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by Bob VandeVusse | Source: Holland Sentinel

[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 >>

Crystal Nelson | Source: The Alpena News

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. Read the rest of this entry »

by Bob VandeVusse | Source: 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 >>

Press Release

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. Read the rest of this entry »

Bob VandeVusse | Source: The Holland Sentinel

Delays have continued to plague coal deliveries in Holland for the past week. The expected load on the Manistee was canceled.

It has been reported that Lower Lakes Towing has signed a major transportation contract for ore pellets with Essar Steel Algoma, of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. That means that their vessels Manitowoc, Manistee, Maumee and Calumet may be unavailable for coal and stone loads. That could create a hardship for docks in small harbors like Holland, as those vessels in the 600-foot range are ideal for harbors like ours.

The coal delivery on the Wilfred Sykes has been delayed, as well. It is now expected to load today and arrive early Monday morning.

Read the full article at the Holland Sentinel >>

By PATRICIA ECKER | Source: The Morning Sun

The Tribal Council of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe made it clear, by resolution, that they are opposed to and deeply concerned about the impact the eight proposed coal fired plants will have on Michigan.

On Wednesday, the Tribe will host a conference to provide information to the community on climate change, energy and the potential impact of the proposed coal plants on the community.

… The conference will take place at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Black River Room.

… The resolution, dated Aug. 6, outlines the “grave concerns” about health risks caused by emissions of carbon dioxide, contamination of the lakes, streams, and ground water from mercury, and the environmental impact on the Great Lakes ecosystem.

… Sowmick said the Tribe is not against development, but they would urge Governor Jennifer Granholm and her administration rescind or deny air and water permits for all coal fired power plants.

“In the short term, there is job creation, but in the long term there will be harm to aquifers and wild life,” Joe Sowmick spokesperson for the Tribe said.

More about the tribe’s previous efforts, current concerns at The Morning Sun >>

by Bob VandeVusse | Source: Holland Sentinel

We had a surprise visitor this week when the Manitowoc arrived late Wednesday morning to deliver stone at the Verplank dock. They managed to squeeze the load on the west half of the dock, as a new dock face of steel sheet piling is being installed on the east end of the facility.

We heard through one of the Manitowoc’s crew members that they woud be returning to Holland with a load for Brewer’s, but they had not arrived by midday. They may be in today.

In the middle of the week, we expect to see the Maumee bring another load of coal to the James DeYoung power plant. The vessel is expected to load in Chicago early Wednesday morning. If that schedule holds, it should be here late Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning. Then over the long Labor Day holiday weekend, we should see another coal delivery on the Manistee.

Bob has more news on Great Lakes shipping at the Holland Sentinel >>

by Sue Clark | Source: Lighthouse News

The entrance at the base, however, remains open for a look inside, but no one can climb the tower of Michigan’s oldest lighthouse. It’s definitely not a case of the museum falling down on the job, though. The money is there in the form of a grant, waiting, unfortunately, for the GSA to get off its rear and transfer the lighthouse to the museum officially.

But it’s not totally the fault of the GSA. The Environmental Protection Agency is mostly at fault here.

Sue Clark boils it down to the bottom line at the Lighthouse News >>

Related: Severstal Sees Big Bucks In U.S. Coal - Forbes

By Dale Crofts and Maria Kolesnikova | Source: Bloomberg Canada

OAO Severstal, Russia’s biggest steelmaker, agreed to buy PBS Coals for $1.3 billion to supply it U.S. operations with coking coal.

Cherepovets, Russia-based Severstal said it will buy a combination of PBS and Penfold Capital Acquisition Corp. for C$8.30 ($7.93) a share, Severstal said today in a statement.

Severstal, led by billionaire Alexei Mordashov, follows steelmakers including ArcelorMittal and Posco in acquiring coal mines after a year in which steel and coal have doubled to record[ prices]. Demand for raw materials is surging as steelmakers boost production to satisfy greater usage in China and India.

… A steel shortage in the U.S. pushed prices to a record $1,052 a ton in June. Severstal spent $950 million this year on an ArcelorMittal plant near Baltimore and WCI Steel Inc., based in Ohio. The company also acquired steelmaker Esmark Inc. for about $672 million to sell a wider range of products.

