Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System

04 Jun

Coast Guard offers reward for stolen navigational beacon

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Navigation, U.S. Coast Guard

(SUPERIOR, Wis.) — The Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual or individuals responsible for the recent break-in and theft of the Superior Entry South Breakwater Light. The theft is believed to have occurred on or about May 13 at the privately owned Superior Entry Lighthouse…

20 May

U.S. Great Lakes shipping lost 82 days due to ice delays, trade group says

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Icebreaking, shipping

(CLEVELAND) — The numbers are in and U.S.-flag shipping on the Great Lakes lost 1,953 hours or 82 ship days due to inadequate icebreaking during the past winter. To put 82 days in perspective, it is about a third of the shipping season on the Great Lakes as the Soo Locks close on Jan. 15. It took 96 hours after…

07 May

NOAA vessel returns to Great Lakes for survey work

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, NOAA, Office of Coast Survey, surveying

(WASHINGTON) — For the first time since 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) vessel Thomas Jefferson is underway in the Great Lakes. The vessel and its crew of NOAA Corps officers and professional mariners are working with NOAA scientists to map the waters of western and central Lake Erie and eastern Lake Ontario this year to improve navigation…

27 Apr

Great Lakes task force honors Sen. Todd Young for maritime advocacy

Professional Mariner StaffIndustry NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, shipping

(WASHINGTON) —The Great Lakes Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) recognized U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., on Wednesday for his commitment to the Great Lakes Navigation System and the nation’s maritime revitalization. “Sen. Young understands the importance of U.S. shipping on the Great Lakes with interconnected harbors that depend on each other and a healthy maritime highway. He has advocated for another…

21 Apr

Army Corps plan boosts Great Lakes navigation funding

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Ports, Tugboats and towing, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

(WASHINGTON) — In early April, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) released its navigation work plan for fiscal year 2026. The overall plan outlines resources that will be used for dredging, structure maintenance, and other priorities at every port in the United States. The USACE Detroit District staff has since compiled a summary/funding analysis of Great Lakes provisions, which…

08 Apr

Great Lakes iron ore shipments down sharply in March

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Ports

(CLEVELAND) — Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes in March decreased 23.5 percent from a year ago. Loadings were also below the month’s five-year average by 35.1 percent, the Lake Carriers' Association reported. The iron ore trade stands at 2.7 million tons, a decrease of 7.7 percent compared to 2025. For the first three months of the year, iron…

02 Apr

Fincantieri, Fraser, Donjon form Great Lakes alliance

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

(WASHINGTON) — Fincantieri Marine Group and two Great Lakes shipbuilders – Fraser Shipyards of Superior, Wis., and Donjon Marine of Erie, Pa. – have established a collaborative framework to bring new shipbuilding programs and technology to the "Fourth Coast" in keeping with the Trump administration’s efforts to rapidly increase domestic shipbuilding. These three well-positioned shipyards will join forces to compete…

26 Mar

Icebreaker gap brings U.S. Great Lakes fleet to standstill

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Icebreakers, shipping

(CLEVELAND) — A little over a day and half since the Soo Locks opened, providing access to Lake Superior and critical raw materials like iron ore, the U.S.-flagged Great Lakes commercial fleet is at a standstill in the St. Marys River and Whitefish Bay, the critical connection between Lake Superior and all other Great Lakes. The only way into Lake…

05 Mar

Rep. Langworthy named 2026 Champion of the Great Lakes

Professional Mariner StaffIndustry NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, shipping

(OTTAWA, Ontario) — U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., has been named the 2026 Champion of the Great Lakes by the Chamber of Marine Commerce (CMC). This award honors United States elected officials who demonstrate a special commitment to enhancing economic growth and supply chain strength by supporting marine shipping on the Great Lakes. Representing the 23rd District of New York,…

18 Feb

NTSB cites uncovered strainers in pier sinking of bulker Cuyahoga

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, NTSB

(WASHINGTON) — On March 18, 2025, about 1600 local time, the bulk carrier Cuyahoga was discovered partially flooded while docked on Lake Erie in Ashtabula, Ohio. There were no injuries and no pollution was reported. The vessel was dewatered and refloated. Salvage costs were undetermined; the vessel had previously been declared a constructive total loss as a result of extensive…