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From local reports

The American Republic and Cason J. Callaway, which were involved in a collision in the Straits of Mackinaw on Friday, have both safely arrived at Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin for repairs.

The American Republic was escorted across Lake Michigan by the Coast Guard cutter Katmai Bay, then assisted stern-first through the Sturgeon Bay ship canal on Sunday by two Selvick tugs.

The Cason J. Callaway proceeded to Gary, Indiana to offload over the weekend, then headed back north Sunday for the shipyard. The Callaway also entered the Sturgeon Bay shipping channel via Lake Michigan, following the canal westward to Bay Shipbuilding mid-morning Monday.

Both vessels dodged a weather system bringing considerable precipitation and winds to the area Monday and Tuesday. Gale warnings are expected on Lake Michigan Tuesday.

Have any photos of the two vessels in Sturgeon Bay? Contact us to have them featured on our site. We want to hear from you!

Posted By Linda Richardson | Source: The Sault Star

Ice congestion in the Straits, which connects Lakes Huron and Michigan, 87 kilometres south of Sault Ste. Marie, is heavy.

“Depending where you are at, it’s a couple of inches to 18 inches of ice,” said West, who indicated there wasn’t much shipping traffic in the Straits Sunday.

Meanwhile, Coast Guard ice breakers continue their battle to clear a shipping channel in the St. Mary’s River.

The upper river, from the locks to Whitefish Bay in Lake Superior is 100-per-cent covered by ice, with up to 30 inches of plate ice (a solid piece), West said.

The lower St. Mary’s is 80-to-100 per cent covered with six to 24-inch thick ice.

From a story about the Cason J Callaway/American Republic collision at the Sault Star >>

Source: newsli.com

Senator Darrel J. Aubertine (D – Cape Vincent) is calling on the International Joint Commission (IJC), which is reviewing solutions to the water level problems in the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes, to approve a previously agreed upon plan to return the waterways to even and consistent levels.

“To approve Plan B+ would turn the St. Lawrence River back to a more natural state and would be much more predictable as far as water levels,” said Senator Aubertine.

The recent IJC report calling for more input and study was met with harsh criticism by some. Aubertine says continuing to study the issue means the Commission “wants the issue more than the solution.”

“The IJC has chosen to essentially maintain the status quo after having spent $20 million and five years trying to come up with an alternative plan,” Aubertine said. “It’s just disheartening that after this much time and effort we come up with this Plan 2007, which again, claims to need more input and study.”

More quotes, story at newsli.com >>

BOB VANDEVUSSE | Source: Holland Sentinel

The Soo Locks opened just after midnight last Tuesday morning, and the shipping season is now in full swing on the Great Lakes. The Cason J. Callaway was the first vessel to lock up to Lake Superior, but it had to work hard for the honor. While most of the open waters of the Lakes are easily passable, the bays and connecting waters are clogged with heavy pack ice. The Callaway took 14 hours to work through the lower St. Mary’s River, a trip that normally takes three.

Such rough conditions are hard on equipment and can contribute to mechanical failures and accidents. The Paul R. Tregurtha headed in for repairs at Duluth with a thirty-foot gash in the hull. Above the Soo Locks, the American Mariner lost its rudder and had to be towed back to the Soo by two tugs.

On Friday, the American Republic was stuck in the ice of Lake Michigan, west of the Mackinac Bridge. The Cason J. Callaway was moving through the Straits, bound for Gary, Ind., with a load of taconite for the steel mills there. It attempted to pass close to the Republic, in an effort to break it free, but the shifting ice pushed the two vessels into each other. The Republic was holed in its No. 1 ballast tank and is reporting to a shipyard, likely in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., for repairs. The Callaway sustained less damage and will proceed to Gary to unload before it, too, goes in for repairs.

By Krista Brazeau | Source: Sheboygan Press (many photos)

The average vacationer normally wouldn’t consider a weeklong voyage on a 730-foot straight-deck bulk carrier the ideal get-away. Yet Sheboygan native Jack Dahler calls it “a dream come true.”

Having spent his entire life in Sheboygan, Dahler has been fascinated with freighters, mostly content to admire these massive vessels from the shoreline.

“I’ve been watching the freighters go by for years and never thought I’d get the chance to set foot on one.”

