U.S. shippers investing $126 million on lakers in layup

U.S. shippers investing $126 million on lakers in layup

(CLEVELAND) — U.S. shipping companies operating exclusively on the Great Lakes have transitioned from sailing to the annual process of repairing, maintaining and modernizing their fleet of lakers. Vessels ranging in length from over 1,000 feet to smaller tug and barge combinations have taken to docks and ship repair facilities around the Great Lakes region. This year alone, U.S. Great…
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Chamber honors 3 lawmakers for Great Lakes icebreaker advocacy

Chamber honors 3 lawmakers for Great Lakes icebreaker advocacy

(OTTAWA, Ontario) — As the shipping season officially opens this week, the Chamber of Marine Commerce is honoring three U.S. congressional leaders for their tireless efforts to increase U.S. Coast Guard icebreaking capacity on the Great Lakes. The Coast Guard, in partnership with its Canadian counterparts, is responsible for breaking ice during the winter and spring to help ships safely…
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LCA calls Canadian ballast water proposal ‘economic power grab’

LCA calls Canadian ballast water proposal ‘economic power grab’

A dispute over ballast water practices could be cover for an economic show of force to block U.S.-flagged vessels from Canadian ports on the Great Lakes, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association, which has asked the Federal Maritime Commission to investigate new regulations proposed by Ottawa. James Weakley, president of the Ohio-based LCA, said the proposal would force U.S. ships…
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New Great Lakes bulk carrier first built in US in nearly 40 years

New Great Lakes bulk carrier first built in US in nearly 40 years

A U.S.-flagged bulk carrier is being built in the Great Lakes region for the first time since 1983. Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding of Sturgeon Bay, Wis., is midway through the two-year project for Interlake Steamship Co., based in Middleburg Heights, Ohio. Among its cargoes, the River-class self-unloading ship is anticipated to carry iron ore from Minnesota’s Mesabi Range to a Burns…
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Brownwater News, September 2020

Bipartisan bill would boost Great Lakes icebreaking capacity  The Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) is among numerous organizations expressing strong support for a bipartisan bill that would pave the way for increased icebreaking capacity for the Great Lakes fleet. By codifying into law the U.S. Coast Guard’s icebreaking mission on the Great Lakes, the service would be required to break ice…
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