Great Lakes News

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) announced a toll rate increase of 1.0% for the 2019 navigation season.Tariffs:The new revised tariff will be posted and available on the Seaway website today.Wharfage Charges:The St. Lawrence Seaway Wharfage and Storage Charges have been revised for the 2019 navigation season. Effective with the commencement of the 2019 navigation season, Wharfage Charges will increase 1%.The revised Tariff will be available today on the Web…

U.S. Coast Guard Sector Sault Sainte Marie commenced Operation Taconite, the Coast Guard’s largest domestic icebreaking operation, Monday, in response to expanded ice growth in the commercial ports of Western Lake Superior and the St. Marys River.Operation Taconite encompasses Lake Superior, St. Marys River, Straits of Mackinac, Georgian Bay, Green Bay, northern Lake Huron, and Lake Michigan. Ice breaking operations are based on the following order of priorities: search and rescue…

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced the receipt of a $93 million contract award for the Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement Project.Dredging to deepen the entrance channel will commence during the second quarter of 2019 with completion expected in early 2020 said Great Lakes, the largest provider of dredging services in the United States and a major provider of environmental and infrastructure services.It said that the overall ship channel deepening effort will be comprised of multiple phases, expected to be competitively bid and worked over the next five years.

U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters (lakers) moved 8.6 million tons of cargo in November, a virtual repeat of a year ago. The November float was also a near carbon copy of the month’s 5-year average.Iron ore cargos for steel production totaled 4.6 million tons, an increase of 9.6 percent compared to a year ago.Coal loads totaled 1.3 million tons, again little changed from a year ago. Shipments of aggregate, fluxstone, chemical stone and scrubber stone totaled 2.3 million tons, a decrease of 8 percent compared to a year ago.Year-to-date U.S.-flag cargo movement stands at 75.3 million tons…

Spanish engineering and technology group SENER has contracted the basic design of a 1,200-passenger ferry for Tanzanian shipping line Kampuni ya Huduma za Meli (Marine Services Co., Ltd.) to the Korean company GAS Entec."With this new engineering contract, SENER has the experience from having built over 1,200 ships and offshore artifacts worldwide under its own designs. With more than 60 years working in the Marine sector, nowadays SENER provides professional services to shipyards…

As commercial shipping and energy activities picks up in the Arctic region, the prospect of accidental oil spills in this pristine environment remain a concern. In response, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is taking the lead – through the U.S. Coast Guard – to develop a subsea robotic system to map and report on spills.“Because of ice coverage and the tyranny of distance, it is difficult to get resources and assets up in the Arctic in a quick manner,” said Kirsten Trego, Executive Director of the Coast Guard’s Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research.

Dr. Lorry Wagner has served as president of the Cleveland-based Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo) since May of 2010.LEEDCo is the public private partnership behind the effort to construct Icebreaker Wind, a 6 turbine 20.7 megawatt offshore wind energy demonstration project in Lake Erie, 8 miles off the shore of Cleveland. LEEDCo has received funding from the U.S. DOE under its Advanced Technology Demonstration Projects award and has partnered with Fred. Olsen Renewables of Norway. Dr.

MarineNews showcases the ten best of North America’s 2018 workboat deliveries. Domestic shipyard production is robust, innovative and getting greener. And, that translates into two kinds of ‘green.’As the domestic offshore energy support sector slowly awakens, other sectors have been happy to take the spotlight in its absence. As always, and if a hull was delivered in 2018, we took a look at it, with several areas as a focus for inclusion into this edition. For my part, I’m always excited when the U.S. boatbuilding sector can deliver for a foreign buyer. We’ve checked that box here.

Optimarin signed a contract to supply seven of its USCG-approved Optimarin Ballast Systems (OBS) to Fednav, Canada's largest ocean-going dry-bulk shipowning and chartering group. Five of the units will be fitted on existing vessels within the 63-strong Fednav fleet, with two deliveries set for newbuilds. The order comes on top of agreements for five units made last year, signaling a growing relationship between the two market leaders.With recent orders for multiple systems from Höegh Autoliners…

SunStone Ships, Inc. sold Victory Cruise Lines to the American Queen Steamboat Company (AQSC). After rapidly expanding market share in the Great Lakes, French Canada, and St. Lawrence Seaway, Victory became the market leader in these regions. Having recently added the VICTORY II, afforded AQSC the opportunity to acquire the largest capacity in the region.AQSC will acquire the VICTORY I and VICTORY II cruise vessels, as well as some assets in connection herewith, among them being the Victory brand, all Great Lakes charters, group bookings, individual passenger reservations, and related assets.

Canadian dry-bulk shipper Algoma Central Corporation announced the purchase of a 2008 built product tanker which will become the seventh tanker within the Algoma Tankers Limited fleet.A press release from the provider of marine transportation services said that the purchase demonstrates Algoma’s commitment to continuing to safely and efficiently ship petroleum products on the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway and East Coast.“We are extremely pleased to add a vessel to our Algoma Tankers Limited fleet as customer demand continues to strengthen in this segment…

Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.4 million tons in October, a decrease of 7.5 percent compared to a year ago, the Lake Carriers' Association said. Limestone cargos also trailed the month’s five-year average by 4.6 percent.Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 2.8 million tons, a decrease of 6 percent. Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 568,000 tons, a decrease of 14.6 percent.Year-to-date the limestone trade stands at 24.2 million tons, an increase of 1.9 percent compared to a year ago.

