[At the Straits of Mackinac,] we saw a parade of freighters and caught a glimpse of the Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw tied up at St. Ignace, preparing for winter buoy work.

We did get a report that the Calumet arrived in Holland with a load of stone for the Verplank dock Saturday morning, but if you live near Lake Mac, you already knew that. With foggy conditions on most of the lake, it sounded its horn for five seconds every minute. No sleeping in this weekend.

We will likely see the Calumet a couple of more times this week, as they were scheduled to return to Port Inland, on the northern shore of Lake Michigan, to bring another load of stone for Verplank’s. That will probably arrive on Monday. Then it will head to Chicago, to the KCBX trans-loading facility, to pick up a load of coal and return to the James De Young Power Plant. After that, we can probably count our season’s remaining loads on our fingers, maybe using only one hand.

Read Bob’s full report at the Holland Sentinel >>

The Canadian Marine Officers Union is joining the United Steelworkers (FTQ). The CMOU represents 800 members, most of them in Quebec, Ontario and the Atlantic Provinces. “We are very pleased to welcome this union to the United Steelworkers (FTQ). This represents a breakthrough into an important economic sector for us. We will now become the largest union representing merchant mariners in both Quebec and Canada, and we will be a significant presence in North America as a whole,” said Daniel Roy, Director of the United Steelworkers (FTQ).

Richard Vézina, President of the Canadian Marine Officers Union, added that workers in the sector are being affected by a number of domestic and international factors. “Our members understand that they need the best tools available in order to protect themselves in these difficult times,” he said.

“As part of the United Steelworkers (FTQ) they will be represented by a well-organized union that is ready to fight for them, and that has a North American presence.”

Vézina also noted that CMOU members would continue to retain their autonomy as part of a new union local - but one now within the largest private-sector union in Quebec. The United Steelworkers (FTQ) counts 60,000 members in Quebec, as well as 235,000 in Canada and 850,000 in North America. “We will have at our disposal a dynamic team of recruiters, regional offices, and a strike fund, as well as a high level of visibility throughout Quebec, as well as the rest of Canada. The United Steelworkers (FTQ) are influential members of both the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ) and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC),” he said.

The Canadian Marine Officers Union represents members in the merchant marine, and workers who operate power plants in public buildings, as well as workers in various trades in a number of workplaces, including universities. The union’s head office is in Montreal.

The fish have migrated to within 15 miles of the new barrier. The only defense for the Great Lakes for the past several years has been a smaller, weaker “experimental” barrier that has a history of failing and that biologists believe is not strong enough to repel juvenile carp, which, because of their size, are less affected by electrified water.

Some Great Lakes advocates are beyond frustrated with the way the Army Corps of Engineers has handled the project, noting that the ravenous filter-feeders, disparagingly dubbed the “100-pound zebra mussel,” could destroy what’s left of the lakes’ ecological integrity and multibillion-dollar fishing and tourist industries.

“They are not looking out for the public’s interest,” charges Tom Marks of the New York chapter of the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Council. “They’re looking out for the barge operators.”

To date nearly $1 million has been spent to examine such things as what would happen if someone tumbles off a barge and into the electrified water in the barrier zone, which covers a half-mile of canal.

According to documents the Journal Sentinel obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, the U.S. Navy’s Experimental Diving Unit was hired to do that job. It took $100,000 and more than a year of computer modeling and analysis, but the Navy has finally reached a conclusion: Similar to falling into icy water, you might be incapacitated and die. Or, you might not.

Read the full story, concerns, quotes and many more details at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel >>

Dan Dillabough spent 14 years cooking on freighter ships on the Great Lakes, so when he opened his restaurant in the Cedar Creek Mall, he wanted it to reflect that experience.

Dillabough decorated The Galley Cafe, which opened Sept. 17, with charts of oceans and lakes and photographs he took while working on the ships.

The menu, however, is all land-based, with a selection of gourmet hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken sandwiches. Although many of the items are your typical sandwiches, some, such as the Hawaiian burger with grilled pineapple, are more exotic.

“Everybody loves burgers,” Dillabough said. “I wanted to offer a lot of different varieties and combinations you don’t see everywhere.”

The Galley Cafe is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays. Call 262-298-3118 for take-out orders or delivery.

