September 14, 2008, 34 year-old Toni Kneiding an Associate Dean of Education and Human Services at Baker College in Owosso Michigan was declared dead Sunday September 14, 2008 after reportedly jumping from the Mackinac Bridge located in Upper Michigan. According to The U.S. Coast Guard recovery of the woman at about 10:30 a.m, emergency crews started CPR on the victim, but there were no vital signs. The Michigan State Police Post in St. Ignace confirmed that a fatality occurred in the Straits of Mackinac Sunday, but have and continue to investigate.
Thirty-three years ago November 10, 2008, When in 1975 a fierce winter storm sent the Freighter Edmund Fitzgerald and her crew to the bottom of Lake Superior
New shipwreck documentary to be released on the anniversary Edmund Fitzgerald's Sinking
Thirty-three years ago after a fierce winter storm sent the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald to the bottom of Lake Superior, a new video has been released that explores the latest theories behind the ship's sinking.Mark Gumbinger of Kenosha, Wis., who has produced 31 documentaries on shipwrecks and lighthouses, recently released "The Edmund Fitzgerald Controversy."
"The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is arguably the most famous shipwreck story told around the Great Lakes," Gumbinger said. "Yet the question remains, 'What really happened to the Mighty Fitz that cold November night?' " The ship sank on Nov. 10, 1975, with a loss of 29 lives as a cyclone-velocity storm swept over Lake Superior.
Gumbinger said since the ship sank 33 years ago, interest in the shipwreck has "grown and grown." He said people are interested in the Edmund Fitzgerald because it happened in their lifetime, unlike the Titanic, which sank in 1912.
Gumbinger's latest documentary explores the various theories as to why the 729-foot-long freighter went down in 530 feet of water -- in particular the possible faulty hatch covers that allowed water to pour into the ship. Gumbinger said this theory is supported by U.S. Coast Guard testing and computer models.
Other theories include the long ship breaking in two because of rough seas or being damaged by ramming into shoals. Others say it was the crew or faulty equipment or an unidentified object. Adding to the mystery is that the ship was considered modern, was piloted by the highly experienced Capt. Ernest McSorley and disappeared without a single communication or SOS.
Gumbinger said he expects his documentary, like his others, to sell well in Michigan, which he says has a tremendous interest in ships and shipping disasters. Gumbinger's video includes underwater footage of the ship as it lies in two sections in 530 feet of water. The program includes pictures of the 729-foot-long freighter in service.
Although he lives in Wisconsin, Gumbinger's documentaries are familiar in West Michigan and can be found at many area libraries. Some of his documentaries have focused on ships of the area, including the car ferry Milwaukee, which sank Oct. 22, 1929, while sailing from Milwaukee to Grand Haven, and the passenger ship S.S. Wisconsin, which sank in 1929.
Gumbinger also has produced a documentary on three Whitefish Bay shipwrecks, the 1956 sinking of the Italian luxury liner Andrea Doria, and the sinking of the freighter Daniel J. Morrell.
The new Edmund Fitzgerald sinking documentary by Mark Gumbinger is available for $39.95 plus $6.95 shipping from Southport Video Productions, 9928 32nd Ave., Kenosha, Wis., 53158; or by calling (800) 642-9860; or on the Internet at edmundfitzgerald.com.
Anniversary marked for deadly Lake Mich. sinking
November 9, 2008 This week's ceremonies for the 29 men who died in the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald also honor the victims of a lesser-known shipping disaster 50 years ago this month.
The Carl D. Bradley was about 60 miles from Charlevoix on Nov. 18, 1958, when it sank in a fierce storm on Lake Michigan, taking the lives of all but two of 35 crew members. The Detroit Historical Society is holding its annual remembrance Monday for Great Lakes mariners who died on the water. The ceremony is on the 33rd anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald's sinking in stormy Lake Superior.
A new ship will sail the Great Lakes this week, and shipping officials call that good news for both the industry and the city. This MV Blacky is being loaded with canola at the local Viterra elevator, and will make its way to Mexico where the shipment will be turned into canola oil.
