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Us And Canadian Coast News

15 Jun 2020

Great Lakes Shipping Companies Navigate Market Challenges Ahead

American Steamship Company’s M/V American Courage upbound on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio with a load of taconite from the iron ranges on Lake Superior for ArcelorMittal Cleveland, one of the most productive integrated steel mills in the world. (Photo Credit: Thomas Rayburn)

For U.S.-flag shipping on the Great Lakes, 2019 was a good year. Total cargos were 90 million net tons, up 7.5% over 2018 and 4.6% over the five-year average. 49.7 million net tons of iron ore were shipped, up 8.5% over 2018 and 11.7% over the five year. Limestone was up 9.7% over 2018 and 10.2% over the five-year average. In 2010 and 2011, coal and limestone were each about 20 million net tons. Since then, coal has shown a steady decline as coal-fired power generating plants…

25 Apr 2018

Yacht Manager Aquited of Manslaughter Charges

The director of a yacht management firm was cleared of manslaughter charges bought on by the death of four sailors in 2014.Four U.K. men – two in their twenties and two in their fifties – were killed when the 40-foot Cheeki Rafiki capsized in the Atlantic in May 2014 while returning across the Atlantic Ocean to Southampton from Antigua. The sailors’ bodies were never recovered.Yacht manager Doug Innes, who had been accused of failing to have the yacht properly checked ahead of its voyage and to ensure that its certification was in date for the intended trip, has been found not guilty on four charges of gross negligence manslaughter today at Winchester Crown Court.Innes along with his company Stormforce Coaching had denied all charges…

21 Dec 2016

Operation Coal Shovel Icebreaking Underway

The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Neah Bay, homeported in Cleveland, works to keep the CSL Laurentien moving during an escort in eastern Lake Erie March 27, 2014. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of CSL Laurentien)

The U.S. Coast Guard officially commenced Operation Coal Shovel, Tuesday, encompassing domestic ice-breaking operations in southern Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, the St. Clair / Detroit River system, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence Seaway. U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers work together to break ice in these waterways as conditions worsen throughout the winter. The Coast Guard conducts domestic ice-breaking operations for the purposes of search-and-rescue, and…

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

Crystal Charters Escort Vessel for Arctic Cruise

RRS Ernest Shackleton (Photo: Crystal Cruises)

When cruise liner Crystal Serenity sets off on its 32-day expedition voyage through the Northwest Passage from Anchorage to New York August 16, she will be escorted by the RRS Ernest Shackleton. Crystal Cruises recently secured RRS Ernest Shackleton for the voyage via a charter party agreement with Tactical Marine Solutions of Victoria, Canada and British Antarctic Survey (BAS) headquartered in Cambridge, U.K. Under the contract, RRS Ernest Shackleton, an ICE 05 classed icebreaker (exceeding the more common 1A Super class)…

26 Feb 2016

Icebreakers Go to Work on St. Clair River

Canadian Coast Guard icebreaking vessel Samuel Risley (File photo courtesy of the Canadian Coast Guard)

Icebreaking vessels from the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards are scheduled to break ice in the North Channel of the St. Clair River, Friday. Canadian Coast Guard ship Samuel Risley will break ice in the river near Algonac, Mich., and Harsens Island. Due to concentrated ice buildup, the water levels in the area rose between 15 and 20 inches overnight prompting the Clay Township Emergency Operation Center and Champion’s Auto Ferry to request Coast Guard assistance. Throughout the remainder of the winter, U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers will continue to respond in the St.

29 Jan 2016

US, Canada Partner to Break Ice on Lower Great Lakes

Coast Guard Cutter Bristol Bay sits in the middle of Lake Erie as its crew takes ice liberty during a short break from ice breaking duties as part of Operation Coal Shovel, March 2015. The crew of the Bristol Bay, along with the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Griffon, escorted the motor vessel Algoma Hansa through a frozen Lake Erie. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Nick Gould)

U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard icebreaking crews kick off operation Coal Shovel Friday in the waters of the southern Great Lakes. Operation Coal Shovel encompasses domestic icebreaking operations in southern Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, the St. Clair / Detroit River system, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence Seaway. U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers, work together to break ice in these waterways as conditions worsen throughout the winter. The Coast Guard conducts domestic icebreaking operations for the purposes of search-and-rescue…

06 May 2015

April Ice Hinders Great Lakes Ore Trade

Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 4.3 million tons in April, nearly 15 percent below the month’s long-term average, the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) reported. The heavy ice blanketing the Lakes not only slowed the vessels that were in service, it delayed many vessels from sailing. Several U.S.-flag vessel operators held back ships rather than sit in ice because the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards do not have enough icebreakers to adequately cover the system. “April was again proof positive that we need more icebreaking resources,” said James H.I. Weakley, president of LCA, the trade association representing U.S.-flag vessel operators on the Great Lakes.

