Vanenkevort Tug News

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS) in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., recently installed a Marine Travelift HTC 150D Hydraulic Hatch Crane on the Michigan Trader self-unloading barge delivered to VanEnkevort Tug & Barge.The Michigan Trader features an overall length of 740 ft X 78 ft beam X 45 ft depth. Once in service, it will serve the Great Lakes region by hauling bulk commodities including iron ore, stone and more.“It was nice to partner with a local supplier, Marine Travelift, to provide the lifting solutions for the Michigan Trader…

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding has delivered a newly built self-unloading barge to VanEnkevort Tug & Barge for operation on the Great Lakes.The new barge, named Michigan Trader, measures 740 feet in length, 78 feet in beam, and 45 feet in depth. The barge has a 265-foot unloading boom and capacity for up to 37,000 long tons of cargo.David Groh, president of VanEnkevort Tug & Barge, said Michigan Trader will be the fourth self-unloading barge in the company's Great Lakes fleet. The barge will be the 10th in the VTB fleet…

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…

The global pandemic news has been horrific and certainly an historic moment in domestic and worldwide shipping. For many businesses, the action was simple; hang the “closed” sign, furlough or layoff staff and wait for the approval to re-open. Or not, depending how long the virus will linger and continue to cause hundreds or thousands of deaths and rising numbers of cases. Make no mistake, there will be many businesses associated with our industry that will not return. The damages will be far beyond bars and restaurant businesses.

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…

There’s a barge full of reasons why many operators turn to ATBs.A  mainstay of the U.S. coastwise dirty and refined products trades, articulated tug barges (ATB) have increasingly filled a void left as the fleet of Jones Act tankers (with crew complement requirements exceeding that of tugs) has aged out. With the cargo capacity of the larger ATBs – some with barges exceeding 300,000 barrels capacity – rivalling that of workhorse tankers that had served oil consuming regions, the concept certainly makes sense from a supply and distribution perspective.With 50…

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding has signed an agreement with VanEnkevort Tug & Barge, Inc. to construct a new self-unloading barge for transportation of bulk products throughout the Great Lakes region. Measuring 740 feet in length (78 feet W, 45 feet H, 37,512 DWT), the vessel will be constructed in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. VanEnkevort Tug & Barge, Inc. (VTB) of Escanaba, Michigan is a growing company operating three articulated tug and barges (ATBs) on the Great Lakes. This newest self-unloading barge will be environmentally friendly and delivered with the first Great Lakes ballast water treatment system meeting EPA standards. Scheduled for completion in mid-2020…

A primer for navigating the ‘ups and downs’ of marine money for domestic stakeholders. Vessel financiers are resourceful and adaptable to changing markets. On the domestic side, financiers of Jones Act and “brown water” assets have continued to serve their customers through shifting shoals in both broader capital markets and in the marine markets – both known for their ups and downs. Marine finance can take many forms. In the broadest sense, funding can be done through loans, where the vessel is owned by the borrower…

One of the most labor- and fuel-efficient bulk material carriers on the Great Lakes entered service in June 2000. The self-unloading barge Great Lakes Trader is owned by Great Lakes Marine Leasing, Portland, Ore., and operated by VanEnkevort Tug and Barge, Bark River, Mich. The 740 x 78 ft. (226 x 24 m) Trader is the largest vessel capable of fitting through the St. Lawrence Seaway locks. Combined with the 10,200-bhp (7,600 bkW) tug Joyce L. VanEnkevort, the new integrated tug/barge (ITB) unit is the biggest dual-mode ITB on the Great Lakes. The 39,600 long ton (40,234 metric ton) capacity Trader was designed by a team of engineers directed by naval architect Joe Fischer, president of Bay Engineering, Inc., Sturgeon Bay, Wisc.

Every year, MarineNews chooses a handful of vessels delivered in the past 12 months and bestows upon them the distinction of “Great Boats.” The boats are chosen for innovations in design, construction and utilization. Following are the 17 vessels or groups of vessels chosen as the Great Boats of 2000. Crowley Marine Services delivered Alert, Attentive, and Aware, a series of three 140-ft., 10,000-hp Prevention and Response Tugs (PRTs), to Alyeska Pipeline Service Company in Valdez, Alaska. Specifically designed and developed for Alyeska, the boats will be used by Crowley in the Trans Alaska Pipeline System trade. Alert was deployed in February; Attentive was delivered in June, and Aware was delivered in July.

Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell announced $17m in capital grants to support projects in Erie that will bolster the city’s economy and expand the region’s tourism industry. Among the grants include $2.5m to Erie Shipbuilding LLC to help the company expand operations at the former Litton Industries shipyard and dry dock. The company will, primarily, convert existing vessels to tug barges, but will also build new ships for VanEnkevort’s Tug and Barge Inc. The company plans to expand VTB’s fleet by five to six vessels within three years. The state grant will help the company with capital expenditures as it seeks to acquire the necessary equipment to outfit the shipyard property.