Lake Superior Shipping Ship agent Sandy Henderson said it's the first of 14 ships to be built in China by Algoma Shipping Company. He said it is a good sign that new ships are being built. Henderson also said that the ship was built three months ago, and can carry up to 28,000 tonnes of cargo. As for the kind of cargo the ship can carry, Henderson said anything from grain to steel.
But with the depth limitations in the Great Lakes, it cannot carry more than 20,000 tonnes out of Thunder Bay. The MV Blacky will sail out Tuesday and arrive in Mexico in about two weeks.
Canadian Owned Algoma Central Corp. Suffers Fourth Quarter Profit Drop
02-18-2009 Algoma Central Corp. (TSX:ALC) said Wednesday its fourth-quarter profit sank 35 per cent to $16.8 million on weakness in its ocean shipping and Great Lakes and Atlantic Canada oil-product tanker operations, along with foreign exchange losses.
Quarterly revenue increased six per cent to $196.4 million from $185.1 million, but earnings per share declined to $4.33 from $6.70.
The year-ago quarter's bottom line of $26.1 million was boosted by a $5.6-million benefit from lower tax rates, while the most recent quarter suffered from the impact of the weakening Canadian dollar on U.S.-dollar debt, after foreign-exchange gains a year earlier.
Full-year revenue was $688.9 million, up from $580.5 million, but earnings sagged to $41.3 million or $10.61 per share, down from $52.4 million or $13.48 per share.
The Toronto-headquartered ship operator said the year's pre-tax operating profit was up four per cent. This was attributed to higher earnings in the domestic dry-bulk segment, improved full-year profit in the ocean shipping group, and slightly higher profits in real estate operations.
However, the product tankers segment suffered from a scheduled dry-dock of the Algoma Hansa, and Lake-Freighter Amortization expense increased.
Going forward, Algoma Central plans to spend $6 million on its hotel property in Sault Ste. Marie, after terminating the Holiday Inn lease and assuming control Feb. 1 of what now is the Waterfront Inn and Conference Centre.
Historic Griffon Wreck Located in Lake Michigan-French to Claim Ownership
The French government has formally moved to lay claim to one of Canadian history's most important shipwrecks if, as a U.S. relic hunter believes, the 330-year-old Griffon has been discovered at the bottom of Lake Michigan.
The Griffon, built in 1679 near today's Niagara Falls, Ont., by French explorer Rene-Robert de La Salle, became the first sailing ship on the Great Lakes but was lost in a storm that year on its maiden voyage. In 2004, U.S. wreck diver Steve Libert discovered remnants of what he suspects is a 17th-century shipwreck at the north end of Green Bay, near the boundary waters of Michigan and Wisconsin. Experts from Chicago's Field Museum have dated wood samples collected at the wreck site to the era of the Griffon, a 25-metre vessel expected to be the flagship of the fur trade empire New France was building in the fledgling days of the future Canada.
Libert who is engaged in a legal battle with Michigan's attorney general over the ownership of what could be the "Holy Grail" of Great Lakes shipwrecks — has urged both the French and Canadian governments to back his efforts to explore and possibly recover an iconic ship with deep historical connections to the two countries. Now, the French embassy in Washington has officially weighed into the controversy by filing a legal claim asserting France's ownership of the wreck if and when the Griffon is found. "The Republic of France respectfully states that it is the owner of the shipwreck Le Griffon," says a Jan. 27 claim filed in U.S. District Court, "and it has not abandoned its interests in Le Griffon." The claim further states the ship was "performing sovereign functions at the time of her loss, including as a vessel of exploration and warship."
The French claim has Michigan officials mulling their next move, but has already provoked outrage in the state. "This could be an important relic for telling Michigan's story," the Detroit News editorialized last week. "France's claim to the vessel is tenuous, and ought to be severed by the courts . . . The Griffon has been sitting in Michigan's waters long enough to have grown Michigan roots."