Not all towing vessel companies are choosing Third Party Organizations (TPOs) for their Subchapter M compliance option. One size does not fit all.Under Subchapter M, towing vessel companies may opt to use TPOs to conduct their audits and surveys instead of inspections by the Coast Guard. While many companies are going the TPO route, many are opting for traditional Coast Guard inspections.As a retired Coast Guard marine inspector, I have always advocated the Coast Guard option to our clients.

Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 5.8 million tons in October, an increase of 5.7 percent compared to a year ago, the Lake Carriers' Association reported. Shipments also outpaced the month’s 5-year average by nearly 9 percent,Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 44.7 million tons, a decrease of 1.8 percent compared to the same point in 2017. The shortfall has been decreasing over the course of the shipping season. At the end of April, iron ore shipments were…

German Shipping Operator Sentenced to Pay $3.2 Million for Obstruction of Justice and Falsifying Official Logs to Hide Deliberate Oil Pollution. The previously Convicted Company Committed Environmental Crimes While on Probation.A German shipping company, MST Mineralien Schiffahrt Spedition und Transport GmbH (MST), pleaded guilty and was sentenced today in Portland, Maine, for obstruction of justice and for maintaining false official records to conceal deliberate pollution from one of its ships, the M/V Marguerita, announced Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey B.

Regulatory reform is one of President Trump’s priority agenda items. Upon taking office, the President issued a number of Executive Orders focusing attention and demanding action on the myriad of regulations impacting American businesses.Last May, the reform spotlight fell on maritime regulations when the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), published a Request for Information (RFI) on how the government should “prudently manage regulatory costs imposed on the maritime sector.” OMB…

Jim Newsome, president and CEO, highlights cooperation and collaboration.South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) president and CEO, Jim Newsome, presented the annual State of the Port to an audience of approximately 600 customers, elected officials and shipping industry representatives at the Charleston Area Convention Center. Jim’s presentation focused on the Port’s successes, strategic infrastructure investments to support continued container volume growth, new initiatives to increase Port productivity and overall industry trends that will impact the Port in the future.

New system allows for contingency ballast water treatment in a variety of ecologically-sensitive and emergency conditions. Global Diving & Salvage, Inc. recently led a demonstration of the mobile ballast water treatment system, Ballast Responder, on board the 730-foot bulk carrier Tim S. Dool on the Great Lakes. “Equipment was operational within eight hours of arrival and the first set of tanks were fully treated, neutralized, and ready to discharge only 20 hours later,” said Glosten Principal and ballast water treatment expert Kevin Reynolds, PE.

Metal Shark announced it has secured a contract to build three 120’ x 35’ river towboats for Florida Marine Transporters, Inc. (FMT), signalling the U.S. shipbuilder’s entry into the towboat market.The four-decked, welded-steel, USCG Subchapter “M”-compliant towboats were designed by John W. Gilbert Associates, Inc. and will be powered by twin Cat 3512C Tier 3 marine diesel engines rated at 1,911 HP each. Construction is underway at Metal Shark Alabama, with deliveries commencing in 2019.With the FMT contract…

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) has announced that its unionized employees, members of UNIFOR, ratified a three-year labor agreement covering the period of April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2021.Terence Bowles, President and CEO of the SLSMC, praised the negotiating teams for achieving another multi-year agreement, and said, “A fair labor settlement was reached earlier this month, enabling the St. Lawrence Seaway to continue providing uninterrupted service to the thousands of entities that depend upon marine transportation…

Canadian shipping company Algoma Central Corporation has decided to cancel all four newbuild construction contracts with Croatian shipbuilder Uljanik.The provider of marine transportation services announced in a press release that that it has taken steps to cancel its remaining four new build construction contracts with a Croatian shipyard.The cancellation notices have been sent to the shipyard as a result of the Yard’s failure to secure refinancing and Algoma has no assurance…

Bill now heads to White House for President Trump’s signature.Today, the Senate voted 99-1 in favor of America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018/Water Resources Development Act, otherwise known as WRDA 2018. The Bill passed in the U.S. House by unanimous voice vote (435-0) in August.“The passage of WRDA 2018 is a win for the Nation’s towboat operators, freight shippers, ports and labor and conservation groups that rely on an efficient inland waterways system,” said Mike Toohey, President and CEO of the Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI).

Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.6 million tons in September, an increase of 3.7 percent compared to a year ago, the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) reported. Limestone cargos also bettered the month’s five-year average by 8 percent.According to the LCA, Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 2.9 million tons, an increase of 1.8 percent, or 54,000 tons compared to a year ago. Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 685,000 tons, an increase of 12.4 percent, or 76…