Lower Lakes News

Thordon Bearings has delivered COMPAC water-lubricated propeller shaft and SXL rudder bearings to replace oil- and grease- lubricated bearings onboard McKeil Marine’s bulk carrier Northern Venture as part of a major refurbishment project.Established in 1956, Canada-based McKeil Marine provides marine transportation along the St. Lawrence Seaway, the East Coast, and Canadian Arctic with its diversified fleet of tugs, barges, workboats and vessels, including bunkers, cement carriers, and tankers.The shipowner acquired the 155m (508.5ft), 19,651dwt Northern Venture in 2022.

A marine services company was cited for 15 serious violations and fined $164,000 for exposing workers to fire and asphyxiation hazards while making repairs to a Canadian-registered bulk carrier moored at the Port of Ashtabula, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said.The 81-year-old vessel Cuyahoga was in winter lay-up when a fire broke out on March 15, 2024 while maintenance and repair work was being performed. All crew members working on board managed to escape without injury.Acting on a referral from the U.S.

Rand Logistics, a dry bulk shipping group operating on the Great Lakes, announced on Wednesday that it has reached a deal to acquire Andrie from Auxo Investment Partners, marking the company's expansion into liquid bulk shipping. Financial terms were not disclosed.Andrie, based in Muskegon, Mich., transports specialty liquid products such as asphalt, cement, refined oil products and calcium chloride, connecting North American production assets with distribution networks throughout the Great Lakes region.

A 72-year-old Great Lakes freighter has anchored safely in Thunder Bay, Ontario following a flooding incident in Lake Superior.At around 7 a.m. on Saturday morning, the Canadian-registered Michipicoten reportedly struck an underwater object and began taking on water in U.S. waters about 35 miles south of Isle Royale, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The ship, which is owned and operated by Canadian-based Lower Lakes Towing, was hauling taconite from the U.S. to Canada at the time of the incident.The flooding caused the 689-foot self-discharging bulk carrier to list to 15 degrees…

American shipping companies are spending more than $120 million to repair and maintain their fleets of Great Lakes bulk carriers this winter.The fleet of U.S.-flagged ships, known as "lakers", can move more than 90 million tons of cargos annually, including iron ore, stone, coal, grain, salt and sand. Each year after the shipping season draws to a close, these vessels enter shipyards and repair facilities around the Great Lakes for a period of winter maintenance and repair. This…

Matt Hart, Manager & Platform Leader, Marine & Stationary Power Systems, Wabtec, offers insights on how the megatrends of decarbonization, energy transition and autonomy all inspire and impact the marine power solutions from Wabtec.Matt, to start us off, can you provide insight on the journey to your present position?I graduated from the University of Notre Dame with an undergraduate in Mechanical Engineering and started with General Electric in the Edison Engineering Development rotational program at the Erie…

Mouawad Consulting, Boll & Kirch, bestUV, KraftPowercon and Lower Lakes Towing, have received CAD 5 million from Transport Canada towards a project aimed at addressing technical challenges surrounding the installation, operation, and maintenance of ballast water management systems (BWMS) on vessels operating within the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River (GLSLR) region."The significance of this grant cannot be overstated. Through our partnership with Mouawad Consulting, Boll & Kirch…

A fire broke out aboard a Canadian-registered bulk carrier transiting on Lake Erie near Pelee Island in the overnight hours on Tuesday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The fire, which originated in the engine room of the 80-year-old laker Cuyahoga, is said to have been contained, with no injuries reported.U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Detroit, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, TowBoatUS and the Canadian Coast Guard responded the incident.The 664-foot-long self discharging bulk carrier is operated by Lower Lakes Towing…

The U.S. Great Lakes shipping fleet has begun the annual transition from sailing to scheduled periods in regional docks and ship repair facilities for repair, maintenance and modernization.This year alone, U.S. Great Lakes shipping companies will invest more than $126 million in their vessels—from over 1,000-feet to smaller tug and barge combinations—at shipyards and facilities across the Great Lakes, according to trade group the Lake Carriers’ Association. This includes more than $48 million in Wisconsin…

As the temperatures start their annual decline on the Great Lakes, an icy chill is in the air. Shipping companies across the lakes are rushing to get final loads of critical raw materials from the northern lakes to the manufacturing facilities on the lower lakes. The gales of November began blowing in October this year, tightening the constraint on the remaining days before the large navigational lock in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. will close for the season and shipping virtually halts.While high winds and seas can only be avoided, ice can be effectively managed by the U.S.

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…

Iron ore, dry bulk cargo and general cargo shipments remain strong on the St. Lawrence Seaway, with overall tonnage up 18 percent over last year. The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation reports that cargo shipments from March 20 through July 31 totaled more than 16 million metric tons – up 2.5 million metric tons over the same period in 2016. “We continue to see demand for raw materials that are needed for construction and in the manufacturing and automotive industries,” said Bruce Burrows, President of the Chamber of Marine Commerce.

Canadian ship owners and the St. Lawrence Seaway have spent an estimated $160 million on repair and infrastructure projects this winter, boosting the economic fortunes of communities throughout the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence and east coast, according to the Chamber of Marine Commerce. Canadian ship owners have invested an estimated $70 million to maintain and upgrade their vessels during the winter months — an annual exercise that keeps their vessels in tip-top shape to safely and efficiently deliver goods for North American businesses. The St.