But the Canadian government's top underwater archeologist told Canwest News Service last April that the Griffon also has a profoundly important place in this country's colonial history. Robert Grenier who is currently leading a federal search for two famous British shipwrecks in the Canadian Arctic from the 19th-century Franklin Expedition — said last year that Michigan officials "would like us to do some things'' at the purported Griffon wreck site once the legal issues are resolved.
He called La Salle's ship "one of the Holy Grails of Canadian marine history,'' adding that the fact that the ship "was not built in Europe makes it more attractive'' to scholars documenting Canada's formative years. Libert said on Tuesday that he is still hoping to settle the legal dispute with Michigan and work at the site with state officials as well as with "France and Canada and for the entire good of underwater archeology." He added: "To date, the ship hasn't been identified. Michigan is trying to strip that right from my group, the discoverers."
The French government, he said, is simply notifying the other stakeholders that if the wreck turns out to be the Griffon, "France will assert ownership." La Salle, a controversial but towering presence in 17th-century North America, had already helped establish Fort Frontenac (at present-day Kingston, Ont.) and led the European discovery of Niagara Falls before trying to establish a fur trade network on the Upper Great Lakes.
After the Griffon was built in the summer of 1679, it was sailed across lakes Erie and Huron and into Green Bay. La Salle then turned to overland exploration and sent his flagship back toward Lake Erie, on Sept. 18, 1679, to deliver thousands of furs and other cargo obtained from native traders. The ship was never seen again, and La Salle was the first of many searchers who failed to turn up traces of the wreck over the centuries.
A House bill would Futher the change of the Great Lakes statring with Lake Erie
Asian Carp Continue to Threaten Lake Michigan.
05-2010 A House bill would allow Lake Erie waters to be leased for wind farms, State Rep. John Hornaman, of Millcreek Township, D-3rd Dist. thinks that could change soon and possibly in our backyard. Hornaman, with the support of Erie County's other state House members, has introduced a bill that would allow Pennsylvania to lease land beneath Lake Erie for the development of wind farms.
A previous law allowed for up to 25 acres to be leased, but Hornaman said that's far too small to be practical when thousands of acres would likely be needed. The bill, introduced in March and passed unanimously by the state Government Committee, is based on more than an idea.
Hornaman said he's spoken with more than one developer interested in developing wind farms on shallow ridges about seven and a half miles northwest of Presque Isle. According to one estimate, Hornaman said, Lake Erie-based wind farms have the potential within a decade to produce 3,000 to 4,000 megawatts, enough electricity to power about 850,000 homes.
Lake Erie, the shallowest of the Great Lakes, is thought by many to be ideal for erecting windmills that would likely tower more than 300 feet above the water's surface. While no other wind farms are currently situated in U.S. waters, that's likely to change soon. On Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration ruled that 130 wind turbines proposed for the Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound pose no threat to aircraft.
Meanwhile, Hornaman said, both Ohio and New York have legislation under consideration that would allow for leasing land in Lake Erie. Hornaman said there's a lot to be learned, and the views of conservationists and others need to be heard at public hearings. None have signed off on anything, but Hornaman said a long list of environmental groups have been consulted and have indicated a willingness to consider the idea.
Ed Kissell, vice president of S.O.N.S. of Lake Erie, an anglers group that promotes fishing in Lake Erie and Presque Isle Bay, said his group is open to studying the idea.
Click Pictures taken by Katherine D.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rejecting Soo Super Lock
04-28-2009-The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Tuesday it will not spend federal stimulus money to build a half billion-dollar boat lock on the eastern edge of Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
The long-planned lock is designed to be a backup to an existing one that allows 1,000-foot-long freighters access to Lake Superior. Construction funding was considered a done deal by many in the Great Lakes shipping community. Now it looks dead in the water, at least for this year.
"Everybody is in shock here," Glen Nekvasil, spokesman for the Lake Carriers' Association, said after Tuesday's announcement. "It was a jobs creator. It would have used American workers. It would have used American goods, and it would have guaranteed the redundancy we need.
