Miller Boat Line News

Great Lakes ferry operator Miller Boat Line announced it has received grant funding from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that will help it to reduce diesel emissions from its vessels.The $239,339 grant will cover approximately 40% of the replacement cost for seven (model year 1982-1996) diesel generator sets with Northern Lights model M50T13L generators on four ferries, the Ohio-based company said.The ferry Islander will receive one new genset, and Put-in Bay, William Market and South Bass will each receive two.

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.

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…

Great Lakes Shipyard announced it has been awarded a contract from regular customer Miller Boat Line to complete the five-year U.S. Coast Guard inspection and main engine repowering for its ferry William Market. The work is scheduled to be completed by February 2016. Previously, Great Lakes Shipyard completed unscheduled work and the five-year U.S. Coast Guard inspection for Miller Boat Line M/V Islander in May 2014 and most recently drydocking and maintenance for M/V Put-In-Bay in April 2015.

Great Lakes Shipyard has been awarded a drydocking contract for Miller Boat Line’s M/V Put-In-Bay. The ferry was hauled out using the 770-ton capacity Marine Travelift at Great Lakes Shipyard. The repair contract includes drydocking, inspection and repairs, hull cleaning and miscellaneous fabrication and steel repairs. This is the first drydocking for M/V Put-In-Bay at Great Lakes Shipyard since Spring 2010, when Great Lakes Shipyard completed reconstruction work including fabrication and installation of a 40-foot mid-body extension and main engine repowering.

Great Lakes Shipyard announced the installation of a new state-of-the-art plasma cutting machine, the Plate Pro Extreme 3100. The addition of this cutting table expands the range of services available to its customers and improves the efficiency of Great Lakes Shipyard operations, while also enhancing the quality and precision of the work being produced. Bringing this capability in-house allows the Shipyard to make more of its own parts without relying on outside vendors or subcontractors.

Miller Boat Line’s ferry, M/V South Bass, is receiving its routine five-year drydocking and USCG inspection at Great Lakes Shipyard. The vessel was hauled out using the Marine Travelift, and the work on the vessel will be completed in two to three weeks. This marks the first time Great Lakes Shipyard has performed work on the M/V South Bass. Since 2010, repairs have been performed on all of the other ferries in the Miller Boat Line fleet, including routine five-year drydockings…

18 Tall Ships from around the world to navigate into the Western Basin of Lake Erie for 'The Battle of Lake Erie Bicentennial,' Aug. 29, 2013. From Norway to Duluth, Minnesota, the tall ships of the past now call ports from all over the world home. With large crews, constant upkeep and a host of other responsibilities, unveiling these pristine wooden vessels is a massive undertaking. Floating on the horizon with what looks like a scene out of the film Master and Commander, these historical work horses only make special, precisely timed appearances.

Great Lakes Shipyard has been contracted by Interlake Steamship Company to perform winter work services on their ATB Dorthy Ann and Pathfinder which arrived in Cleveland and is docked on site at the Shipyard’s facility. The Shipyard will be performing a variety of work, such as:  miscellaneous steel work, generator maintenance, main drive unit maintenance, and other miscellaneous tug and barge repairs and maintenance. Great Lakes Shipyard is a full-service yard specializing in new construction, fabrication, repairs, and winter work of all types of vessels and barges.

Great Lakes Shipyard contracted by Interlake Steamship Company to perform winter work services on two vessels. Two more vessels have arrived: Interlake Steamship vessels, the ATB Dorothy Ann and the Pathfinder, are in Cleveland and  docked at Great Lakes Shipyard's facility. A variety of work is to be done, including: miscellaneous steel work, generator maintenance, main drive unit maintenance, and other miscellaneous tug and barge repairs and maintenance. Great Lakes Shipyard is a full-service yard specializing in new construction…

Cleveland’s Goodtime III arrived at Great Lakes Shipyard earlier this month to undergo drydocking and repair work. The vessel received its five-year year US Coast Guard hull and machinery inspection and had its hull repainted. Great Lakes Shipyard has performed work on the previous Cleveland-based excursion boats, Goodtime and Goodtime II. This is the first repair contract that Great Lakes Shipyard has had for Goodtime III. Goodtime III, a family owned and operated business since 1958…

