Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System

27 Apr

Bulk carrier freed after grounding on Muskegon sandbar

Rich MillerCasualty NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, shipping

From the Facebook page of Interlake Steamship Co.: (MUSKEGON, Mich.) — At approximately 10 a.m. Monday, the bulk carrier Kaye E. Barker grounded just off the Muskegon outer breakwall as it approached the harbor at a slow speed. The vessel was freed from the sandbar Monday evening after a small amount of cargo was transferred to a barge that was…

14 Apr

Lakes iron ore trade more than doubles in March

Rich MillerMaritime NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Ports

(CLEVELAND) – Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 1.3 million tons in March, more than double the volume of a year ago, according to the Lake Carriers' Association (LCA). Loadings also topped the month’s five-year average by 10.6 percent. Year to date, the iron ore trade stands at 3.7 million tons, an increase of 53.5 percent compared…

28 Mar

AGLPA to hold annual conference July 27-28 in Chicago

Rich MillerIndustry NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Ports

(WASHINGTON) — The American Great Lakes Ports Association (AGLPA) will hold its 2023 Annual Conference on July 27-28 in Chicago, Ill. For more than 20 years, this event has included leaders of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway maritime industry, including seaport managers, terminal operators, maritime labor, shipping company executives, maritime trade associations, state and federal government officials and the many…

21 Mar

Biden budget includes Great Lakes navigation priorities

Rich MillerMaritime NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Ports, shipping

(WASHINGTON) — On Thursday, the White House released an outline of its fiscal year 2024 budget proposal. The budget includes the following amounts proposed for key programs of importance to Great Lakes ports. The list includes several surprises as noted below by the American Great Lakes Ports Association (AGLPA): Great Lakes icebreaker The White House has proposed $55 million in…

07 Mar

Canada funds program to improve ballast water systems

Rich MillerMaritime NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System

(OTTAWA, Ontario) — The government of Canada has announced $12.5 million in funding to launch the Ballast Water Innovation Program as part of Canada’s Oceans Protection Plan. The program, which is a central component of Canada’s efforts to advance the implementation and enforcement of the 2021 Ballast Water Regulations, will play an important role in further reducing the spread of…

27 Dec

Defense bill to fund new Great Lakes heavy icebreaker

Rich MillerMaritime NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Icebreaking, shipbuilding, shipping

(CLEVELAND) — Thanks to the efforts of the Great Lakes congressional delegation, major milestones were reached with the passage of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2023, according to the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force. The bipartisan legislation authorizes $350 million for U.S. Coast Guard acquisition of a new Great Lakes heavy icebreaker. It…

08 Dec

Congress on clock for Great Lakes maritime priorities

Rich MillerMaritime NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, shipping

(WASHINGTON) — As the year draws to an end, congressional leaders are scrambling to complete work on key legislation of importance to Great Lakes ports and the region's maritime industry. Because time is short, individual bills are being rolled together into larger legislative packages to simplify the process. One such package is the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which must…

02 May

‘High highs, low lows’: Great Lakes-Seaway ports ride out pandemic

Professional Mariner StaffCargo vessels, Seaways & WaterwaysCOVID, Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, mariners, maritime industry, maritime news, Port Milwaukee

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System carried an impressive amount of cargo in 2020 despite COVID-19 limitations. Overall tonnage for the navigation season, which ran from March 25, 2020 to Jan. 15, 2021, was only down 1.7 percent compared with 2019 for U.S. and Canadian ports that use the waterways. How was that possible? “Despite the incredible challenges of the…