Great Lakes News

Wisconsin shipyards Bay Shipbuilding and Fraser Shipyards have been awarded nearly $2 million in 2018 Small Shipyard Grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin today.The Small Shipyard Grant Program helps small shipyards, like Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay and Fraser Shipyards in Superior, repair and modernize equipment, and train workers.“In Wisconsin, and across America, small shipyards are considered the lifeblood of the maritime economy.

Robert (Bob) Hill of Ocean Tug & Barge Engineering Corp., of Milford, MA has specialized in the design of AT/B’s for many years. As probably the world's most experienced designer of large articulated tug/barge (AT/B) systems, Hill’s success comes, in part, from a willingness to innovate. Ocean Tug & Barge Engineering Corporation and Robert Hill are the co-inventors of the Intercon Connection System. In a nutshell, his firm has had a hand in over 70% of the operational AT/B’s in service in America – including, 80% of those built or converted since 1994.

Port of Cleveland President & CEO and newly elected Board Chairman of the American Association of Port Authorities William Friedman weighs in this month on the Port of Cleveland and its role in the all important Great Lakes trades.When the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) announced the election of Port of Cleveland President and CEO, William D. Friedman, to serve as chairman for the 2018-19 year, beginning this October, it was perhaps a conscious decision to tap someone who has a broad range of experience and skills in myriad ports, large and small.

Canada's Fednav Limited takes ownership of a 60th bulk carrier, an important milestone in Fednav’s history. This vessel, the MV Federal Dee, is the latest in a series of 22 box-hold handysize bulk carriers of 34,500 deadweight tons ordered from Oshima Shipyard of Japan since 2013. As the world’s largest operator of ice-class dry-bulk carriers and Canada’s leading ocean-going, dry-bulk shipowning and chartering group, Fednav operates a modern and high-performing bulker fleet of over 100 ships, the majority of which are owned.

Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 6.46 million tons in July, an increase of 7 percent compared to a year ago, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association. Shipments were also 11 percent ahead of the month’s five-year average.Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 26.6 million tons, a decrease of 3.2 percent compared to the same point in 2017. However, iron shipments are 5.6 percent ahead of their five-year average for the seven months of the year.

Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3,985,544 tons in July, an increase of 3.1 percent compared to a year ago, the Lake Carriers’ Association reported. The trade also bettered the month’s 5-year average by 5.5 percent.Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 3.142 million tons, a decrease equal to one cargo in a mid-sized laker. Shipments from Canadian quarries rose to 843,000 tons, an increase of 20 percent, and the highest monthly total this decade.Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at 13.3 million tons, an increase of 5 percent compared to a year ago.

Great Lakes-St. Lawrence shipping continues to bounce back after a slow start. With strong tonnage numbers in July, particularly shipments of U.S. grain, liquid bulk and project cargo, the 2018 shipping season is right on par with the healthy statistics posted last year.Overall cargo shipments on the St. Lawrence Seaway between March 29 and July 31 totaled 16.5 million metric tons. Areas of strength included U.S. grain shipments totaling 888,000 metric tons, up 32 percent over last year. Liquid bulk shipments totaled 2.3 million metric tons, an increase of 25 percent.

Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled nearly 4 million tons in August, a near carbon copy of both a year ago and July of this year, The Lake Carriers’ Association reports. The 3,941,085 tons of limestone cargos in August also bettered the month’s five-year average by 5.8 percent.Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 3.248 million tons, a decrease 3.3 percent, or 110,000 tons, compared to a year ago, LCA said. Shipments from Canadian quarries, meanwhile, totaled 693,003 tons…

The Coast Guard has developed two separate mitigation system prototypes specifically designed for inland and offshore environments and tested them in the Kalamazoo River and Lake Huron.Whenever there is a need for oil, there will always be a risk of oil spills. This is no less true for bituminous sands, commonly known as oil sands or tar sands. Oil sands are mostly found in Alberta, Canada, and comprised of bitumen, sand, clay and water. They are typically viscous, with a texture similar to peanut butter.

Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 6.4 million tons in August, an increase of 1.8 percent compared to a year ago, the Lake Carriers’ Association reported. Shipments outperformed the month’s five-year average by nearly 13 percent.Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 33 million tons, a decrease of 2.4 percent compared to the same point in 2017. The gap has been steadily decreasing over the course of the shipping season. At the end of April, iron ore shipments…

Algoma Central Corporation, the largest fleet of dry and liquid bulk carriers on the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Waterway, is adding the crews from 27 of its vessels to an expanding network of whale watchers. For the first time, the crews on Algoma’s self-unloaders, bulkers, tankers and cement carriers will collect data about the whales they see on their journeys this summer."Algoma is committed to providing sustainable and environmentally responsible marine transportation,” said Gregg Ruhl, Algoma’s Chief Operating Officer.

Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 4,052,994 tons in June, an increase of more than 17 percent compared to a year ago, the Lake Carriers’ Association reported.This June also represented the first month in which loadings topped 4 million tons since July 2015.Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 3.2 million tons, an increase of 16.2 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 815,000 tons, an increase of 22 percent.Year-to-date the Lakes limestone trade stands at 9.3 million tons, an increase of 5.9 percent compared to a year ago.

The Vessel General Permit (VGP) falls under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA), better known as the Clean Water Act. It is administered by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an agency not well known or understood by the maritime industry.For years, the EPA had adopted a policy of broadly exempting discharges into the water that were incidental to normal operation of vessels. That changed after environmental advocacy groups prevailed in a judicial challenge. The first iteration of the VGP entered into effect in 2008 and remained in effect until replaced by the current iteration in 2013.

The new study by the Department of Transportation Great Lakes - Saint Lawrence Seaway says that shipping  supports more than 237,000 jobs and billions in economic activity.A year-long study of the economic impacts of the entire Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway navigation system is a definitive and detailed report documenting the many contributions made by the Great Lakes Seaway system to federal, state/provincial and local economies.The study reports that in 2017 maritime commerce supported: 237…

U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters (lakers) moved 9.7 million tons of cargo in June, a near mirror image of a year ago but 3.5 percent below the month’s five-year average, the Lake Carriers’ Association reported.Iron ore cargos for steel production totaled 4.6 million tons, a decrease of 6.9 percent, while coal loads totaled 1.4 million tons, a decrease of 13.7 percent.Offsetting those decreases was a 21 percent surge in limestone cargos. Shipments of aggregate, fluxstone, chemical…

Finland is a traditional marine tech hub, with almost 90 company members in the Finnish Maritime Industries association. While the country has a storied maritime history across many sectors, based on geographic locale, it’s Arctic and ice marine technology is second to none, and it’s hoping the U.S. Coast Guard is taking notice.The Finnish maritime industry is hoping to get involved in developing the new icebreakers for the U.S. Coast Guard polar icebreaker program. Ulla Lainio…

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.

The ideal solution for the tightening regulatory noose also brings a different (and welcome) shade of ‘green’ for workboat operators.As the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA ramps up enforcement of regulations that mandate that all vessels over 24 meters (78 feet) operating in US waters must switch over to EALs in all oil-to-sea interfaces before their next drydocking, it is an arguably good time to be in the lubricants business. At the same time, Thordon Bearings, a manufacturer of seawater lubricated bearings for the marine industry has its own thoughts on that very topic.

Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 6.1 million tons in June, an increase of roughly one load in a 1,000-foot-long U.S.-flag freighter, the Lake Carriers’ Association reported. Shipments were 8.7 percent ahead of the month’s five-year average.Iron ore shipments from U.S. ports through the Soo Locks totaled 5.6 million tons in June, an increase of 4.1 percent. Of that total, 5.2 million tons, or 94 percent, transited the Poe Lock. On June 29, the U.S. Army Corps of…

The greening of America’s energy signature will not come without the usual discussions, regulatory oversight – and opposition from a raft of special interests.Amidst an atmosphere of possible resurgence in the domestic offshore oil energy, maritime stakeholders are also reminded that there is more than one kind of energy available for development off the four collective coasts of the United States. That process is underway in the Great Lakes; it has already happened off of New England.

United States grain exports via the St. Lawrence Seaway are up 32.1 percent this season compared to 2017. Construction materials were also heavily influential in the latest results with a nearly 38 percent increase in asphalt from the same time last year, as well as increases in cement and stone.“Summer is the season for construction projects and ships have been delivering materials for major building projects across the region,” says Bruce Burrows, President of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. “U.S.

U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters (lakers) moved 9.8 million tons of cargo in July, a virtual tie with a year ago, the Lake Carriers’ Association reported. The July float was, however, 6.4 percent below the month’s five-year average.Iron ore cargos for steel production totaled 5.2 million tons, an increase of 5 percent. The July ore float was also the highest monthly total for U.S.-flag lakers since December 2014.Coal loads totaled 1.3 million tons, a decrease of nearly 11 percent.

The Council for Dredging and Marine Construction Safety (CDMCS) convened this week in Washington, DC on the heels of its Pipeline Task Force Meeting to discuss OSHA regulatory updates, best practices for employee training documentation, opioid identification and prevention, and incident/injury trends in the industry.Representatives from The Dutra Group, Inland Dredging, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock, JT Cleary, Manson Construction Co., Mike Hooks, Norfolk Dredging, and Weeks Marine attended…