The Russian steelmaker runs a mill in Dearborn, Michigan, that supplies Ford Motor Co., and the SeverCorr factory in Columbus, Mississippi.

More about OAO Severstal’s investments, positioning and industry notes at Bloomberg Canada >>

Related:

• Coast Guard Days: Port Huron says thank you - Times Herald
• Port Huron celebrates the Coast Guard - Times Herald

By BOB GROSS | Source: Times Herald

On Saturday, residents and visitors watched the U.S. Coast Guard demonstrate a helicopter rescue — not once, but twice — in the St. Clair River near the Great Lakes Maritime Center at Vantage Point.

They also toured the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bramble Museum at the Seaway Terminal as well as the Bramble’s replacement, the USCGC Hollyhock; the U.S. Navy Sea Cadets vessel, the Gray Fox; and the Huron Lightship at Pine Grove Park.

The U.S. Coast Guard Station at Omar Street also was open for tours.

Awesome pictures of Dolphin Helicopter rescue demonstration with this story at the Times Herald >>

By BOB GROSS | Source: The Times Herald

[T]ourists and visitors no longer can climb the 86 feet to the top of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse.

The lighthouse tower, which was built in 1829 and increased to its present height in 1861, was declared off limits to the public by the U.S. Coast Guard on Friday because of “deteriorating brickwork, falling debris and questionable structural integrity.”

The lighthouse was supposed to be one of the centerpieces of Port Huron Coast Guard Days, which started Friday evening and continue through Sunday.

Visitors instead were greeted Friday by bright orange safety fencing keeping them away from the tower.

Source: Herald Times Reporter

LUDINGTON, Mich. — The S.S. Badger … resume[d] its regular twice-daily Lake Michigan crossings [Friday] after completion of repairs at Bay Shipbuilding.

The ship experienced a problem with a stern bearing last Sunday that could not be repaired at the dock, forcing it to sail to the shipyard in Sturgeon Bay.

Because no dry dock space was available, a team of underwater repair specialists was flown in from California.

Badger officials said Thursday the California team worked around the clock to get the ship back in service, and able to transport vehicles and people between Ludington and Manitowoc.

Full story, photo at the Herald Times Reporter >>

Source: USCG

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City has recorded its busiest week of this summer’s search and rescue season.

In a five-day period the Coast Guardsmen have logged more than 50 flight hours on 12 search and rescue cases resulting in four lives saved.

On Friday a single helicopter crew rescued three people in two separate cases: rescuing two overdue fishermen who were clinging to their capsized vessel near Alpena, Mich., and finding a missing kayaker in Torch Lake, Mich. On Wednesday helicopter crews airlifted and medically evacuated a 42-year-old male from the Burns Harbor, a 1,000-foot laker. The vessel was 60 miles east of Marquette, Mich., in Lake Superior. Read the rest of this entry »

by Jeff Kart | The Bay City Times

Saginaw Bay would sport the state’s first offshore windmills under a plan by Steve Smiley, the self-described stepfather of wind power in Michigan.

Smiley, of Suttons Bay, helped construct the state’s first two commercial windmills in Traverse and Mackinaw cities. He already has met with Bay County and Bay City leaders about the idea, and a task force is being formed to pursue funding to research and erect an offshore turbine in the bay.

“We’re going to develop a major new industry that will serve all the Great Lakes and possibly other places in the world,” said Smiley, who grew up in Bay City and is now president of Heron Wind Manufacturing, a start-up in Traverse City.

“It’s where we can really say we can get 100 percent of our net annual energy from,” replacing the need for a new coal-fired power plant at the Consumers Energy Karn-Weadock complex in Hampton Township.

Read the full story at the Bay City Times >>

by Jeff Alexander | The Muskegon Chronicle

GRAND HAVEN — Cleaning up Great Lakes toxic hotspots and restoring damaged fisheries could lay the foundation for Michigan’s economic recovery, according to business leaders and environmentalists.

That was one of the messages delivered this morning at a Grand Haven press conference for the Healthy Lakes, Healthy Lives boat tour. A 60-foot trimaran called The Earth Voyager is visiting 13 cities this summer to promote the benefits of environmental restoration; the vessel is in Grand Haven through Sunday.