Last summer, when long-time friend Larry Tuzinkewich offered to sell Dahler a $20 raffle ticket from the Door County Maritime Museum that offered the prospect of a trip aboard the Edward L. Ryerson, Dahler jumped at the chance. Tuzinkewich’s only request in return for the ticket was an invitation to join the Dahlers if they won.

And they did. Read the rest of this entry »

By Linda Richardson | Source: The Sault Star

The U.S. Coast Guard continues to probe a collision that occurred Friday when a freighter went to the assistance of another vessel mired in ice in the Straits of Mackinaw.

Both the Cason J. Calloway and the American Republic were damaged, but neither took on water, Coast Guard Sector Sault Sainte Marie reported.

Marine inspectors checked both ships, and they were allowed to continue their voyages Saturday morning, said command duty officer Keith West.

Full story at the Sault Star >>

by Sue Clark | Source: Lighthouse News

The grounds at Split Rock Lighthouse near Beaver Bay, MN, perched high on a bluff overlooking mighty Lake Superior since 1910, will be closed from April 1 until May 15 (normal opening date) for a major makeover. Scaffolding and netting has already been erected…

Full story and photos at Lighthouse News >>

Source: AZOM.com

“The Lachine and Saint-Patrick wire mills have both been operating at less than 50% capacity since the beginning of 2007. This situation entails high production costs in the North American wire market where supply has been consistently exceeding demand since the early 2000s,” said Alain Robitaille, General Manager, Wire Group.

“We cannot continue operating two wire mills in a context where it is more advisable to operate only one plant and thereby bring our costs down to more competitive levels to ensure long term profitability.”

ArcelorMittal will work with the United Steelworkers (USW) union to facilitate the phasing out process through regulatory and labour contract mechanisms. The Saint-Patrick wire mill workforce will increase from 105 to158 employees. As well, employees impacted by the closure will be offered positions in other ArcelorMittal locations in the Montreal area. In addition, ArcelorMittal will offer incentives to those eligible for retirement.

Full story at AZOM.com >>

by Jasmine Boney | Source: AmericaJR.com

ShipWreck! Pirates & Treasure features artifacts from the Steamship Republic. The SSR has been known as one of the greatest shipwrecks during the Civil War era. Going to the Atlantic Ocean more than 1,700 feet below the ocean surface, the Odyssey recovered over 50,000 coins and 14,000 artifacts.

Among other prized possessions in the exhibit, ShipWreck! Pirates & Treasure have hands-on experiments for everyone to try. There is a 75-mph hurricane tube that allows visitors to feel the winds of nature at hurricane speed … There is also a robot “submersible” that people can pilot. And the robot is real.

…Another exhibit on loan is the Edmund Fitzgerald, according to the Detroit Science Center. Coming from the U.S. Steel, they are showing antique bottles, a cannon ball, a spittoon and other collectibles.

Tickets are 15.95 for adults and $13.95 for children and seniors.

For more information please visit www.detroitsciencecenter.org or call (313) 577-8400

Source: USCG

The Coast Guard is investigating a collision between two vessels in the Straits of Mackinaw.

No injuries and no pollution were reported.

There was reported damage to both vessels, however neither vessel is taking on water.

On March 28, 2008, the motor vessel Cason J. Calloway and the motor vessel American Republic collided. Read the rest of this entry »

By Paula Schleis  | Source: Ohio.com/Akron Beacon Journal

The port could begin “container shipping” this year, [Adam Wasserman, president of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority] said, giving area businesses a new option for moving their products to Europe, India, Southeast Asia and other eastern destinations. Containers are 20- to 40-foot long boxes, usually filled with finished products, that can easily be moved from a ship to a truck or stacked on a rail car.

The great majority of Ohio-built products exported overseas must now travel by rail or truck to an East or West Coast port.

… The port still serves the region’s old primary industries, hosting smaller ships that carry steel, iron ore and other bulk material used by area manufacturers.

Last year, for the first time in several years, the port began shipping steel out because the weak U.S. dollar made the product more attractive to overseas customers.

Much more to the story at Ohio.com/Akron Beacon Journal >>

By DAVID PATCH | Source: Toledo Blade

The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority [Thursday] approved an agreement with the city of Toledo and Boyer/Riverfront Inc. for management of the Willis B. Boyer museum ship.

