Marine Link
Monday, March 18, 2024
SUBSCRIBE

Michigan News

14 Feb 2024

US Great Lakes Shipping Companies Spend $120 Million on Winter Repairs

(Photo: Lake Carriers’ Association)

American shipping companies are spending more than $120 million to repair and maintain their fleets of Great Lakes bulk carriers this winter.The fleet of U.S.-flagged ships, known as "lakers", can move more than 90 million tons of cargos annually, including iron ore, stone, coal, grain, salt and sand. Each year after the shipping season draws to a close, these vessels enter shipyards and repair facilities around the Great Lakes for a period of winter maintenance and repair. This…

13 Feb 2024

Wreck of WWII-era Cargo Ship Found in the Great Lakes

(Photo: Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society)

The wreck of a World War II-era freighter has been discovered in over 600 feet of water around 35 miles north of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula.Over the last 7 years, shipwreck researcher Dan Fountain has been studying remote sensing data in the search for shipwrecks in Lake Superior. After coming across a particularly deep anomaly, he reached out to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) for help in identifying the potential wreck. In 2023 GLSHS Director of Marine Operations…

07 Jan 2024

Report Identifies Four Key US Industrial Carbon Capture Clusters

Source: Carbon Clean

EFI Foundation CEO Ernest J. Moniz has published a new report, supported by carbon capture solutions company Carbon Clean, that describes a new coordinated regional approach in the US with great potential for significant carbon emissions reductions.The report, “A New Industrial Backbone: Exploring U.S. Regional CCUS Hubs for Small-to-Midsize Industrial Emitters” lays out a blueprint that calls for a hub approach to carbon capture.The study identifies four regional hubs in the…

28 Dec 2023

Navico Invests to Boost Manufacturing Capabilities

(Photo: Navico Group)

Navico Group, a division of Brunswick Corporation, announced a multimillion-dollar investment in its Lowell, Mich. facility to create two Centers of Excellence in metal fabrication and electrification. The investment is intended to increase quality, capacity and efficiency, as well as improve product manufacturing capabilities, the company said.“Navico Group is committed to being a leader in metal fabrication and electrification for the industries we serve, and this investment is a testament to that” said Brett Dibkey, Navico Group President.

21 Nov 2023

Great Lakes Towing Buys Historic Fireboat

(Photo: The Great Lakes Towing Company)

The Great Lakes Towing Company (GLT) announced it has acquired a 62-year-old fireboat from the city of Cleveland, Ohio.The vessel, Anthony J. Celebrezze, was constructed in 1961 by Paach Marine in Erie, Pa. and was used by the Cleveland Fire Department until it was replaced with a new vessel, Garret A. Morgan, in June 2023 and put up for auction.Auction data shows the vessel was sold on November 14 for just over $41,000, including a 12.5% buyer's premium.GLT said its Great Lakes Shipyard division is very familiar with the Anthony J.

31 Oct 2023

Crowley Names Guthman VP of Business Development for Wind Services

Christy Guthman (Photo: Crowley)

Crowley has named offshore wind veteran Christy Guthman as vice president of business development for its Wind Services business as the company grows in the clean, sustainable energy sector.Guthman most recently served as executive general manager of sales and commercial operations for GE Offshore Wind. During her tenure there, she built the company’s North American sales, marketing and supply chain strategy. Guthman also worked as General Electric’s senior sales director for the western U.S.

21 Sep 2023

US' MARAD Announces Grants to Boost Supply Chain Efficiency

File photo: U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (Photo: Harvey A. Duze – Office of Command Communications)

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded nearly $12 million in grants to eight marine highway projects across the nation under the United States Marine Highway Program (USMHP). The funding will improve the movement of goods along our navigable waterways and expand existing waterborne freight services in Alaska, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin, which will strengthen supply chains and ultimately cut costs for consumers.“Our country has always relied on American waterways to get vital goods where they need to go,” said U.S.

18 Sep 2023

Using AI To Advance Engineering Analysis: Not More Data, More Physics

Copyright Kras99/AdobeStock

The goal of engineering analysis is to use models of the real world to simulate and predict the performance of a design with confidence, explore design modifications, and inform downstream stakeholders—the owners, builders, operators, and passengers—with knowledge that the design works as intended before it is built. To do so, we need models that characterize the physical world. That is easier said than done, but it underpins much of what we do as engineers. This is precisely…

15 Sep 2023

Naval Architect Mitchell Levi Joins The Shearer Group

Mitchell Levi (Photo: The Shearer Group, Inc.)

