Great Lake News

The November edition of Marine News magazine highlighted a selection of the most notable American newbuilds delivered of 2023—from a first-of-its-kind green towboat, to the lead vessel in a series of game-changing ships to train U.S. mariners.Empire StateAs the lead vessel in a series of five new training ships being constructed to serve America's state maritime academies, Empire State is easily one of the most important U.S.-built vessels delivered in recent memory.Built by Philly Shipyard for the U.S.

Although the number of fishermen who make a living on the waters of the Great Lakes is much diminished from a half century ago, the region's commercial whitefish fishery continues to be viable and profitable.Henriksen Fisheries is one of about a dozen commercial entities in the Wisconsin waters of Lake Michigan, focused on trap netting whitefish in Green Bay and the waters surrounding the Door Peninsula.Charlie Henriksen started his family-owned fishing business in Door County in 1987.Originally from Illinois…

Derecktor Shipyards NY in Mamaroneck, N.Y. announced it has delivered a new hybrid research catamaran to the University of Vermont (UVM). The innovative vessel, Marcelle Melosira, will serve as a floating classroom and laboratory, enabling advanced research operations and hands-on educational programs.Designed by Chartwell Marine and built in collaboration with UVM and Chartwell, the 64-foot research catamaran has been crafted to fulfill the functions outlined by UVM’s Rubenstein School of Environment & Natural Resources.

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…

While pundits have long proclaimed the U.S. maritime industry dying or dead, the recent delivery of Great Lakes laker Mark W. Barker suggests an innovative future instead.Jacksonville Shipyard was a well-known repair yard that was particularly well known for servicing the Jones Act tanker fleet and Gino Ferrari was its New York representative. Each Christmas season Gino hosted a reception at the Four Seasons restaurant for tanker Owners.Gino Ferrari was a close friend of the company and my father always received an invite.

Researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Environmental Laboratory and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Great Lakes Districts — Buffalo, Detroit and Chicago — recently released a technical report providing guidance for evaluating the environmental suitability of dredged material in the Great Lakes region.The “Environmental Evaluation and Management of Dredged Material for Beneficial Use: A Regional Beneficial Use Testing Manual for…

Ohio-based Miller Boat Line has taken delivery of its newest passenger and vehicle ferry Mary Ann Market from Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding.The ferry left the Sturgeon Bay, Wis. shipyard on July 8 and arrived to her home port Put-in-Bay, on Ohio's South Bass Island, on July 10. The vessel is expected to enter service following its U.S. Coast Guard inspection later this month.The newbuild is named in honor of the company's late owner Mary Ann Market (1935-2010), "the backbone of the company", according to Jake Market, vice president at Miller Boat Line.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Tuesday approved $1 billion for U.S. Coast Guard shore side infrastructure nationwide and $350 million for a heavy Great Lakes icebreaker as part of its budget reconciliation bill, an action that the Great Lake Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) called “great news for the Great Lakes.”The GLMTF described the heavy Great Lakes icebreaker as desperately needed and expects that a portion of the infrastructure funds will go to good…

Lawmakers in the U.S. are reintroducing legislation aiming codify the U.S. Coast Guard’s icebreaking mission on the Great Lakes and increase the icebreaking capacity of the Great Lakes fleet.“Inadequate icebreaking capacity in the Great Lakes is costing us thousands of American jobs and millions in business revenue. We must boost our icebreaking capacity in the Great Lakes to keep our maritime commerce moving,” said Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), who introduced the bipartisan Great…

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…

A new agreement sets forth terms for maritime industry rescue training between U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, Mich., U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Detroit and Lake Carriers' Association (LCA) enrolled vessels. The memorandum of agreement was signed Tuesday at the 9th Coast Guard District headquarters in Cleveland by Rear Adm. Joanna M. Nunan, commander, 9th Coast Guard District, and James H.I. Weakley, president of the LCA. "The experience gained by both Coast Guard and Lake Carriers' crews will greatly enhance both organizations capabilities," Nunan said.

Recently, Radio Holland Canada and Radio Holland USA celebrated the renewals of key airtime contracts on the Great Lakes with Algoma Central Corporation (ACC), The CSL Group (CSL) and American Steamship Corporation (ASC). Collectively, the three companies operate approximately 65 Lakers which include tankers, self-loading and conventional bulk carriers. The companies signed initial agreements with Radio Holland in 2007. The new agreements include increased bandwidth to meet the growing needs for the companies’ business operations and crew welfare.