Read more about the places Dan visited and his galley favorites at the Wausau Daily Herald >>

The partnership between the United Steelworkers and the Sierra Club (did you ever imagine these two groups would unite behind a common cause?) means to accelerate green job growth in NW Indiana.  The coalition wants to make it clear that “the choice between jobs and the environment is a phony choice…We can have both,” says Jim Robinson, Director of USW District 7.

Read the full entry at Green Build Indiana >>

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A hedge fund lost the fight to double its holdings in Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. on Friday, a move that would have allowed it to block the iron ore miner’s $4 billion buyout of Alpha Natural Resources.

Cleveland-Cliffs shareholders on Friday voted against the request by Harbinger Capital Partners to buy up to a third of the company’s shares. Harbinger needed shareholder backing under state law.

Read the full story at the Mining Journal >>

President Bush signed the Great Lakes compact into law Friday morning, culminating a decade-long push to pass sweeping protections for the world’s largest freshwater system.

The two Canadian provinces that border the Great Lakes have signed a parallel agreement.

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

The Port of Erie might soon lose its water route to the Atlantic Ocean.

Canadian lock workers are threatening a strike that could shut down the St. Lawrence Seaway, the inland waterway that connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic.

“It could affect us a bit,” said Tod Eagleton, dock operations supervisor for Erie Sand & Gravel, which serves as the stevedore for the Port of Erie.

Most affected could be Erie’s biodiesel producer.

… Lake Erie Biofuels hopes to send at least two more shipments of its biodiesel fuel to Europe before the Great Lakes shipping season ends in December. A strike on the St. Lawrence Seaway would complicate that.

Peterson said a shutdown of the St. Lawrence Seaway would not halt the company’s overseas shipments, but it would change how it gets there and what they’d have to charge.

… the company expects to ship its biodiesel to Europe in tankers filled with anywhere from 1.5 million gallons to 3 million gallons.

… Of the 34 vessels that have arrived in Erie this season, seven have been international ships, Eagleton said.

Those consisted of six tankers and one cargo ship delivering 775 tons of equipment bound for a mill in New Castle.

Limestone is the biggest volume cargo that comes into Erie, and Ray Schreckengost, executive director of the Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority, said a shutdown of the Seaway would not impact that type of Great Lakes cargo.

Salt shipments from upstate New York might be affected, but salt has already been stockpiled at the local docks, he said.

Other companies affected, alternative routes and comments on Erie Terminal at GoErie.com >>

The shipbuilding division of Manitowoc Co. has lost a bid to build up to $1.5 billion worth of U.S. Coast Guard cutters.

… Manitowoc lost the bid to build up to 34 cutters to Bollinger Shipyards Inc. of Lockport, La. Bollinger has been awarded an $88 million contract for the design and construction of the first of the cutters, which are supposed to be fast-response vessels 153 feet long and capable of speeds exceeding 28 knots.

Manitowoc and Marinette Marine are reviewing the contract decision to decide whether to appeal.

“We were surprised and certainly disappointed,” McCreary said.

… The loss of the Coast Guard bid comes as Manitowoc Co. is selling its marine division, including Marinette Marine, to Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri.

It’s unknown whether the loss of the Coast Guard bid will affect the $120 million cash sale that’s expected to close yet this year.

Read about pending Navy contract, more at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel >>

A new rule requiring all ships to flush their ballast tanks in the Atlantic Ocean before entering the Saint Lawrence Seaway should be enough to save the Great Lakes, an expert says.

Collister Johnson, administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation said the rule solves the issue of protecting the five lakes from invasive species carried by incoming ships.

“I just wonder sometimes if (environmental groups) appreciate that they’ve won the battle. And whether we ought to move on to other things like sewage runoff, and infrastructure, and other things that are problems for the Great Lakes,” Johnson said.

Read the full story at RedOrbit >>

Nathan Vanderklippe | Source: Financial Times

VANCOUVER - Steamship lines, steel mills, grain exporters and even the oil sands are bracing for a potentially serious rupture in Canada’s transportation network as workers on the St. Lawrence Seaway near a critical strike deadline.

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. or its 445 unionized employees can deliver 72-hour notice as early as Oct. 10, a possibility serious enough that some ocean-going freighters have already fled for fear of being stranded and the Shipping Federation of Canada has begun petitioning Ottawa to intervene.