The Shearer Group, Inc. (TSGI) announced Mitchell Levi has joined its naval architecture, marine engineering, and marine surveying firm as a naval architect. He holds a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of Michigan. For his undergraduate research, Levi examined the highly coupled relationships between propulsion loads and cooling systems.While studying at the University of Michigan, Levi completed internships at TSGI, the American Bureau of Shipping and Fincantieri Marinette Marine.

06 Sep 2023

Great Lakes Iron Ore, Limestone Trades Rise in August

(Photo: Lake Carriers’ Association)

Shipments of iron ore and limestone on the Great Lakes for the month of August both increased compared to 2022, up 8.6% and 4.4% respectively, according to latest figures from the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA).The 5.5 million tons or iron ore shipped in August was 3.5% above the month’s five-year average, while limestone cargos were above the month’s five-year average by 3.7%, LCA said. Limestone loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 3.3 million tons, an increase of 5% compared to 2022.

21 Aug 2023

Great Lakes Freighter Estimated to Have Spilled 1,500 Gallons of Diesel

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

A U.S.-registered bulk carrier that spilled diesel fuel into Lake Michigan earlier this month is believed to have spilled approximately 1,500 gallons, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Monday.The 630-foot-long self-unloading bulk carrier Manitowoc was approximately 1.5 nautical miles offshore of Manistee, Mich. on August 2 when it reported it was leaking diesel fuel due to a hull breach on its starboard diesel tank. The investigation into the cause of the spill is ongoing.Prior to departing the Port of Manistee, the  vessel conducted and recorded initial tank soundings.

14 Aug 2023

Commercial Fishing on the Great Lakes is a Family Affair

© Hank Erdmann / Adobe Stock

Although the number of fishermen who make a living on the waters of the Great Lakes is much diminished from a half century ago, the region's commercial whitefish fishery continues to be viable and profitable.Henriksen Fisheries is one of about a dozen commercial entities in the Wisconsin waters of Lake Michigan, focused on trap netting whitefish in Green Bay and the waters surrounding the Door Peninsula.Charlie Henriksen started his family-owned fishing business in Door County in 1987.Originally from Illinois…

03 Aug 2023

Great Lakes Iron Ore, Limestone Trades On the Rise

(Photo: Lake Carriers’ Association)

Shipments of iron ore and limestone on the Great Lakes rose in the month of July, according to latest figures published by trade group the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA).Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 5.8 million tons in July, an increase of 8.9% compared to a year ago, while limestone shipments rose 4.7% to 4.2 million tons, LCA said. The respective trades were above the month’s five-year average by 4.8% and 6.6% respectively.Year-to-date, the iron ore trade stands at 25.6 million tons, an increase of 34.3% compared to the same point in 2022.

03 Aug 2023

Lake Michigan Carferry's SS Badger Out for the Season

SS Badger (Photo: Interlake Maritime Services)

A historic Great Lakes car and passenger ferry will be sidelined the rest of the season due to damages it suffered in July. Lake Michigan Carferry said Tuesday that the SS Badger's daily crossings between Ludington, Mich., and Manitowoc, Wis., have been suspended indefinitely.“We have made the difficult, and unfortunately unavoidable, decision to suspend our daily crossings for the remainder of the season,” said Mark W. Barker, president of Ohio-based Interlake Maritime Services, parent company of the Lake Michigan Carferry.

03 Aug 2023

Freighter Spills Diesel on Lake Michigan

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

A U.S. registered bulk carrier has reportedly spilled diesel in Lake Michigan, approximately 1.5 nautical miles offshore of Manistee, Mich., the U.S. Coast Guard said.At approximately 2:50 p.m. on Wednesday, the 630-foot self-unloading bulk carrier Manitowoc reported a hull breach on its starboard diesel tank. The maximum spill potential is 45,174 gallons of diesel, the Coast Guard said.At the time of the report, the lake was at anchor 1.5 nautical miles offshore, northwest of where the Manistee River enters Lake Michigan.

