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By DARRYL ENRIQUEZ | Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Waukesha - Two Waukesha County leaders said Thursday that state legislation on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact should not be rushed through the current legislative session because of concerns that it would allow competing states to use the agreement to squelch growth in Wisconsin.

“It’s worth taking more time to get it right,” Waukesha County Executive Daniel Vrakas said.

Speaking at a forum sponsored by the Waukesha County Chamber of Commerce, Vrakas further suggested that governors of the eight Great Lake states could be forced to make changes to the compact if they really wanted it to pass in Wisconsin. The goal is to eventually send the compact to Congress for a vote to make it national law.

Vrakas’ comments drew quick responses from other speakers who stressed that Great Lakes governors would not change the compact that had taken years to draft and already had been passed by four of the eight states.

Panelist Peter McAvoy, vice president for environmental health at the Sixteenth Street Community Clinic in Milwaukee, defended the compact, saying it provides clear standards on how to obtain permission for diversions, something the current law governing Great Lakes use does not. Read the rest of this entry »

Coast Guard Station Cleveland Harbor conducted Ice Rescue Training, Feb. 26, 2008. Great Lakes Coast Guard is unique in the Coast Guard for its Ice Rescue Program, brought about by the amount of people that venture out on the ice in the Great Lakes.

Catch the video here.

Source: Great Lakes Maritime Industry Issues

I’ve been climbing the steep learning curve of social media and have been excited to see a few mariners and maritime enthusiasts doing the same. I even started my own facebook page, then today I came across this Coast Guard press release. Something to keep in mind:

FACEBOOK USED TO FORGE SEAFARER CERTIFICATE…

Read the full ditty at Great Lakes Maritime Industry Issues >>

By DAN EGAN | Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Tired of waiting for Congress to enact ballast rules to prevent the next zebra mussel from invading the Great Lakes, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is moving toward writing its own rules to control what overseas ships are allowed to dump into the world’s largest freshwater system.

In their memo to the resources board, [DNR] staff said they would be working closely with colleagues in Minnesota, which is pursuing similar rules, to ensure that the regulations are compatible.

Wisconsin DNR officials also informed the Natural Resources Board at its monthly meeting in Madison Tuesday that the agency is steaming ahead with a $6 million pilot program that would treat ballast water not on ships but in onshore wastewater facilities.

DNR officials said that Gov. Jim Doyle identified $6 million that could be used for the Wisconsin ports in Milwaukee, Green Bay and Superior.

Roger Larson, deputy director of the DNR Bureau of Watershed Management, said Milwaukee would be used as a test of the technology, with treatment starting in the 2009 shipping season.

Read the full story at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel >>

by Andrew Henderson | Source: The Valley News

The Port of Oswego Authority—the first U.S. port and first deep-water port on the Great Lakes from the St. Lawrence Seaway—is planning a $3 million project in preparation for potential cargo-containers from the motor-vessel Emma Maersk, the largest container vessel in the world, according to Executive Director Jonathan Daniels.

“What they are attempting to do right now is locate a terminal on each side of the Great Lakes. It’s early in their planning process, but that is what they are looking at right now. If prepared, the Post of Oswego may be able to take advantage of that opportunity.”

Daniels said that the current facility at the port is unable to handle containers. “If you throw 100, 200, 300 containers on the deck, even if you double and triple stack them, it takes up a lot of space,” he said.

The port has secured two new customers—Perdue Farms, which will provide corn for the Northeast Biofuels plant in Volney, and Cargill, which brought in 45,000 tons of salt on a one-year contract. “We feel very confident that we’re going to see them in the future,” noted Daniels.

Daniels added that the port is expected to receive $650,000 from the federal government to dredge the port.

Read the full story, history of the Port at the Valley News >>

Source: MarineLink.com

Sam Hayes, President of The CSL Group Inc. (CSL) and Jack Leitch, Chairman of Upper Lakes Group Inc. (ULS) have announced the signing of a Letter of Intent concerning the purchase by CSL of ULS’ 50 percent share of Marbulk Canada Inc. (MCI).

