Ohio Department News

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…

U.S. grain and coke exports boosted overall shipping volumes through the St. Lawrence Seaway in June.Total cargo tonnage shipments (from March 22 to June 30) via the St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 11.9 million metric tons, down 8.3% compared to 2021 but gaining ground in comparison to April, when it was down 18% at the start of the season. Other system-wide highlights include an increase in project cargo such as wind energy components and a 55% increase in coke shipments, including exports to Europe for cement production. U.S.

U.S. Great Lakes ports and the St. Lawrence Seaway are reporting a rush of activity as manufacturers stockpile raw materials and businesses take advantage of the congestion-free waterway to export overseas with just two weeks left of the season, the Chamber of Marine Commerce reports.“U.S. Great Lakes ports have roared back this year – recovering from major 2020 declines in traditional cargoes like iron ore and steel but also developing new business and seizing on opportunities for infrastructure investment. This story of recovery and renewal is mirrored in the latest St.

A new 168-foot double-ended passenger, truck and automobile ferry has been launched for service on Lake Erie.Designed by TAI Engineers, LLC and built in Houma, La. by Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors, LLC (TMC), the new ferry Carmen Lee is expected to enter service in early 2022 for a partnership between the Lorain Port Authority (LPA) and Kelleys Island Ferry Boat Line in Ohio. It can hold 149 passengers and 36 trucks and automobiles, providing service between Marblehead, Ohio and Kelleys Island…

Shipbuilder Metal Shark reports it has seen increased business from law enforcement agencies, with 20 new law enforcement customers recently added and more than 35 welded aluminum law enforcement vessels either recently delivered or currently in production.Among its new builds, Metal Shark is producing five custom 23-foot Relentless center console patrol boats for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, while continuing to deliver 26-foot and 28-foot Relentless center console…

Genscape Maritime’s Vessel Coverage of U.S. Inland Waterways offers new perspectives and a leg up on the competition. In today’s transportation markets, information is everything.It was back in 2016 that Genscape announced the complete integration of more than 400 terrestrial AIS antennas in North America, providing an impressive level of data accuracy and visibility into ship movements in the U.S. today, Genscape’s proprietary antenna network offers customers insights into ship movements, commodity flows, and other important data metrics in North America.Genscape’s private monitoring network covers every commercial port in the U.S., and over 90 percent of U.S. inland waterways, including extensive coverage of key regions such as the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, and the Gulf Coast.

CLEVELAND — The U.S. Coast Guard and local agencies rescued 46 ice fishermen from an ice floe that broke free near Catawaba Island, Saturday.An additional estimated 100 people were able to self-rescue themselves from the ice floe either by swimming or walking on ice-bridges that were still connected to the floe initially.At 8:13 a.m., Coast Guard Station Marblehead received notification from an Ohio Department of Natural Resources representative that there were approximately 100 people stranded on an ice floe and that there were an additional 30 to 40 people in the water.

As the Central Ohio River Business Association (CORBA) pushes commerce on the Ohio River, stakeholders are beginning to take notice. On January 19, in an office tower overlooking the Ohio River, Eric Thomas convened the first meeting of 2017 for a business group working in the 13th largest port in the U.S.: the Ports of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky (PCNK). Thomas serves as the Executive Director of CORBA – the Central Ohio River Business Association. PCNK’s high rank is likely a surprise to many.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) recently finished the 2016 dredging season, having removed more than 1 million cubic yards (apprx. 765,000 m3) of dredged material from state park lakes and other state properties. The State’s dredge fleet consists primarily of Ellicott Model 460SL swinging ladder dredges. The 1 million cubic yards of sediment is the most that has ever been removed in the history of the state’s dredging program. ODNR Director, James Zehringer, attributes ODNR’s dredging success to the dedicated staff and the strategic use of available resources, which serves to improve boater access and water quality. “ODNR remains committed to improving access to Ohio’s lakes and understands the vital role healthy waters play in all of Ohio’s communities,” Zehringer said.

“We are about half-way through the 2016 navigation season and our overall cargo tonnage numbers are down by 11 percent,” said Betty Sutton, Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. Sutton added, “Aluminum shipments supporting the automotive industry played a significant role in activity at the ports of Oswego, NY, Toledo, OH and Detroit, MI. We also saw wind energy parts moving through the Port of Ogdensburg, NY, headed for the new Jericho Rise Wind Farm project in upstate New York.

The Port of Cleveland and its partner Kurtz Bros., Inc. have scored their first major user in the Port’s effort to market sediment for beneficial use. Great Lakes Construction, Co. has purchased 6,890 cubic yards of sediment for use in the Ohio Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) Lakeland Boulevard / I-90 Replacement Project in Euclid. The Great Lakes’ purchase—enough to fill 300 standard dump trucks—represents a big step forward in the Port’s overarching plan to creatively and efficiently manage river sediment…

The Port of Cleveland informs it has been awarded by the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) for its international cargo growth. The Robert J. Lewis 2014 Pacesetter award, presented to the port by the SLSDC this morning at its monthly board meeting, recognizes growth in international cargo, generated by the port’s Cleveland Europe Express (CEE) liner service and its traditional line of non-containerized steel cargo. Operated by Dutch ship owner Spliethoff Group, the CEE provides the Great Lakes only scheduled maritime access to European markets.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine's office filed suit Tuesday against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for its plan either to place dredge material from Cleveland Harbor in Lake Erie or refrain from dredging the entire navigation channel unless a non-federal partner pays to place it in confined disposal facilities. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Cleveland, alleges that the Corps -- which has already agreed to help dredge and dispose of sediment for five miles of the six-mile channel -- is violating federal law by asking that a "non-federal partner" pay more than $1.4 million to dispose of 180,000 cubic yards worth of sediment from the channel's sixth mile.