… Though workers have job guarantees and the Seaway has promised no layoffs, it is seeking to install new systems that would replace some lock workers with robots. The union has fought that effort, saying tests of the hands-free mooring technology have been a “dismal failure.”

… The system typically contains 30 ocean-going vessels at this time of year. By yesterday morning, only 18 remained, as ship owners removed their vessels to avoid having their $20,000-a-day carriers stranded. Others, such as Canada Steamship Lines, are preparing to position vessels at either end of the Seaway.

Contingency plans have quickly been drafted across the country –from Hamilton steel-maker ArcelorMittal Dofasco, which receives nearly all of its raw inputs by water, to Western wheat farmers, who are bracing for potential payment delays. Seaway cargo volumes have risen by 10% in recent weeks, as customers stockpile goods, while grain handlers such as Richardson International Ltd. have begun seeking out other options including trucking and rail transport, or shipping through the West Coast.

Negotiation specifics, quotes and details at the Financial Post >>

The International Lake Superior Board of Control, under authority granted to it by the International Joint Commission, has set the Lake Superior outflow to 2,050 cubic metres per second (m3/s) (72.4thousand cubic feet per second (tcfs)) for the month of October.

This is the outflow recommended by the regulation plan for the month of September and is a decrease from the September outflow, which was 2,250 m3/s (79.5 tcfs).

The October outflow will be released by discharging about 1,926 m3/s (68.0 tcfs) through the three hydropower plants and passing most of the remaining flow through the control structure at the head of the St. Marys Rapids.

The gate setting of the control structure will be maintained at the existing setting equivalent to one-half gate open (four gates open 20 cm, or about 8 inches each).

There will be no change to the setting of Gate #1 that supplies the Fishery Remedial Works.

This past month the water supply to the Lake Superior basin was below its long-term average for September, while that of the Lakes Michigan-Huron basin was above average.

Lake Superior is currently 16 cm (6 inches) above its chart datum level.

The level of Lake Superior is expected to fall in October.

Currently, the Lake Superior level is about 17 cm (7 inches) below its long-term average beginning-of-October level, but is 30 cm (12 inches) above the level recorded a year ago.

This past month the level of Lake Superior fell by 3 cm (1 inch), while on average the level falls by 2 cm (1 inch) in September.

The level of Lakes Michigan-Huron fell by 2 cm (1 inch) this September, while on average the level falls by 6 cm (2 inches) in September.

The level of Lakes Michigan-Huron is now about 32 cm (13 inches) below its long-term average beginning-of-October level, and is 26 cm (10 inches) higher than it was a year ago, and 16 cm (6 inches) above chart datum.

The level of Lakes Michigan-Huron is also expected to decline in October.

The board continues to monitor conditions both on Lake Superior and downstream and will advise the International Joint Commission accordingly on those conditions.

BG John W. Peabody, Commander, Great Lakes and Ohio River Division, Corps of Engineers, is the United States board member.

Mr. David Fay is the board member for Canada.

Sault Ste. Marie (Canada), October 2: Essar Steel is pumping in USD 160 million (nearly Rs 740 crore) into its Canadian operations to ramp up production to 3.6 million tonnes per annum to feed demand in North America, set up a captive power plant and clean up the environment.

… The company would spend USD 160 million to further increase production by 1 MT in the 12 months to March 31, 2009.

A chunk of the investment would go towards setting up a co-generation power plant that would cut the steel plant’s energy requirements by half. The captive power plant would use waste fuel from the steel plant to produce electricity and is expected to be commissioned by January next year.

Essar Steel Algoma also hopes to achieve greater synergies once its sister concern Essar Steel Minnesota, an integrated plant with its own iron ore reserves in the US, starts feeding it with the key raw material.

The Algoma plant currently sources ore from Cleveland Cliffs and coal from Massey in West Virginia in the US. The company last month announced an USD 1.6 billion investment in its Minnesota operations, where it would be setting up a 2.5 MTPA steel plant.

Read more etails about N.A. steel market, Essar Algoma’s local environmental efforts and planned Sault operations at Express India >>

Minnesota and eight other states are suing the Bush administration over what New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo says is an illegal administrative ruling that could hurt fisheries and contaminate drinking water.

The states contend the federal government has created a loophole that could allow the transfer of polluted or contaminated water by ship from one water body to another where it would do harm.

