Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System – Page 2

28 Oct

Great Lakes group names Rep. Dingell legislator of the year

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

(ANN ARBOR, Mich.) — On Monday, the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) recognized U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., for her efforts advocating for the Great Lakes Navigation System and the American workers who ensure a resilient maritime supply chain which drives the nation’s economic base. “The Great Lakes are not only an important natural resource but a way of…

10 Oct

Grain cargoes continue to lead Great Lakes-Seaway traffic

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

(OTTAWA, Ontario) — The fall season is the busiest time of year for marine shipping on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, and agricultural commodities and steel continue to drive activity in 2024. As noted in a release recently issued by the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. and the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp., there has been:…

20 Sep

OSHA cites shipyard company for fire aboard Lakes bulker

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, OSHA, Ports, safety

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited a shipyard company after workers were exposed to fire and asphyxiation hazards while working aboard a docked Great Lakes iron ore carrier, Business Insurance reported. OSHA cited South Marine Systems of Westlake, Ohio, for 15 “serious” violations and one “other than serious” violation and proposed $164,540 in penalties.…

17 Sep

Agriculture, steel lead Great Lakes tonnage in 2024

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

(OTTAWA, Ontario) — As summer ends for the 2024 marine shipping season on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, a theme within the statistical reporting has emerged this year: Agricultural commodities and steel are leading the way. As noted in a release recently issued by the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. and the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development…

12 Sep

Great Lakes Marine Hall of Fame honors industry vet Blair McKeil

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

(SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich.) — The Great Lakes Marine Hall of Fame recognized the significant contributions of a Great Lakes maritime member, Blair McKeil, by presenting the Mariner of the Year award during a ceremony on the museum ship Valley Camp. McKeil Marine was founded in 1956 by Blair’s father Evans, who saw an opportunity for a Great Lakes marine…

26 Aug

Cargo ship grounds near Montreal, blocking Seaway traffic

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

(KAHNAWAKE, Quebec) — A cargo ship that ran aground Thursday south of Montreal, blocking shipping traffic on the St. Lawrence Seaway, was freed by tugboats Saturday morning. The 453-foot Heemskerkgracht, registered in the Netherlands, lost power and ran aground near the entrance to the South Shore Canal at 6:35 p.m. Thursday. The tugs Ocean Pierre Julien and Ocean Intrepide assisted…

08 Aug

Proposal would raise Great Lakes pilotage rates 7 percent

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

(WASHINGTON) — On Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard published a proposed rule in the Federal Register to increase the overall cost of U.S. Great Lakes pilotage in 2025 by $2.64 million, or 7 percent, compared to 2024. The new rates seek to generate revenue for each of the three U.S. Great Lakes pilot associations by implementing hourly charges for pilotage…

12 Jun

USCG: Bulker’s cracked hull likely not from hitting obstruction

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, shipping, U.S. Coast Guard

(THUNDER BAY, Ontario) — The Great Lakes bulk carrier that took on water in Lake Superior last weekend sustained a 13-foot crack in its steel hull, but the incident likely didn't result from striking an underwater obstruction as originally thought, The Detroit News reported. The bulker Michipicoten was en route from Two Harbors, Minn., to Thunder Bay on Saturday when…

10 Jun

Bulker takes on water after hitting underwater object

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

(SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich.) — U.S. and Canadian officials are investigating after a bulk carrier struck an underwater object and began taking on water in Lake Superior, CNN and the U.S. Coast Guard reported. The service responded after crew on the 689-foot Michipicoten reported at 6:53 a.m. Saturday that the ship was experiencing flooding as it traveled southwest of Isle…

05 Jun

Great Lakes limestone trade up sharply in May

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

(CLEVELAND) — Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.9 million tons in May, an increase of 33.9 percent compared to a year ago. May’s loadings were also above the month’s five-year average by 6 percent. Loadings from U.S. quarries increased 42.2 percent compared to 2023 to 3.2 million tons. Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 734,489 tons, an increase…