The 121st annual convention of International Ship Masters’ Association (ISMA), held in Detroit, Mich., concluded on Saturday, February 12, 2011. Grand Secretary-Treasurer: George R. ISMA encourages the development of new licensed maritime officers by offering annual scholarships. Cory T. Tommy B. At its discretion, ISMA bestows awards recognizing mariners for their roles in at-sea rescue and other acts of heroism on the waters of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. Captain Steve Rose…

Great Lakes Shipyard of Cleveland, Ohio, finished maintenance and repairs on Miller Boat Line’s ferry William Market for its U.S. Coast Guard five-Year inspection. The work included repairing the ramp, installing hydraulic silencers, hull painting, blasting and painting ballast tanks, installing two new props and painting the upper deck. In addition to this, all of the ferry’s exterior fiberglass bench seats were replaced with new aluminum bench seats. The William Market is an all-steel passenger and vehicle vessel which was built in 1993…

Great Lakes Shipyard, Cleveland, Ohio, will perform repairs, haul out and drydocking, as necessary, to the U.S. Geological Survey Research Vessel Sturgeon under a fleet maintenance contract with the Great Lakes Science Center, Ann Arbor, Mich. of the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior. The 105 ft. long Sturgeon was built in 1974 and is home-ported in Cheboygan, Mich. The Sturgeon is the Center's second largest vessel with great geographic range and advanced scientific abilities.

Great Lakes Shipyard, Cleveland, Ohio, drydocked the ferry William Market to begin maintenance and repairs for its U.S. Coast Guard five-year inspection. The work will include routine cleaning and painting, hull inspection, valve overhauls and steering system modifications. In addition to this, all of the ferry’s exterior fiberglass bench seats are being replaced with new aluminum bench seats. This is the second time this year Miller Boat Line, the vessel’s owner, has entrusted one of its vessels to Great Lakes Shipyard.

A Captain and three crewmen from the passenger/vehicle ferry service, Miller Boat Line, Put-in-Bay, Ohio, will be honored with a Certificate of Appreciation given by the ODNR Division of Watercraft, at 2:00 PM on Friday, October 15, 2010, at the Miller Ferry Dock, Catawba Island, Ohio. The award will be given by Chief Pamela Dillon, head of the ODNR Division of Watercraft, Columbus, Ohio. The honor of "lifesaving efforts" will be given to Captain Steve Rose and crew members Jacob Market, Bernie Wise, and Greg Johnson. The four men were working aboard a Lake Erie Islands ferry, the William Market, on the morning of Friday, August 13, 2010, when a single engine privately owned plane crashed into the lake near the Miller Ferry Lime Kiln Dock, Put-in-Bay, Ohio.

Great Lakes Shipyard, a division of The Great Lakes Group, has been awarded a contract by Miller Boat Line, Put-in-Bay, Ohio, to fabricate and install a new 40-ft mid-body extension in the passenger/vehicle ferry Put-in-Bay. The contract was awarded on August 17, 2009, and all work is underway at Great Lakes Shipyard's state-of-the-art facilities on the South Bank of the Old River Channel, on Cleveland's Cuyahoga River. The project is slated for completion by year end. Miller Boat Line operates a fleet of four all-steel passenger/vehicle ferries, each approximately 96-ft in length, which run on Lake Erie from Catawba to the islands of Put-in-Bay (South Bass Island) and Middle Bass Island, Ohio.

Great Lakes Shipyard, a division of The Great Lakes Group, has completed all work required under contract with Miller Boat Line, Put-in-Bay, Ohio, to fabricate and install a new 40-ft mid-body extension in the passenger/vehicle ferry Put-in-Bay. The contract was awarded on August 17, 2009, and all work was completed at Great Lakes Shipyard facilities on the South Bank of the Old River Channel, on Cleveland's Cuyahoga River. What started out as a straight forward mid-body extension project grew into a complete rebuild, including replacement of the main engines with new CAT C18 diesels.

Miller Boat Line has begun using a 10-20 percent biofuel mix in one of its passenger vessels, the William Market, and has plans to eventually use it in all four of its vessels. The biofuel, G2 Diesel, provides 15 percent better fuel economy than traditional diesel and leaves a cleaner wake, protecting Lake Erie and generating fewer harmful emissions. Miller Boat Line has long been the most value-friendly way to travel to Put-in-Bay and the only way to bring vehicles to the island. G2 Diesel, is manufactured by a local company named 11 Good Energy, headquartered in Canton, Ohio. G2 Diesel is made primarily from soybean oil and ethanol and has a distinctly different aroma than traditional diesel when burned: some say it smells like French fries or butterscotch.