In 2012, U.S. The U.S. ocean economy outpaced the domestic economy between 2011 and 2012, with an increase of $22 billion in gross domestic product, from $321 billion to $343 billion, according to a new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) analysis. Adjusting the figures to remove the effects of inflation, this increase equates to a 10.5 percent rate of growth—more than four times as fast as the U.S. economy as a whole. The report is based on 2012 U.S. national economic statistics released in August 2014.

The Working Harbor Committee is presenting a screening of the documentary film "Liemba!" on Tuesday, March 31 at the Community Church of NY. The screening will feature special guest speaker James Wong, Director of Ferries, NYC Economic Development Corp. "Liemba!" is a documentary on the history and significance of the 100-year old historic vessel MV Liemba, a ferry connecting communities and people with work on the great Lake Tanganyika, the second largest freshwater lake in the world. The lake is divided among four countries, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Zambia.

The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor celebrates the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway 2013 international shipping season with the recent arrival of two vessels. On March 22, the St. Lawrence Seaway opened its locks for ocean vessels from around the world to enter the Great Lakes and deliver cargo to U.S. and Canadian ports for the 55th annual international shipping season. The 2,340-mile deep draft waterway is open to ocean vessels from mid-March through December, connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the heart of North America.

Great Lakes Shipyard has been contracted by Interlake Steamship Company to perform winter work services on their ATB Dorthy Ann and Pathfinder which arrived in Cleveland and is docked on site at the Shipyard’s facility. The Shipyard will be performing a variety of work, such as:  miscellaneous steel work, generator maintenance, main drive unit maintenance, and other miscellaneous tug and barge repairs and maintenance. Great Lakes Shipyard is a full-service yard specializing in new construction, fabrication, repairs, and winter work of all types of vessels and barges.

The October 7th Annual Membership Conference for members of American Maritime Safety, Inc., was not officially billed as a 23rd anniversary event. Nevertheless, the story of AMS, an organization established by a group of U.S. based vessel owners and operators, is worthy of special mention. Indeed, this New York based Maritime Consortium has rapidly expanded in scope since its founding in 1988. From humble beginnings in New York, AMS has grown to over 400 vessel owners and operators and is now recognized as the leading industry association on regulatory compliance in the U.S.

At 12,700 square miles (32,890 sq km) in area, Lake Tanganyika is the second largest in Africa. It is larger than North America’s Lake Eire (9,910 sq. mi.) and over half the size of Lake Michigan (22,300 sq.mi.). Ships have operated on it since before the First World War when Germany and Britain had some minor naval battles there. This past August a new ship, the M/V Teza, began working the waters of the great lake. Built entirely in Burundi by the Batralac firm, under the management of Basil Demeris the vessel will be operated on the lake by the same company. Designed by the Greek company of Chris Simopoulos & Associates, the 60 by 11-metre ship is powered by a pair of Cummins KT19 marine diesels rated 425 HP each at 1800 RPM.

A new color poster depicting features on the floor of Lake Ontario has been released by the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This is the third Great Lake to be depicted with new, highly detailed bathymetry, following Lakes Michigan and Erie. In addition to the main map, insets show details of bottom relief in part of the Rochester Basin, and in the vicinity of Charity Shoal. Also included are text explaining the geology and geomorphology of the main lake floor features, and a list of references. The bathymetry was produced with data from the entire historic hydrographic sounding database from the United States and Canada.

A new color poster depicting features on the floor of Lake Ontario has been released by the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This is the third Great Lake to be depicted with new, highly detailed bathymetry, following Lakes Michigan and Erie. In addition to the main map, insets show details of bottom relief in part of the Rochester Basin, and in the vicinity of Charity Shoal. Also included are text explaining the geology and geomorphology of the main lake floor features, and a list of references. The bathymetry was produced with data from the entire historic hydrographic sounding database from the United States and Canada.

First Wave/Newpark Shipbuilding, in Galveston, Texas, has had a busy spring. First, the company was awarded a contract by Diamond Offshore Drilling to install a crane and perform annual survey work on Ocean Lexington. That contract was completed in March. Next, the company won a contract from Smit Americas, Inc. for drydocking of Ocean Hercules. The vessel was drydocked on the shipyard's 7,500-ton drydock for general maintenance and conversion from a seismic vessel to a telecommunication cable laying vessel. Finally, First Wave drydocked Pride Louisiana for Pride Offshore. The rig was docked in the Galveston Ship Channel, utilizing a heavy lift barge for an annual survey. The rig will depart upon completion of the survey.