MCI is owned jointly by ULS and Algoma Central Corporation (Algoma). Marbulk Shipping Inc. of Salem, Mass., a subsidiary of MCI, operates a fleet of eight self-unloading bulk carriers in international trades on the east coast of North America and in South America, Europe and Asia. The transaction is subject to Board of Directors and regulatory approvals.

CSL International Inc. (CSLI), a subsidiary of CSL, operates a fleet of self-unloading bulk carriers in international trades on the east and west coasts of North America, in South America and in the Caribbean. Most of its self-unloaders are in a shipping pool with those of the German shipowner, Egon Oldendorff (EO).

It is intended the Marbulk commercial operation will be combined with the CSL/EO pool and will be managed from CSLI’s offices in Beverly, Mass.

Rod Jones, president of CSLI, said: “We are big believers in the pooling concept. When you operate a fleet of specialized ships in industrial trades, the most important success factor is meeting our customers’ needs at competitive rates. We have to be able to offer flexible scheduling and quick response to changing requirements. To do this efficiently, we need a certain critical mass of ships. The proposed addition of the Marbulk ships to the pool will enable us to improve our service while at the same time improving the productivity of our assets.” Read the rest of this entry »

By DAVID PATCH | Source: Toledo Blade

[Ironhead Marine Inc.'s] 20,000-square-foot fabrication shop, with its 72-foot-high roof and 50-foot clearance under its traveling crane, is the first stage of what Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority officials hope will be a long-term revival for the port-owned Toledo Shipyard.

A grand-opening ceremony is scheduled for Friday afternoon.

The modern, if plain-looking, building replaces a decrepit, decades-old machine-shop complex that was torn down shortly after Ironhead formally took over the shipyard operation in early 2006, replacing Manitowoc Marine Group, which opted out of its shipyard lease the previous fall.

…”the [Toledo] port authority has given me the opportunity to develop a new facility here, and we’re one step closer to having a viable shipyard with these new facilities.”

“It looks great. It looks like it’s going to be certainly a major upgrade from the antiquated facilities that used to be there,” James Hartung, the port authority president who toured the high-bay shop last week, said afterward.

Ironhead’s aggressive pursuit of business, Mr. Hartung said, “just bodes well for us. We’re going to create a market presence in the [shipyard] industry.”

“What makes it look better is there’s work going on inside it,” agreed Warren McCrimmon, the port authority’s seaport director.

The port authority, which paid for the $2 million structure from its own funds and county and federal grants and has leased it to Ironhead, continues to seek funding sources for its future expansion to 40,000 square feet, both port officials said.

The Algosteel, which came in for rudder and mechanical repairs along with topside work, was the first Canadian lake freighter to dry-dock in Toledo since 1999, Mr. LaMantia said.

While no ships from the domestic Great Lakes fleet are scheduled for five-year surveys or heavy repairs this winter, Mr. LaMantia said, “We see that as a growth opportunity. We’ve had some promising talks. We’re hoping that the American fleets are going to support the shipyard also.”

Ironhead’s projects are keeping about 70 workers busy, split about evenly between the shipyard premises and a fabrication shop near the International Cargo Docks that the firm has leased for several years.

Read the full story, great photos at the Toledo Blade >>

Source: Trading Markets

Thursday evening, mining company Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. reported a 34% increase in profit for the fourth quarter, buoyed by higher revenue and sales margin at the company’s North American Iron Ore segment.

The increase in revenue for the quarter was driven by a $180 million increase in revenue from the company’s North American Iron Ore segment and $51 million in sales generated by its North American Coal Segment acquired during 2007.

Operating income for the quarter rose 52% to $138.9 million from $91.2 million in the prior-year as a result of higher sales margin at the company’s North American iron ore segment, partially offset by higher selling, general and administrative expenses and a negative sales margin in its North American Coal Segment.

Read the full report at TradingMarkets.com >>

Rex Hall Jr. | Source: Kalamazoo Gazette

Most of the recent storms have come from Alberta, Canada, and the Gulf of Mexico, meaning they are importing moisture to help replenish the Great Lakes, which still are near record low levels.

It’s better than the typical lake-effect snow, which recycles moisture from the big lakes.