In 2009, Italian shipbuilding giant Fincantieri S.p.A, purchased the assets of the Manitowoc Marine Group; which included Bay Shipbuilding Company. Located in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., Bay Shipbuilding was the “feather in the cap” with their long history in U.S. commercial shipbuilding and repair. Can you share with us your background and area of responsibility? I’ve been the Vice President and General Manager of Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding since assuming the role in August of 2012.

An Op-Ed issued by the Lake Carriers’ Association, American Great Lakes Ports Association and Great Lakes Maritime Task Force addresses the “exaggerations and inaccuracies” surrounding the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA), and explains how the legislation will best protect the Great Lakes from aquatic nuisance species. Recently, several articles, editorials and letters have perpetuated exaggerations and inaccuracies about the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA). We believe the public deserves the rest of the story.

Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 5,355,855 tons in April, an increase of 23.4 percent compared to a year ago, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA). Shipments also topped the month’s 5-year average by 18.4 percent. LCA said shipments from U.S. ports totaled 4,981,058 tons in April, an increase of 27 percent compared to a year ago, while loadings at Canadian terminals dipped by 11.6 percent to 374,797 tons. Although water levels on all five Great Lakes are currently above long-term average, U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters are still not carrying full loads. The largest iron ore cargo to ever move in the Head-of-the-Lakes trade (Lake Superior to Lower Lakes ports) is 72,300 tons, but only two iron ore shipments topped 70,000 tons in April.

The first two U.S.-flag lakers are on schedule to depart the Port of Duluth-Superior Tuesday, March 22, signaling the start of the 2016 commercial shipping season at this, the farthest inland port on the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway (GLSLS) system. Shortly after 7 a.m., the Edwin H. Gott, is scheduled to move from its winter berth at the Clure Public Marine Terminal – first to fuel, then to depart mid-morning beneath Duluth’s famed Aerial Bridge en route to the CN Dock in Two Harbors to load iron ore pellets. Shortly thereafter, another ship in the Great Lakes Fleet, the Philip R.

Too few icebreakers and lack of a second Poe-sized lock threaten shipping on the Great Lakes and St. Insufficient U.S. and Canadian icebreakers and reliance on a single Poe-sized lock to connect Lake Superior to the Lower Lakes and Seaway threaten the future of shipping on America’s Fourth Sea Coast warns Great Lakes Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) in its 2015 Annual Report released today. “Another near arctic winter significantly impacted navigation, and then a 20-day closure of…

Rand Logistics, Inc. announced the launch of its new vessel forebody. The new forebody, built by Chengxi Shipyard Co., will be affixed to the aft section of the company's recently acquired Danish-flagged vessel and is set to become the first new Canadian-flagged river class self-unloader introduced into service on the Great Lakes in over 40 years. The new vessel is expected to be introduced into service in the fourth calendar quarter of 2015 and will increase the size of Rand's fleet to 16, including 10 Canadian-flagged and six U.S.-flagged vessels.

The Coast Guard continues to monitor the 603-foot bulk carrier Mississagi which ran aground in the St. Marys River near De Tour Village, Michigan early Wednesday. The motor vessel, a Canadian-flagged bulk carrier with a load of stone, was transiting downbound the St. Marys River from Bruce Mines, Ontario, when it ran aground in the Potagannissing Bay, approximately 4 miles northeast of De Tour Village. The bow of the vessel is aground. There are no reported injuries to the crew and no reported pollution. Coast Guard marine inspectors completed a post-damage survey Wednesday afternoon and determined that port and starboard ballast tanks had no significant damage or ingress of water. In addition, fuel tanks located near the stern of the vessel did not sustain any damage.

Prospects for ending the dredging crisis and resolving other pressing issues on the Great Lakes are the best in 12 years according to Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA), the trade association representing U.S.-flag vessel operators on the inland seas, in its State of the Lakes report issued today. Only uniform, Federal regulation of ballast water remains elusive, particularly since Canada has yet to issue its ballast water regulations. According to LCA, the greatest progress has been made on the dredging crisis. Just a few years ago more than 18 million cubic yards of sediment clogged ports and waterways and the backlog was projected to grow. Now, the backlog is down to approximately 17 million cubic yards and shrinking.

Bulk freight shipper Rand Logistics, Inc. has taken delivery of its newest Canadian self-unloading vessel, increasing its fleet to 16 ships, including 10 Canadian flagged and six U.S. flagged vessels. According to Rand, the new vessel will have the largest carrying capacity of any existing river class self-unloader and is anticipated to be the most efficient vessel of its class on the Great Lakes. “This vessel is the first new river class self-unloader to be introduced into Great Lakes service in over 40 years and will arrive in Canada in approximately 45 days,” said Scott Bravener, President of Rand's Lower Lakes Towing subsidiary.

As ongoing commodity price pressures continued to impact overall tonnage volumes through the St. Lawrence Seaway in September, the shipping industry was buoyed by a number of investments in recent weeks by ship operators and ports, according to the Chamber of Marine Commerce, an association representing Canadian and American marine industry stakeholders. “Despite slower iron ore and coal, growth continues on the Seaway in shipments for domestic sectors like construction, salt mining, agriculture and manufacturing,” said Stephen Brooks, President of the Chamber of Marine Commerce.