The agreement, previously approved by city council and the Boyer/Riverfront board, commits the port authority to employing an executive director for the 97-year-old freighter and the city to providing grounds maintenance at the wharf it has occupied since the city saved it from being scrapped more than 20 years ago.

Read the full story at the Toledo Blade >>

By Dale Crofts | Source: Bloomberg.com

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., North America’s largest producer of iron-ore pellets, said it will dispute a lawsuit that claims it broke an agreement to sell a 27 percent stake in the Wabush iron-ore mine to ArcelorMittal.

Full story at Bloomberg.com >>

Source: Erie Shipping News

Overnight, two ships, the CANADIAN ENTERPRISE, bound for Conneaut, Ohio to load coal, and the CEDARGLEN, bound for Ashtabula to unload titanium slag, became stuck in ice off of Erie. Both vessels remained there throughout the night, requiring the assistance of U.S. Coast Guard cutter NEAH BAY to get underway this morning.

Yesterday, the Rt. Hon. PAUL J. MARTIN became stuck off of Long Point and required assistance from NEAH BAY all the way to Ashtabula.

Full article, more details at Erie Shipping News >>

Monica Isley | Source: Lake County News Chronicle

On Sunday the Edwin Gott pulled in–but not before anchoring for a while out in the lake to take care of mechanical problems.

Don Wirt, assistant manager on the Two Harbors docks, said the Gott’s motor had been rebuilt over the winter, and after leaving Duluth, a problem with the head gasket was discovered.

The first boat in at Silver Bay was the Indiana Harbor–but it had to do its own ice breaking, according to Penny Rogers at Northshore Mining.

…Once in the harbor, it unloaded 60,000 tons of coal for the company’s generator plant, and then loaded up with 52,000 tons of pellets.

Check out the story at the Lake County News Chronicle; there’s a mystery to be solved that we haven’t mentioned here >>

By TOM MEERSMAN | Source: Star Tribune

Fearful of a deadly fish disease and other invasive pests, Minnesota lawmakers and state pollution officials are trying to force ships to stop dumping untreated ballast water in Lake Superior. Although a bill in the Legislature has come under heavy opposition, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is moving forward with its plans to begin to regulate shipowners.

Full story, diagram at the Minneapolis Star Tribune >>

By Joan Dittmann | Source: Post-Tribune

The [Old Lighthouse M]useum in the historic 1858 structure that once housed the light and assistant keepers’ families tells much more than just their stories. Artifacts, photos and documents tell the story of the once-bustling freight and passenger harbor that lured 10,000 tourists daily from Chicago via steamships on summer weekends in the early 1900s.

The tragic account of one of those steamers, the Eastland, in which 800 people died, is told through texts, artifacts and a graphic postcard collection. The museum has exhibits on many other shipwrecks and on shipbuilding, the Coast Guard, Great Lakes lighthouses, lighthouse technology and more.

… Also, mark your calendar for the 150th anniversary celebration of this historic landmark on Aug. 9. More information is available at www.oldlighthousemuseum.org.

Read more about the Old Lighthouse Museum at the Post-Tribune >>

Source: Grand Haven Tribune

The wreck of the steamship Hennepin, discovered two years ago in Lake Michigan by Holland-based Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates, has been named to the National Register of Historic Places.

It is the first shipwreck in the Michigan waters of Lake Michigan to be listed on the national register.

Quotes, details at the Grand Haven Tribune >>

Source: Forbes.com

PARIS (Thomson Financial) - ArcelorMittal confirmed plans to sell its Sparrows Point steel mill in the US to Severstal for 810 mln USD net of debt, to comply with conditions set by the US government for approving Mittal Steel’s merger with Arcelor.

Full story at Forbes.com >>

by Dan Schneider | Source: Mining Gazette

Alex Mayer, Professor of Geological and Environmental Engineering and director of the Center for Water and Society at Michigan Technological University, said geophysical realities mean water diversions have the potential for major impact on the Great Lakes despite their vast size.

According to Mayer, the Great Lakes have narrow watersheds.

This means the outer edges of the aquifers and streams that feed into the lakes are not far from the shores of the lakes, themselves.

Compared to the surface area of the lakes, Mayer said, there is only a small area collecting precipitation.

Read the full story at the Mining Gazette >>