The 10 biggest storms of the season have accounted for 44.7 inches of snow — at least half of those originating in the Pacific Northwest and the rest fed with moisture from the Gulf of Mexico.

It would help the Great Lakes if the snow stuck around until spring, then melted all at once, said Cynthia Sellinger, a hydrologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor.

Read the full story at the Kalamazoo Gazette >>

Source: Erie Shipping News

Celebrating its 20th anniversary of sailing the Great Lakes this season is the Erie-based U.S. Brig NIAGARA. As such, the Flagship Niagara League on Friday announced that on March 12, the vessel will have its mast replaced with a new one. Erie Shipping News will be on hand to cover this event.

The Erie Maritime Museum, where the NIAGARA is based, is celebrating its tenth anniversary this May. The museum offers a great family experience on the history of the maritime culture in the port of Erie. Among the exhibits in the museum are…

Full scoop at the Erie Shipping News >>

Posted by Alana Baranick | Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer

As a youngster in the 1920s and ’30s, Jean Lutz went on boat rides with her grandfather on Lake Erie.

These weren’t typical boat rides.

The “boat” was the William G. Mather Steamship, then the flagship of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.’s Great Lakes shipping fleet. Lutz’s grandfather, Charles A. Anderson, was the Mather’s first captain.

The “boat rides” lasted for weeks, carrying iron ore and steel from Cleveland through the Great Lakes, loading and unloading at lakeside ports along the way.

Read this neat story at the Plain Dealer >>

Source: Don Campbell Models

We got on board at St.Claire, Michigan at the power plant and rode up to Duluth, Minn. to get loaded with coal. Deb took this picture from one of our big picture windows from the owner of the ship’s master suite. That is where we stayed the whole trip and had our own waiter, cook and a fully stocked bar!

Fresh baked cookies every morning and our own personal chef was at our service and made us what we wanted for meals. It was really a dream come true.

Because I was making a model of the Paul Tregurtha, I asked our friend Bruce, if there was any chance of a trip on the Paul. Bruce called to Cleveland and made arrangements and off we went on the trip of a lifetime.

We left the power plant at 5:00am in the pouring rain and thunder and lightning. Tornados had been spotted in the area but that did not stop the departure time. It was pouring so hard in the river it was hard to see much of anything. As we went under the International Bridge at Port Huron, the winds started picking up and lighting was striking everywhere around us. Fifteen minutes later we were out in the open water and we were rockin and a rollin!!!

… the largest ship on the great lakes bobbed around like a bobber , it was twisting 6 feet and snaking back and forth like it was going to break in half and everyone was getting sick … And if that wasn’t enough, we saw a frieghter gaining on us from behind and the Captain decided to race him to the mouth of the St.Mary’s river so he could not get to the locks first. So they pumped out much of our ballast water and then we were really bobbing back and forth for the next three hours.

We did beat the Freighter, ( The St.Claire ) to the mouth of the river first and we did make it through the locks just fine. Once we rounded Whitefish point it was sunny and calm and beautiful the rest of the trip. But I’ll be danged if the St.Claire wasn’t gaining on us again so the Captain gave it full throttle the whole rest of the trip to Duluth. He said he did not want to have to wait for other ships to load in front of him.

Read Don’s full story at Don Campbell Models >>

By Dr. ERIC HEITMAN | Source: Holland Sentinel

Proposed cuts in federal funding for Great Lakes dredging in 2009 could impact energy consumers and continue to drive up costs for businesses that use Holland harbor.

Low water levels combined with less dredging by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, prevent incoming freighters from carrying full cargo loads and shorten the shipping season, resulting in higher costs, said Bob Vande Vusse, Holland mayor pro-tem and shipping columnist for The Holland Sentinel.

“Given federal funding levels, the corps has not been able to keep up with its mandate,” he said.

Congress and the administration approved nearly $140 million for Great Lakes dredging in 2008. The administration’s proposed budget for 2009 requests $89.3 million, a decrease of about $49 million, or about 35.5 percent, according to data compiled by the Great Lakes Maritime Taskforce.