Read the full story, lots of specifics at the Muskegon Chronicle >>

Mike Fornes | Source: Cheboygan News

A week of festival activities behind them, the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw sailed from Grand Haven on Sunday for Chicago, where a buoy problem awaited their attention before a week of training was to begin.

In addition to the icebreaking tug Biscayne Bay from Coast Guard Station St. Ignace, the Mackinaw was joined by the Samuel Risley, and icebreaking cutter from Canadian Forces.

The ship is traditionally the centerpiece of activities on the pier and this year was no exception.

“We’ve hosted 4,200 guests in tours over just the first three days and there are more to come,” Smith reported on Thursday. “I expect we’ll have 12,000 total by the end of the week.”

Much more about the cutter’s, crew’s activities at the Cheboygan Tribune >>

by Tina Lam | Source: Detroit Free Press

Heavy snow and rains since last winter have made the lakes rise. Scientists aren’t sure whether this will last, but they’re hopeful. The temperatures, moisture and ice cover next winter will be critical.

“If we get two more good, normal winters with normal precipitation, then we’d have a turnaround,” said Cynthia Sellinger, deputy director of the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Lake Superior, which beat its 1926 record low last fall, rebounded to within 4 inches of its long-term average in July. Lakes Erie and Ontario are 2 and 4 inches, respectively, above their July averages.

Lakes Michigan and Huron are up 8 inches, though still lagging more than a foot below their normal July levels. Lake St. Clair is up 10 inches from last year and down just 2 inches from its normal for July.

… Ships on the Great Lakes that carry coal, iron ore and cement for industry moved slightly more cargo in June than they did a year ago, but they’re still loading light because some harbors still are too shallow, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association in Cleveland.

Despite 16 inches more water in Lake Superior last week compared with a year ago, the Wenonah ferry from Grand Portage, Minn., to Isle Royale National Park still is not running. Last summer was the first in 30 years the 149-passenger boat couldn’t get to the island.

Read why the lakes rebounded, further impacts and mid-term forecasts all at the Detroit Free Press >>

By Robert C. Burns | Source: Muskegon Chronicle

Sand Products Co. is getting into a new side of the shipping business with a newly purchased 124-foot tugboat to be homeported in Muskegon.

The tug is being modified to fit into the stern notch of barges used on the Great Lakes to carry cargo. It is expected to go into service late this year.

The 4,300-horsepower, twin-screw vessel was built in 1967 and spent most of its life pushing barges between Tampa, Fla., and the Mississippi River, according to Marcon International Inc., which brokered the sale.

Originally the Betty Culbreath, the tug currently sails under the name Michaela McAllister. It will receive a new name, yet to be announced, when it begins operations on this side of the state.

Its designated owner will be Port City Tug Inc., and it will be operated by Port City Marine Services, both independent subsidiaries of Detroit-based Sand Products.

Where the tug will be docked, more about Sand Products Co. at the Muskegon Chronicle >>

by Bob VandeVusse | Source: Holland Sentinel

Things got started on Friday, Aug. 1, with the arrival of the Manitowoc with a load of coal for the James DeYoung power plant. It arrived early in the morning and departed late in the afternoon.

… Later in the day [August 3rd] or early tomorrow, the Manistee will deliver more coal at the power plant. If you head to Grand Haven today, you may see the Coast Guard fleet departing from the festival. Both the Mackinaw and the Biscayne Bay will head out, as will the 228-foot Canadian cutter Samuel Risley, which has been in port since Wednesday, July 30.

On Monday, Aug.4, we may see a boat at Verplank’s, but that is tentative at this time. It may divert to St. Joseph instead if soundings show sufficient depth there. There has been dredging going on there for much of the summer.

Sailing Regatta and more later in the week, see the Holland Sentinel >>

** See Also: Incredible video of rescue taken by oiler Ed Spicuzza, on CNN.com

Source: U.S. Coast Guard

MARQUETTE, Mich. - A Coast Guard Helicopter crew medically evacuated a man suffering from internal bleeding off a 767-foot freighter Thursday in Lake Superior.

The 36-year-old crewmember from the freighter, American Valor, was transferred to Emergency Medical Services and brought to Marquette General Hospital.

An HH-65 Dolphin Rescue Helicopter, from Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City arrived at approximately 9 a.m. and hoisted the man off the ship.

He was taken to Sawyer Airport and taken to awaiting Emergency Medical Services.