14 Apr 2015

Shell Ready for ECA Challenges

Photo: Shell

Since the implementation of Emission Control Areas (ECAs) on January 1, 2015, ships entering waters in the Baltic Sea; the North Sea; the North American ECA, including most of the U.S. and Canadian coast, as well as the French overseas collectivities of St. Pierre and Miquelon; and the U.S. Caribbean ECA, including Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands Sea had to use fuels with up to 0.1% sulphur content. Shell Marine Products (SMP) was the first to introduce a complete line of ECA-approved marine lubricants in September 2014.

20 Feb 2015

Coast Guards Working to Free Laker Beset in Ice

The motor vessel Arthur M. Anderson is beset in ice near Ashtabula, Ohio, Feb. 19, 2015. (Photo courtesy of Canadian Coast Guard)

The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards are working to break free the motor vessel Arthur M. Anderson, which is beset in ice near Conneaut Harbor, and turn it around in Lake Erie so it can head to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, for its winter layup. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bristol Bay, a 140-foot ice-breaking tug homeported in Detroit, has been just outside of Ashtabula for several days battling 8 to 10 feet of ice in areas and brash ice up to 5 to 6 feet thick. The progress has been slow in getting into Ashtabula, so the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Griffon has been called to assist.

22 Jan 2015

Video: Coastguards Continue Great Lakes Icebreaking

Image: USCG

Continued icebreaking operations from the U.S. The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards are jointly continuing Operation Coal Shovel, the seasonal domestic icebreaking operations in the southern part of Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, the St. Clair and Detroit River systems, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. As of Sunday, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) icebreakers have logged 493 icebreaking hours and assisted 53 vessels since beginning Operation Coal Shovel on January 8. Operation Coal Shovel’s mission…

08 Jan 2015

US, Canadian Coast Guard Icebreaking Underway

The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Neah Bay, homeported in Cleveland, works to keep the CSL Laurentien moving during an escort in eastern Lake Erie March 27, 2014. The crew experienced plate ice as thick as three feet and ice ridges as tall as eight feet. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of CSL Laurentien)

The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards have begun collaborative icebreaking operations. The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards have commenced Operation Coal Shovel seasonal domestic ice breaking operations in the southern part of Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, the St. Clair and Detroit River systems, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, starting Thursday. The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers work together to prevent ice jams in these vital economic waterways as conditions worsen throughout the winter.

06 Jan 2015

Great Lakes Freeze Cost Economy $705m, 3,800 Jobs

The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw, homeported in Cheboygan, Mich., conducts an escort on Lake Superior near Whitefish Point April 3, 2014. (USCG photo)

The seemingly glacial ice that brought shipping on the Great Lakes to a virtual standstill last winter cost the economy more than $700 million and nearly 4,000 jobs, the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) reported, promting the group to to call for construction of a second heavy icebreaker to partner with the U.S. Coast Guard’s MACKINAW to keep the shipping lanes open in the harshest of conditions. According to LCA, the winter of 2013/2014 was so brutal that U.S.-flag cargo movement between December 1, 2013 and May 30, 2014, plummeted nearly 7 million tons compared the same period in 2012/2013.

11 Dec 2014

Great Lakes Ore Volumes Surpass 2013 Figures

Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 5.9 million tons in November, an increase of 5.8 percent compared to a year ago. That increase finally pushed the year-to-date total ahead of 2013’s pace. Through November, shipments stand at 53,249,990 tons, an increase of 86,721 tons. While the increase is minute, the achievement is huge. The winter of 2013/2014 was the most brutal in decades. The U.S. Coast Guard started breaking ice on December 6, the earliest on record. Iron ore shipments slipped 20 percent in December and then plunged 37 percent in January. A few cargos moved in February, but one voyage that should have taken 50 hours stretched 10 days.

05 Dec 2014

MTU Powers Ice-Capable Research Vessel

Sikuliaq

MTU, a Rolls-Royce brand, was chosen to power the Sikuliaq, a U.S. academic research vessel tailor-made for oceanographic research. The Sikuliaq, one of the most advanced university research vessels in the world, is owned by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks as a part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System’s academic research fleet. The Sikuliaq is powered by a total of four MTU Series 4000 Ironmen engines, two of which are MTU 16V 4000 M23S marine generator engines.

19 Nov 2014

Great Lakes Coal Up 9% in October

photo courtesy Midwest Energy Resources Company

Coal shipments on the Great Lakes topped 3 million tons in October, an increase of 9 percent compared to a year ago, while shipments also outpaced the month’s long-term average by 75,000 tons, the Lake Carriers’ Association reported. Shipments from Lake Superior ports totaled 1.7 million tons, an increase of 3.5 percent compared to a year ago, and a slight increase over the month’s long-term average. Loadings on Lake Michigan totaled 267,000 tons, a decrease of 35 percent compared to a year ago, and 24.2 percent below the month’s long-term average.