The Holland Board of Public Works burns coal to generate electricity, with the coal comes in by freighter.

“One of the reasons we have one of the historically low rates for electricity in Holland is because we’re able to bring our fuel in by ship,” explained Vande Vusse.

“The cost of fuel is by far and away the largest cost in generating electricity. Because we can bring it in by ship, we can keep our costs low.”

But the shallow harbor prevents freighters from carrying full loads, driving up the cost. Read the rest of this entry »

Algomarine may get her long awaited layup for winter maintenance soon. Algosteel was released from the Toledo shipyard last Friday and is expected to resume hauling salt, a job temporarily taken over by the Algomarine while she underwent rudder and other repairs last month.

– provided by an unnamed source close to the industry

Links and Resources:

• Steamship William G. Mather Museum
• Great Lakes Science Center

Jim Nichols | Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer

Sixteen months after the Great Lakes Science Center took the helm of the Steamship William G. Mather Museum, the ship’s new owners are maneuvering along a new course.

Initially, at least, the floating museum’s voyage is proving a bit rocky: A post-merger culture clash with the new owners has some longtime Mather volunteers abandoning ship. Read the rest of this entry »

DAN McCAFFERY | Source: Sarnia Observer

Increasing evaporation rates may be responsible for an alarming drop in Great Lakes water levels, an expert says.

James Bruce made that revelation Thursday while speaking to the annual meeting of the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority.

Read the full story at The Sarnia Observer >>

Sharon Moen | Source: Budgeteer News

Ice puts a lid on evaporation, which crescendos in Lake Superior from fall to early winter. The “sea smoke” you see wisping up from the lake on cold days is the lake evaporating. On windy winter days, dry nor’westers whistle over the lake, sucking up water like a sponge. On average, a foot of water evaporates off of Lake Superior between November and February. Low ice cover and high winds mean even more water leaves the lake.

Neat story, photos at the Duluth Budgeteer News >>

Source: Seaway Channel

Opposition seems to be building to a proposed U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) rulemaking that suggests a large increase in pilotage fees paid by shipowners/operators who use the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway System. The proposed fee increases average out to 8.2% or more than twice the rate of inflation.

Industry meetings held in the last couple of weeks would indicate widespread and growing dissatisfaction with the proposed rate increase at a time when ocean vessel traffic in the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway System has been under a great deal of downward pressure.

Read the full story at the Seaway Channel >>

Michael Scott | Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer

A Great Lakes “dredging crisis,” magnified over the last few years by falling lake water levels, is threatening vital international shipping and the overall health of the U.S. economy.

That’s what federal officials and leaders of the association representing commercial shipping on the lakes told member companies and manufacturers Wednesday at an annual workshop in Cleveland.

“Dredging of the Great Lakes system has been neglected to the point of collapse,” said James Weakley, president of the Carriers Association and vice president of the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force. “We’ve watched federal funding decline, and it’s been our wake-up call.”

Glen Nekvasil, an official with the Carriers Association, said the depth of shipping lanes is everyone’s concern.

“It’s a simple matter, really — boats can’t carry full loads and that costs everyone in the long run,” Neksavil said.

“Not dredging the St. Mary’s River — although 800 miles from Cleveland — can decrease the amount of ore that can be shipped from Duluth, Minn., which would increase the cost of iron ore used by Arcelor Mittal, which can then increase the cost of steel and finally the cost of your refrigerator.”

Read the full story (excellent!) at the Plain Dealer >>

Debra Carr-Elsing | Source: The Capital Times

The ninth annual Ghost Ships Festival will be held from 3 to 9 p.m. March 7 and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. March 8 at the Wyndham Milwaukee Airport & Convention Center (formerly the Four Points Sheraton) in Milwaukee. Advance tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at www.ghostships.org; for information e-mail info@ghost-ships.org.

The festival brings together top Great Lakes maritime historians, authors and divers from across the country. Attendees have the opportunity to learn more about the maritime history of the world’s largest inland lakes and see the wrecks that now lie below the surface. The event includes films, workshops and seminars devoted to shipwrecks, diving and maritime history. Read the rest of this entry »