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.

The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority’s Board of Directors voted unanimously today to place a levy renewal on the November countywide ballot. “The Port plays a unique and essential role in our region,” said Port Chair Marc Krantz “We are the only local government agency whose sole responsibility is to spur job creation and economic vitality in Cuyahoga County. Proceeds from the renewal of the Port Authority’s levy will be used to sustain and advance strategic initiatives that are essential to protecting and growing the nearly 18,000 jobs and $1.8 billion in annual economic activity that depend on Cleveland Harbor. Renewing the Port Authority levy will not increase taxes…

2013 budgets approval reflects strong financial performance & commitment to investments tied to its Strategic Action Plan. In 2013, the Port intends to continue improving its business lines by attracting more projects to its Foreign-Trade Zone and development finance programs, and strategically enhancing the financial performance of the maritime operation. As a result, operating revenues are expected to increase 18 percent next year, and the Port will be positioned to target more resources to strategic initiatives without significantly increasing overall operating expenditures. “Both our results this year and the budgets for next year demonstrate our management team’s fiscal discipline,” said Port Chair Bob Smith.

Need to Educate More People for Maritime Jobs Stressed at Meeting with Community Leaders. Officials with the Maritime Academy of Toledo met with area community leaders Wednesday and stressed that more has to be done to call attention to job opportunities in the maritime industry, ahead of a predicted shortfall by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Representatives from Toledo City Council; the Board of Community Relations for the City of Toledo; and the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority received a briefing from Ms. Renee Marazon, Superintendent of The Maritime Academy of Toledo.

More growth expected as Port expands rail system in largest construction project in a decade. The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority reported that overall cargo tonnage increased 31 percent in 2011, largely the result of growth in steel, iron-ore and oversized “project” cargo handled by Port facilities. The Port handled 3.4 million tons of cargo last year – the highest volume since 2008. General cargo volume rose 16 percent as both steel and project cargo posted increases; while bulk cargo increased 33 percent, as more iron ore was handled by Port operations.

U.S. Coast Guard personnel, working with members of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, interdicted a Canadian commercial fishing vessel allegedly fishing illegally on Lake Erie in waters subject to U.S. and Ohio jurisdiction. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources personnel contacted Coast Guard Sector Detroit, alerting watchstanders in Sector Detroit’s Command Center of a commercial vessel potentially fishing in U.S./Ohio waters near North Bass Island. A law enforcement team from Coast Guard Station Marblehead, Ohio, launched aboard a 33-foot Special Purpose Craft-Law Enforcement and determined that the ADCO II was actively engaged in fishing about 160 yards inside U.S. waters. Aircrews from Coast Guard Air Station Detroit and U.S.

Great Lakes Shipyard completed repairs on the Ohio Department of Natural Resources research vessel GRANDON. In late June, ODNR awarded Great Lakes Shipyard with the contract to provide repairs to the vessel, including drydocking, blasting, painting, and electrical and lighting replacements. The R/V GRANDON is part of the Fairport Harbor Fisheries Research Station for the ODNR’s Division of Wildlife. Their primary focus is assessing and managing fish populations and fisheries by taking samples, monitoring population demographics, and insuring the protection of habitats and resource integrity.

Great Lakes Shipyard Performs Emergency Repairs on USCG Aids to Navigation Barge. United States Coast Guard Cutter MOBILE BAY of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin departed Great Lakes Shipyard, Cleveland, Ohio after completion of drydocking and repairs to the bow thruster on it 120-foot Aids to Navigation Barge. The barge was hauled out on Monday, September 17th using the Shipyard’s 770-ton Marine Travelift. The shipyard immediately removed the bow thruster and disassembled it in the shop for repairs.

Largest Construction Project in Decade, Improves Service for Shippers. The Port of Cleveland held a ribbon-cutting today to mark the launch of a new rail loop that will provide better and more efficient service at the port, and improve access to markets throughout North America. “We needed to reinvent the way the Port connects shippers to railroads,” said Port CEO Will Friedman. Slightly more than a mile long, the rail loop connects the two sides of the port’s rail system for the first time, allowing cargo to move on either CSX or Norfolk Southern, the two Class 1 railroads that serve the port. The loop doubles the port’s rail capacity and will give more shippers opportunities to use the Port to transport larger volumes to more markets.

Cleveland’s Goodtime III arrived at Great Lakes Shipyard earlier this month to undergo drydocking and repair work. The vessel received its five-year year US Coast Guard hull and machinery inspection and had its hull repainted. Great Lakes Shipyard has performed work on the previous Cleveland-based excursion boats, Goodtime and Goodtime II. This is the first repair contract that Great Lakes Shipyard has had for Goodtime III. Goodtime III, a family owned and operated business since 1958…