06 Nov 2014

US-flag Great Lakes Cargos Up Nearly 15%

U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters (lakers) moved 11.3 million tons of dry-bulk cargo in October, an increase of 14.7 percent compared to a year ago. The October float was also 19.6 percent above the month’s long-term average. Iron ore for North American steelmakers totaled 5.4 million tons in October, an increase of 21.3 percent compared to a year ago. The industry continues to benefit from high water levels. Several ore cargos topped 69,000 tons. Nonetheless, if the Great Lakes Navigation System was dredged to project dimensions, loads could have topped 72,000 tons. The industry is working with Congress to ensure dredging nationally is funded in FY15 at the level called for in the Water Resources Reform and Development Act: $1.166 billion.

29 May 2014

Ice Took Heavy Toll on Lakes Coal in April

Ice formation, the likes of which have not been seen since 1994, dramatically slowed coal shipments on the Great Lakes in April. Loadings totaled only 995,000 tons, a decrease of nearly 55 percent compared to a year ago. Compared to the month’s five-year average, April shipments were down nearly 57 percent. The biggest drop came from Lake Superior ports. The only way vessels could safely cross Lake Superior in April was to be convoyed by U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers, and as a result, shipments plummeted 80 percent. It was not until May 2 that vessels were allowed to transit Lake Superior unescorted. Year-to-date the Lakes coal trade stands at 1…

16 May 2014

USCG Concludes its Largest Domestic Icebreaking Operation

The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw, homeported in Cheboygan, Mich., conducts an escort on Lake Superior near Whitefish Point April 3, 2014. (USCG photo)

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) crews concluded the nation’s largest domestic ice operation known as Taconite, Thursday, after more than five months of icebreaking operations in the Northern Great Lakes. Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, plans and runs Operation Taconite, which includes all of Lakes Superior and Michigan, the northern half of Lake Huron, the St. Marys River and the Straits of Mackinac. During the 160 days of the operation, nine U.S. Coast Guard and three Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers spent more than 5…

09 May 2014

Great Lakes’ Ice Halves Ore Trade in April

Heavy ice formations on the Great Lakes continued to slash iron ore shipments in April. Shipments totaled only 2.7 million tons, a decrease of 52 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings slumped even more – 53.3 percent – when compared to the month’s long-term average. Lake Superior’s ice was so challenging that the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards had to convoy freighters the entire month. In fact, it was not until May 2 that the U.S. Coast Guard allowed vessels to proceed across Lake Superior unescorted. The ice field off Marquette, Michigan, barred lakers from loading at the port until April 13. Another ice-related factor in the decrease was the inability of downbound freighters to transit the Rock Cut, a stretch of the St. Marys River just below the Soo Locks.

01 Apr 2014

CG Icebreakers Active as Shipping Picks Up

USCG photo by Levi Read

The U.S. Coast Guard and Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers are continuing to create pathways for commercial shippers throughout the Great Lakes region including the St. Lawrence Seaway, which connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. The St. Lawrence Seaway officially opened to shipping Monday, while the Welland Canal, which connects lakes Ontario and Erie, opened Friday. Although the Soo Locks officially opened for the season March 25, no commercial ships have passed through…

17 Apr 2014

Body Found, 2 Fishermen Missing in Lake Erie

U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard crews continue to search for three people in the water in Lake Erie, Thursday, after one body was recovered and a boat was found five miles northeast of Locust Point, Ohio. The Coast Guard is not releasing the names of the missing people or the recovered individual at the request of the families. Coast Guard crews investigated a report of a second body in the water but found it was a floating log. The search commenced at 2 a.m. after a watchstander at Sector Detroit received a report that a fishing group was overdue on returning home. The boat was discovered on Toussaint Reef, approximately five miles northeast of Locust Point. The group's truck and boat trailer were found at the Locust Point boat ramp.

21 Apr 2014

Coast Guard Concludes Great Lakes Icebreaking

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Randy Beauchamp

The U.S. Coast Guard concluded icebreaking operations on the lower Great Lakes, Monday, more than four months after it started, Dec. 15, 2013. Operation Coal Shovel is a binational domestic icebreaking effort covering the St. Lawrence Seaway, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, the Detroit/St. Clair River System and southern Lake Huron. Crews aboard Coast Guard Cutters Mackinaw, Hollyhock, Bristol Bay, Neah Bay and Morro Bay were joined by crews from Canadian Coast Guard Ships Samuel Risley, Griffon and Des Groseilliers during this year’s operation.