John D Rockefeller News

“…We have built our reputation job by job, boat by boat, and tow by tow, and we intend to continue to do so.”The Great Lakes Towing Company (GLT) and the Great Lakes Shipyard are core businesses within The Great Lakes Group of Companies, based in Cleveland, on the Old River, a shipping channel that runs west from where the Cuyahoga River meets Lake Erie. Company towing operations extend from Buffalo, N.Y. in the east to Duluth, Minn. in the west. Great Lakes Towing owns and operates the largest U.S.-flagged tugboat fleet on the Great Lakes, serving more than 35 ports in all eight U.S.

Embracing and spanning the full breadth of Great Lakes geography and business mix, GLG’s Joe Starck has his multi-missioned firm looking to the future – in more ways than one.The Great Lakes Group (GLG) takes its beginnings from its 1899 incorporation by industrial icon John D. Rockefeller, who formed the Great Lakes Towing to satisfy the demands of a Midwest industrial revolution that brought bigger ships to the region. Existing vessels, unable to keep up with demand, were supplemented and replaced by a fleet of as many as 100 tugboats; the first steel tugs in the region. GLG still has a tug that was part of that original operation.

In 1864 Abraham Lincoln was president, and the U.S. was embroiled in the midst of civil war. In 1864, McAllister Towing was established (originally as the Greenpoint Lighterage Co.) in New York City. McAllister Towing has persevered, and at times, served, through nine wars, 28 presidents, at least three catastrophic stock market crashes; collapsing oil prices, generations of advances in ship technology and vessel construction and design; and an explosion in maritime regulation.

Designed by Jensen Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, and built by the Great Lakes Shipyard of Cleveland, Ohio a 74-foot workboat is quickly making a name for itself; in and out of the water. The “HandySize” Class Tug was designed to fill the niche between the 2,400 to 3,200 HP market for harbor workboats, fireboats, and construction operations and coastal towing, too. The Tug model 2800 is powered by two Cummins QSK38,1400HP diesel engines rated at 1800 rpm, providing a total of 2,800 HP – or in order words, just right for those niche tasks assigned to a Great Lakes workboat.

Miami maritime lawyer Charles R. Lipcon, of Lipcon, Margulies, Alsina & Winkleman, P. A. , has met with staff members for U.S. Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and the committee itself to discuss transparency in cruise ship crime reporting. During the meeting, Mr. Lipcon, who has over 40 years of maritime litigation experience, discussed how there is a large discrepancy between the number of cruise crimes that are actually taking place and those that are being reported to the public.

The Great Lakes Towing Company and Great Lakes Shipyard will celebrate their 115th anniversary with the delivery of two new 4,640HP FIFI 1 ASD tugs. Designed by Jensen Maritime Consultant, Inc., Seattle, Washington, the tugs AURA and ATLAS are built to the highest standards of the American Bureau of Shipping, the U.S. vessel classification society. The tugs were launched using the Shipyard’s 770-ton Travelift. Founded by John D. Rockefeller on July 7, 1899, the company’s founding shareholders were the major industrialists at the turn of the century.

A coalition of maritime related interests writes to US Senate pledging support for uniform national standard for regulation of ballast water & other vessel discharges. The text of the letter addressed to The Hon. John D. "We are writing to express support for Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approval of S. 3332, the Vessel Incidental Discharges Act, bipartisan legislation that will help achieve the goal of a uniform national standard for the regulation of ballast water and other vessel discharges. Our coalition—which includes U.S. and international vessel owners and operators; labor unions; industries that rely on marine vessels to transport essential cargoes in domestic and international commerce…

As part of its continuing plans for diversification and expansion The Great Lakes Towing Company, a 106-year old tug company, now a multi-faceted marine transportation and ship and boat repair business, will construct a new $3,500,000 headquarters building and state-of-the-art shipyard complex on its present 6-acre deep waterfront property in the Old River Channel of the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio. Located at the foot of West 45th Street on Division Avenue, the new facilities will incorporate fabrication, welding and diesel shops to include new technologies. 40’-high fabrication building will be equipped with a 10-ton overhead crane that will travel the entire 150’ length of the building, and its 30’ high by 40’ hanger door will permit indoor barge and tug construction and repairs.

Discussing the marine business with Captain Brian McAllister is much like sitting in a "Maritime History 101" course, in that his accumulated knowledge, experience and stories tell the tale of not only the evolution of one company, but an entire industry operating in one of the world's most dynamic ports. During his more than a quarter of a century at the helm of the family business, Captain Brian McAllister and his company — McAllister Towing and Transportation (MT&T) — have had more than their fair share of wins and losses. However, on the event of the christening of the company's new tugboat Janet M. McAllister — named for McAllister's two-year-old granddaughter…

The Great Lakes Towing Company is celebrating its 100th anniversary providing tugboat services in the port of Detroit. The company's founding shareholders include many of the nation's great industrialists, including John D. Rockefeller and James R. Sinclair. In continuous business for 100 years, it has been a significant marine operations link in one of the major economic lifelines of North America. The company owns and operates more than 50 tugboats. In fact, it is the largest U.S-flag tugboat company engaged in towing on the Great Lakes. Four tugboats - Wyoming, Wisconsin, Vermont and Pennsylvania - are assigned to harbor towing services in Detroit, with additional tugs coming from Toledo available to meet surges and emergency needs.

Tugz International L.L.C., an affiliate of The Great Lakes Group, christened three "Z" Class multi-purpose reverse tractor tugs at MARCO Shipyard, Seattle, completing the second phase of the company's fleet expansion and upgrade program, which now exceeds $30 million. The christening ceremony marks the 100 year anniversary of The Great Lakes Towing Company, whose early shareholders included John D. Rockefeller and James R. Sinclair. Z-Three, Z-Four and Z-Five, as the tugs are called, will be operated under a U.S. Navy contract to provide harbor towing services at the U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Designed by Jensen Maritime Consultants, Seattle, the 95 x 32 ft.