Full story at the Duluth News Tribune >>

A plastic pipe is spewing black water onto a man-made island in Saginaw Bay.

The stinky stuff is coming from a dredging barge in the distance that’s sucking up silt and pumping the contents into the Saginaw Bay Confined Disposal Facility.

When the Corps finished constructing the island in October 1978, it was designed to last about 10 years, and hold 10 million cubic yards of dredged material from the Lower Saginaw River and Bay, said Ken Drum, an engineering technician for the Corps in Detroit.

With modifications made since then, the CDF now has about 800,000 cubic yards, or eight years, of capacity left, said Angie Mundell, project manager for the Corps in Detroit.

Duerod said she thinks the Corps is about two years away from facing a “crucial need” to address the island’s capacity. That could mean raising the dikes or, less likely, looking for space for a new dredging disposal site, she said.

Last fall, MCM Marine Inc. of Sault Ste. Marie began dredging about two miles of the bay channel under a $1.3 million contract.

The company expects to pipe more than 300,000 cubic yards of dredgings to Channel Island before the work is finished in October, said Ferguson, construction representative from the Corps’ Detroit office.

“It’s like a super vacuum cleaner,” he said of the hydraulic dredging being done by MCM.

The dredgings - about 80 percent water and 20 percent sediment - take years before they turn from black gunk to what looks like fresh beach sand.

But “wash your hands,” Ferguson cautions after a visitor scoops up a bit of the dried dredgings.

Read the full story, see photos at the Bay City Times >>

By TINA LAM | Source: Detroit Free Press

Michigan has far greater potential for wind energy than anyone previously thought — offshore in the Great Lakes that surround it, according to a new report.

The report by Michigan State University’s Land Policy Institute said Michigan could produce as much as 321,000 megawatts of electricity from offshore wind, if turbines could be erected at any depth, without regard to shipping lanes or aesthetic concerns.

That’s more than 10 times the amount of electricity generated now statewide, at its peak, from all sources, including coal and nuclear plants, the report said.

Read the full story at the Detroit Free Press >>

Alpena residents will have the opportunity to step back in time through myriad activities and events during the 13th annual Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival beginning in October.

The festival, which begins on Oct. 9 and ends Oct. 12, is declared the largest lighthouse festival in the world by the American Lighthouse Foundation.

The Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce will kick off the festival with a welcome party Oct. 9 at the Thunder Bay Recreation Center from 5-9 p.m. with the dinner beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Folk singer and author Carl Behrend will perform at the dinner as well as at the lighthouse festival. Behrend also will perform at the lighthouse dinner Oct. 10 and at the keeper’s dinner Oct. 11 at the Holiday Inn.

The lighthouse dinner and concert is scheduled to begin Friday at 5 p.m. at the Holiday Inn. The events for Saturday’s keeper’s dinner will begin at 5 p.m. with the dinner beginning at 7 p.m.

A live nautical auction will take place in the rec center Sunday at 3 p.m. Festival Coordinator Melanie Kirn said over 130 items are to be auctioned off including lighthouse tour packages, island trips, artist collections and a chance to go up in the tower of the Mackinac Bridge.

The Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum in Rogers City will have an exhibit featuring information and photos to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Carl D. Bradley. There will be a photo of the bell that was retrieved from the freighter last year. The actual bell will not be shown until it is revealed at a special ceremony Nov. 18 at 5:30 p.m., the exact date and time of the freighter’s sinking.

… In addition to events at the rec center, festival-goers will be able to attend several tours and heritage museums. There will be a free shuttle available at the rec center to transport individuals to shops in the downtown area, the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center and the Alpena light.

… The Alpena Light, Tawas Point Lighthouse, Sturgeon Point Lighthouse in Harrisville and 40 Mile Point Lighthouse north of Rogers City will be open to the public during the festival. Kirn said all of the lighthouses in Michigan have been notified of the festival.

Festival-goers also have the opportunity to experience the Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival’s Museum, tour the Middle Island Lighthouse and Keeper’s Lodge and go on helicopter tours.

…For more information on the Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival visit www.lighthousefestival.org. For tickets to Thursday’s dinner or a complete listing of festival events and information contact the Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce and CVB at 356-4181. For more information or to make reservations for the Lighthouse Dinner and Keeper’s Dinner call 586-566-1603. Portions of the proceeds from many of the dinners and tours will help to fund the restoration and preservation of Michigan’s lighthouses.