26 Feb 2024

Crossing Death's Door Daily

© Derek Victor / Adobe Stock

Washington Island Ferry Line (WIFL) has been the essential link between the residents, business and visitors of Washington Island and Wisconsin's Door Peninsula for more than eight decades.Picturesque and peaceful Door County isn't named for some intrepid settlers named Door. The name has a more ominous meaning. It's derived from the treacherous passage between the peninsula and Washington Island that mariners called Porte des Mortes, or Death's Door.A unique combination of environmental…

27 Jul 2023

US Invests Nearly $10 Million to Advance Marine Energy

Source: Oneka Technologies

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced nearly $10 million for seven projects that will accelerate development and testing of marine energy technologies. These investments advance research on wave-powered technology for use in seawater desalination and support a feasibility study for a potential ocean current test facility. “Marine energy technologies have incredible potential to provide clean electricity as well as clean water,” said Alejandro Moreno, Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

19 Jul 2023

Anneliese Jost to Receive IMO International Maritime Prize

Anneliese Jost (Photo: IMO)

Germany's Anneliese Jost has been selected as the recipient of the International Maritime Prize for 2022, the the International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced. The decision was made by the IMO Council at its 129th session, being held July 17-21, after Jost was nominated for the award by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.In its statement supporting her nomination for the prize, Germany cited Jost's "crucial contribution towards achieving the objectives of IMO…

17 Jul 2023

BHGI Hires Naval Architects Althouse and Kennedy

Taylor Althouse (Photo: BHGI)

Bristol, R.I. based naval architecture, marine engineering and consulting firm Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. (BHGI) announced the continued expansion of its naval architecture and marine engineering firm with two new hires: Taylor Althouse and Kasey Kennedy.Althouse joined BHGI as a Naval Architect. Althouse graduated from the University of Michigan with a Master of Science in Engineering in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. During his time at the University of Michigan, Althouse interned at Hornbeck Offshore Services, LLC.

07 Jul 2023

Great Lakes Limestone Trade Slides

(Photo: Lake Carriers’ Association)

Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.1 million tons in June, a decrease of 17.6% from a year ago, according to latest figures published by trade group the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA). This June’s loadings were also below the month’s five-year average by 17.4%.Loadings out of U.S. quarries totaled 2.5 million tons, a decrease of 15.2% compared to last year, while shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 610,702 tons, a decrease of 26.4%, LCA said.Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at nearly 8.1 million tons, a decrease of 16.9% compared to 2022.

10 May 2023

US Forms Council to Advise on USMMA Improvements

(File photo: USMMA)

The U.S. Department of Transportation has formed a new advisory council to help drive improvements at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), a service academy in Kings Point, N.Y.According to the DOT, establishment of the USMMA Advisory Council fulfills a key recommendation from the National Academy of Public Administration’s (NAPA) November 2021 report entitled “Organizational Assessment of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy: A Path Forward.” Specifically, NAPA’s report recommended…

20 Apr 2023

Krewsky Named President of TAI Engineers

William Krewsky (Photo: TAI Engineers)

S&B announced updates to the management team of TAI Engineers, which include the promotion of Captain William Krewsky, PE (USCG Retired), to President and Krishna (Kris) Karri to Senior Vice President Operations and Chief Engineer. Krewsky succeeds Anil Raj, PE, TAI’s Founder and President, who will remain in an executive advisory role with TAI.Captain Krewsky, a 38-year marine-industry veteran, most recently served as Vice President of Government Programs for TAI. Prior to joining TAI…

20 Mar 2023

Mackinac Island Ferry Set for Electric Conversion

The Mackinac Island passenger ferry Chippewa will be converted from diesel to electric propulsion. Photo courtesy of Star Line/Mackinac Island Ferry Co.

A Mackinac Island passenger ferry will be converted to zero-emissions electric power with the help of a $3.06 million award from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Fuel Transformation Program (FTP) Part 2.Star Line, now known as the Mackinac Island Ferry Company (MIFC), will replace two 1988 diesel engines with two brand new electric propulsion motors on a ferry, the Chippewa, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 14,152 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents and 887 metric tons of nitrogen oxides over the boat’s lifetime.

Subscribe for
Maritime Reporter E-News

Maritime Reporter E-News is the maritime industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email five times per week