nolan (D-Minn.) took the floor to support the measure. The additional funds will…

05 Feb 2013

Great Lakes Dredging hinges on Federal Legislation

House and Senate Bills Offer Hope for Lakes Dredging Crisis. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have taken up legislation that could end the dredging crisis on the Great Lakes. H.R. 335 and S. 218 would require the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (“HMTF”) to spend what it takes in each year for dredging on dredging. Currently, the HMTF spends only one of every two tax dollars it collects for dredging on dredging. The surplus, now approaching $7 billion, is used to mask the size of the Federal deficit rather than maintain the nation’s ports and waterways.

08 Mar 2011

Ship Rechristened to Honor Former Congressman Oberstar

Image courtesy The Interlake Steamship Company

In his 47-year Congressional career, former Congressman Jim Oberstar has received many honors. But few are as big – literally – as the announcement that The Interlake Steamship Company will rename and rechristen one of its massive ships the MV Hon. James L. Oberstar this spring. The vessel will sail from layup in March as the MV Hon. James L. Oberstar, and will be rechristened in a ceremony at Duluth later this spring. The ship stretches longer than two-and-a-half football fields – 805 ft to be exact – with a beam of 75 ft and a current carrying capacity of 31,000 gross tons.

23 Nov 2010

Employment Peaking at Great Lakes Shipyards

When the 1,000-ft-long Great Lakes freighter Edwin H. Gott arrived at Bay Shipbuilding Company in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, it marked the beginning of the busiest time of year for Great Lakes shipyards. This project and other annual winter maintenance work on U.S.-flag Great Lakes ships will provide jobs for more than 1,200 men and women at U.S. shipyards around the Great Lakes. The Gott, one of the largest U.S.-flag vessels working the Great Lakes, is having new engines installed this winter that will increase its fuel efficiency and significantly reduce its air emissions. The vessel, built in Sturgeon Bay in 1978, carries iron ore from the Twin Ports of Duluth…

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