Further quotes, details at The Alpena News >>

ArcelorMittal Dofasco will scale back steel production in the second half of the year as it struggles with a weakening customer base and “tough economic times.”

The company indicated it would be reducing output in its steelmaking and finishing operations.

It also plans to cut back on overtime and will reduce its casual employee base. Full-time jobs will not be affected at this time, it said.

More about this move at the Hamilton Spectator >>

Cleveland - A malfunction of the Poe Lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, on September 24 has illustrated the pressing need for Congress to appropriate the funds to build another lock capable of handling the largest U.S.-Flag Great Lakes freighters.

Although the vessel delays totaled only about three hours, had the problem been more severe, cargo movement on the Lakes would have slowed to a trickle. U.S.-Flag Lakers whose length and/or beam restrict them to the Poe Lock represent 70 percent of U.S.-Flag carrying capacity.

“The Poe Lock that connects Lake Superior to the lower Great Lakes is the single point of failure that can cripple Great Lakes shipping,” said James H.I. Weakley, President of Lake Carriers’ Association. “In 2007, the Poe Lock handled nearly 65 million tons of cargo. Without that lock, America’s steel industry is cut off from its major source of iron ore. Without that lock, Great Lakes basin utilities are denied access to clean-burning low-sulfur coal. There just aren’t enough ships that are small enough to transit the MacArthur Lock to make up for loss of Poe-class vessels.”

The need for a second Poe-sized lock was recognized as long ago as 1986. The Water Resources Development Act of that year authorized construction, but a lengthy debate over funding followed. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Congressman James L. Oberstar (D-MN), the funding logjam was broken last year when Congress authorized construction at full Federal expense.

“We were lucky this time,” said Weakley. “There was unusually light traffic and the Corps was able to respond quickly. Nonetheless, the Poe Lock is nearly 40 years old. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers does a fantastic job of maintaining the locks at the Soo, but mechanical problems are inevitable as the infrastructure ages.

“Great Lakes shipping is the raw materials lifeline for America’s industrial heartland. We must twin the Poe Lock as soon as possible. $17 million has been appropriated to begin in-depth design work and build coffer dams, but in total, the project will cost more than $340 million and could take as much as 10 years to complete.

“Every day we wait puts America’s economy at risk. The railroads don’t have the rolling stock to haul the cargo that moves on the Lakes. Even if they did, ships burn less fuel and produce fewer emissions than trains (and trucks). Loss of the Poe Lock won’t just hurt the economy, it will harm the environment.”

Lake Carriers’ Association represents 16 American corporations that operate 63 U.S.-Flag vessels on the Great Lakes. These vessels carry the raw materials that drive the nation’s economy: iron ore and fluxstone for the steel industry, limestone and cement for the construction industry, coal for power generation…. Collectively, these vessels can transport more than 115 million tons of cargo a year when high water levels offset the lack of adequate dredging of Great Lakes ports and waterways. More information is available at www.lcaships.com.

Shares of steel producers fell hard Monday after buyers virtually suspended purchases in the expectation that the cost of steel product will fall.

“Basically what happened is that the price of scrap steel plummeted in late August and early September between a third and a half, between $250 per ton and $300 per ton,” Bradford said.

“But steel mills have only cut their prices by about $100 per ton, so buyers have been waiting for them to cut their prices accordingly.”

Read the full story, stats at Forbes >>

Today, Lt. Gov. John Cherry, acting for Gov. Jennifer Granholm, signed a capital outlay bill authorizing Michigan Technological University to spend $25 million to build a Great Lakes research center along the Portage Canal on the University’s campus.

…The project will include construction of a three-story research building and enhancement of Michigan Tech’s waterfront, said W. Charles Kerfoot, professor of biological sciences and director of the Lake Superior Ecosystem Research Center.

…The new center will focus on a number of pressing issues in upper Great Lakes coastal research, including research into the effects of global climate change, the impact of invasive plant and animal species, over-fishing and the reproductive failure of native fish, loss of coastal wetlands and habitats along tributaries that feed the Great Lakes, historical contamination from mining and the impact of toxic contaminants that persist, and the effects of population and pollution on coastal biodiversity.

Lots more details, quotes, information about the new lab at WWJ.com Great Lakes IT Report >>

Freighters may continue to wash unlimited quantities of coal, limestone and other dry cargo residues into the Great Lakes under a new federal policy.

The U.S. Coast Guard Monday finalized an interim policy that allows the long-standing but controversial — and possibly illegal — practice of washing dry cargo residues into the lakes to continue indefinitely. The policy enacted Monday replaces a 1998 interim policy.

The new policy requires shippers to keep records of where and when they wash cargo residuals into the lakes and the quantities involved. It also banned the practice, known as washdown or dry cargo sweeping, in 11 ecologically sensitive areas on the lakes.

Read the for/against reactions from many stakeholders >>

Sep 29: The U.S. Coast Guard announced in the Federal Register [73 FR 56492-56501] that it is amending its regulations to allow the discharge of bulk dry cargo residue (DCR) in limited areas of the Great Lakes by self-propelled vessels and by any barge that is part of an integrated tug and barge unit.

DCR is the residue of non-toxic and non-hazardous bulk dry cargo like limestone, iron ore, and coal.

The regulations also add new recordkeeping and reporting requirements and encourage carriers to adopt voluntary control measures for reducing discharges. Discharges are now prohibited in certain protected and sensitive areas where, previously, they were allowed.

The Coast Guard also requests public comments on the need for and feasibility of additional conditions that might be imposed on discharges in the future, such as mandatory use of control measures, or further adjustments to the areas where discharges are allowed or prohibited.

…Comments and related material submitted in response to the request for comments must be received before January 15, 2009.

Find out where dumping is prohibited, how you can still participate in the process, at Great Lakes Environment >>

After two and a half weeks of inactivity, we finally had a freighter on Lake Macatawa on Thursday, as the Wilfred Sykes delivered coal to the James DeYoung power plant. It arrived shortly after midnight and departed after 8 a.m. The departure was a lengthy endeavor, as the captain seemed to avoid using the bow thruster to turn around so as not to damage the dock repairs that are nearing completion at the Verplank dock. This was only our second delivery in the last month.

As the season winds down, we expect to see two more coal deliveries and several more loads of stone. Once the construction is finished on the Verplank dock, we should see the east end of the facility fill up. Brewer’s should see some more activity, as well.

Read more about expected deliveries in Holland at the Holland Sentinel >>

There is a federally maintained shipping channel that runs the length of Lake Macatawa, from just west of the entrance near Big Red, almost all the way to the River Avenue bridge. It is roughly 150 feet wide and 20 feet deep.

As part of that channel there is a widened area, or turning basin, where vessels of up to 700 feet in length can turn around.

Read the complete explanation, location and more at the Holland Sentinel >>

Two local maritime groups are competing to gain control of the historic South Buffalo Lighthouse.

The Buffalo Lighthouse Association and the MAIN (Maritime Activity Interyouth Network) have both filed letters of intent with the federal agency that is handling disposal of the long inactive beacon tower.

Both organizations met a Sept. 23 deadline for nonprofit groups or government agencies to signal interest in owning the 105-year-old lighthouse, which is situated on Stony Point, at the tip of the former Bethlehem Steel site.

…Buffalo Lighthouse Association President Tom Johnston said his group’s goals are restoration and public access for the circa-1903 tower, which is accessible only by boat.

More about the groups, plans at the Buffalo News >>

The Platts reference prices of imported and domestic made hot rolled and cold rolled coil in the US market plunged amid reports of US mill sales reps calling buyers almost non stop seeking October 2008 orders.

There has also been a resurgence of low-priced offers from offshore producers, mainly HRC from Russia and CRC from China and Finland.

The major flat rolling mills namely US Steel, Nucor and ArcelorMittal, had been trying to separately hold offers within a range of USD 1,000 to USD 1,020 per short tonne ex-works in the case of HRC. That stance, however, was undermined by…

Read the full piece at SteelGuru >>

U.S. Coast Guard Station Sturgeon Bay medically evacuated a 52-year-old male experiencing a swollen calf from the Wilfred Sykes 14 miles offshore Sturgeon Bay Monday at approximately 3 p.m.

“There was concern he may have had a blood clot,” said Jonathan LeBeau, Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan Operation Unit Controller.

A 41-foot utility boat crew transferred the man safely from the 667-foot laker to awaiting Emergency Medical Services on shore. He was transported to Door County Memorial Hospital.

* Note: This article has been edited from the original to correct spelling and grammar.

Source: WGBA TV

While leaving work today some Marinette Marine Corporation employees say they’re nervous. Most don’t know who is losing their job next.  Ninety employees have already been laid off and company officials say 60 more will lose their job in the next month.

The lay-offs are just temporary, but it is unclear when employees can come back.  Marinette Marine Vice President Richard McCreary says they’re close to a deal to build a combat ship for the Navy, and he is optimistic Congress will approve it.

If it passes soon, workers could be back by December, and workers say this gives them some relief.  But company officials say if it doesn’t pass, workers might not be back to work for 6-8 months.

McCreary said “One of the only things that could stop workers from getting back to work sooner than later is if Congress puts all of their energy towards the economic bailout plan.”

Full story, video at WGBA >>

After one of the busiest summers in its 34-year history, the Michigan Maritime Museum has announced new hours and staffing adjustments for the coming winter season.

As of October 1 the museum will be open to the public from 10 AM – 5 PM Friday, Saturday and Sunday and by appointment.  The Maryalyce Canonie Great Lakes Research Library located at the Keepers House will be open Thursdays from 10 AM – 5 PM and by appointment.

All of the facilities on the museum campus will be open including the main gallery, the VanOort Coast Guard boat house, the US Lifesaving Service crew quarters, the fish tug Evelyn S. and the Padnos boat building shed.  Dockside tours of the tall ship Friends Good Will will be available until the weather prohibits boarding.

Throughout the winter, members of the museum, volunteers, school groups and the interested public will be welcome to learn about great lakes maritime history, practice traditional skills, attend lectures and presentations, and assist in helping to maintain the tall ship.

Other activity scheduled for later this year includes the lifting of the Friends Good Will from the water for a Coast Guard safety inspection and a new coat of paint for the hull.

This marks the first time the tall ship has been pulled from the water since it arrived in South Haven four years ago.  In addition, the museum’s annual fall fund drive will kick off October 15.

“We had a great summer sailing season with our tall ship Friends Good Will making a record number of day trips and charters.  But, these are tough times for small non-profit institutions like ours and in order to continue to meet our educational mission and goals, we had take some cost cutting measures,” said Board of Trustees President Jim Woodruff.  Included in those measures was a reduction of staff, including the elimination, at least temporarily of the Executive Director position.

The museum will be run during the winter season by a triumvirate including the Ships Captain, and the head of the Padnos Boat Building Shed, positions that are already filled.  The board is actively looking to fill the third position of Volunteer Coordinator/Administration.  The three will report directly to Trustee Chairman Woodruff.

Frank James, an active volunteer at the museum commented, “The Volunteer Coordinator position will be most important for the museum’s future success.  I can see that to keep the winter educational programs alive and to set the course for the 2009 summer season volunteers will be playing a bigger role than they have in the past.”

The Michigan Maritime Museum is a not for profit organization that relies on individual donations, membership dues and program fees for its livelihood.  For further information on any of the museum programs please phone 269-637-8078.

Engineers are monitoring the Poe Lock after a gate malfunction closed the largest of the Soo Locks on Wednesday.

“It wasn’t mitring properly so we stopped traffic for a while [Wednesday morning],” said Klein.

“We’re still monitoring it,” he said.

Read the full story at the Sault Star >>

Marinette Marine shipbuilders say they’re facing layoffs.

Boilermakers Local 696 says it’s been notified that 91 union employees will be laid off effective Monday.

A union official says a second round of layoffs involving another 120 workers is scheduled for November 3, unless the company gets additional work.

Earlier in September, Marinette Marine’s CEO said the layoffs were necessary because of delays by the Navy and Coast Guard in awarding contracts.

But just Wednesday, it was announced that Marinette Marine would get more than one billion dollars to build two combat ships at their Marinette facility.

[The] underwater videography is now complete and its suggests the riverbed near the bridge hasn’t changed, says John Nevin, communications advisor for the International Upper Great Lakes Study.

That flies in the face of assertions made by Georgian Bay homeowners, who claimed in 2005 that ongoing erosion in the riverbed is causing low lake levels. According to the bathtub theory the riverbed is eroding as a result of past dredging, making the channel deeper. With a larger drain-hole at Sarnia, lakes Michigan and Huron are falling.

… Instead, the study has found that the St. Clair’s riverbed south of the Black River appears to have “significantly” changed in size.

“It might be a result of maintenance dredging or perhaps it’s prop wash from propellers. It’s really too early to say,” said Nevin.

Read the full story at the Sarnia Observer >>

A weak shipping season for the Port of Thunder Bay could become even worse next month.

Workers with the St. Lawrence Seaway have voted to give the Canadian Auto Workers union that represents them a strike mandate, with a potential walkout coming as early as Oct. 10.

Local port authority CEO Tim Heney said Thunder Bay could be among the hardest hit centres if the strike goes ahead.

“Thunder Bay is the largest export port on the seaway,” he said. “That means most of our cargo goes all the way through the Welland Canal - [a labour disruption] would certainly have a dramatic impact on us if it lasted any length of time.”

Read the full story at Thunder Bay’s Source >>

Slightly over a month later we were in Sarnia, Ontario on a hot (34C), diving a couple of wrecks under the Blue Water Bridge. One wreck, the “Monarch”, lies in the middle of the St. Clair River at a depth of 60 feet. My log book notes a “moderate” 6 knot current. I have memories of hanging on for dear life, especially when the freighters went overhead.

Read the full entry at deepstop.wordpress.com >>

The U.S. Coast Guard announced today that the interim rule for dry cargo residue discharges on the Great Lakes is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register Monday, Sept. 29, 2008.

The interim rule requires Great Lakes bulk dry cargo carriers to keep records of loading, unloading and discharges of dry cargo residues and encourages lake carriers to use control measures to reduce the amount of dry cargo residue entering the waters of the Great Lakes. The rule continues to allow the discharge of non-toxic and non-hazardous bulk dry cargo residues in certain areas of the Great Lakes. Discharges are now prohibited in certain protected and sensitive areas where previously, they were allowed.

Great Lakes ships have operated under a Coast Guard “interim enforcement policy” since 1993, that has allowed “incidental discharges” of non-toxic and non-hazardous dry cargo residues such as limestone, iron ore and coal on the Great Lakes. The interim enforcement policy also specified where dry cargo residue discharges could and could not occur. Congressional legislation has extended the interim enforcement policy since 1998. The current extension, granted by Congress in 2004, expires Sept. 30, 2008.

The Coast Guard also requests public comments on the need for and feasibility of additional conditions that might be imposed on future dry cargo residue discharges, such as mandatory use of control measures or further adjustments to areas where discharges are prohibited or allowed. Comments can be submitted online at …  www.regulations.gov, by mail to Docket Management Facility (M-30), U.S. Department of Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W1200 New Jersey Ave., SE, Washington, D.C., 20590-0001, by fax at 202-493-2251 or in person at Room W12-140 on the ground floor of the West Building, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE, Washington, D.C., between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, except holidays. Public comment must be received via one of the methods above not later than Jan. 15, 2009.

To view the interim rule online, go to www.regulations.gov. Once on the site, go to “search documents” and enter USCG-2004-19621.

The U.S. House of Representatives today passed a spending bill to fund the U.S. Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs for the entirety of fiscal year 2009, which begins on October 1.

The bill also funds all other federal government agencies at current levels through March 6, 2009.

Defence spending

The bill includes $1.02 billion for two Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) and instructs the U.S. Navy to award contracts for construction of the ships as soon as possible.

Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wis., built the first LCS ship and is a candidate for building additional ships.

The bill also includes … $6.24 million for Marinette Marine Corporation to continue research on ship hull forms, demonstrating the Bow Lifting Body concept at a creditable and useful size to help transition the technology to military and homeland security applications

Auto industry

The bill includes $7.5 billion to support $25 billion in direct loans for automakers to re-tool their plants to produce the next generation of advanced technology vehicles.

The loans were approved by Congress in the Energy Security and Independence Act, which was passed in December 2007.

This is the first time Congress has provided funding for the program.

“This money is an investment in the auto industry and in hard working Americans who make our cars and trucks,” Stupak said. “As opposed to the bailout the president has requested for Wall Street, these loans will be paid back and will result in a profit for taxpayers. Democrats and Republicans in the Michigan delegation have worked in a bipartisan manner with House and Senate Leadership to put together this critical build out package for the automakers.”