"This should have been a go." Conservationists and taxpayer watchdogs, however, applauded the Army Corps' decision to put its money elsewhere. "Here was a project that has very little economic justification," said Steve Ellis, vice president of the nonprofit Taxpayers for Common Sense.
"If you're going to put thought into the projects you fund, then this project falls out," he added.
Conservationists don't oppose the project on environmental grounds - the new lock would be built on the footprint of two outdated locks. They did have a problem with the project because they said there are plenty of better places to spend the estimated $490 million it will cost to build. Those include billions needed to fix aged sewer systems, clean up industrial messes and protect the world's largest freshwater system from the next invasive species.
Another lock already operates adjacent to the bigger "Poe Lock," but it is too small to handle the super-sized freighters that haul about 70% of the 80 million tons of cargo that move through the "Soo Locks" complex annually.
Trouble at the Poe Lock could choke the flow of things such as coal and iron ore to Midwestern factories, shipping advocates note. That's why they want to build a twin for the Poe.
First approved in 1986
Congress first authorized a second Poe-sized lock in 1986. In 2007, Congress agreed the federal government would fully fund the project, but it failed to deliver the dollars. Lock backers thought their funding luck had changed this year when Congress gave the Army Corps $17 million to construct a set of watertight walls known as coffer dams at the lock site.
Better news came when President Barack Obama vowed to jump-start the troubled economy by pouring money into projects that are "shovel ready," shorthand for construction jobs that had already been designed and cleared environmental hurdles. "No project meets the definition of shovel ready more than the replacement Soo Lock," Upper Peninsula Congressman Bart Stupak said last winter.
Army Corps bosses in Washington, D.C., evidently believe differently. One apparent problem was that construction of the new lock is expected to last up to 10 years. The Army Corps favored projects that can be completed faster, said Army Corps spokeswoman Lynn Duerod.
Duerod said Tuesday the Army Corps is hoping Congress will continue to fund the new lock in coming years with allocations from the regular federal budget. Army Corps officials also say the $17 million to be spent on the coffer dams this summer will not be wasted if the new lock is never built; the dams will serve to stabilize the area around an existing decommissioned lock that was built early in the last century.
Lock supporters said Tuesday they are still confident the federal government will come around with the funding in the coming years. "The Soo Lock project will move forward," Stupak said in a news release. "...The Corps of Engineers decision will in no way delay the work set to begin this year, and their decision is not final."
Border Law Changes June 01, 2009
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative deadline of June 1, 2009 is fast approaching for travelers to have officially recognized documents for crossing the international border between the U.S. and Canada. The 2009 edition of the Cross-Border Travel Tips for Recreational Boaters, RV Owners & Motorists Traveling the Great Lakes Seaway Trail lists the types of acceptable personal identification documents.
To facilitate smooth border crossings for motorists, RV owners and boaters, New York Sea Grant and the nonprofit tourism organization Seaway Trail, Inc. have published the Cross Border Travel Tips with assistance from U.S. and Canadian border crossing officials since 2002.
New York Sea Grant Recreation and Tourism Specialist Dave White says, “This multi-agency partnership has continually updated these Cross-Border Travel Tips and posted them online to help the boating, driving, diving, camping, and touring public access the most-current information they need to easily cross between our nations. We want travelers to know all their options for having the proper identification to facilitate their crossings.”
Seaway Trail, Inc. President and CEO Teresa Mitchell says, “These Cross-Border Travel Tips are designed to encourage our Canadian neighbors to continue to visit the U.S. for an authentic experience of American life, history, and culture along the Great Lakes Seaway Trail freshwater shoreline. Cross-border visitors bring welcome and needed dollars into our regional economy.”
2009 Edition of the Cross-Border Travel Tips for Recreational Boaters, RV Owners & Motorists Traveling the Great Lakes Seaway.
The types of acceptable personal identification documents
• Contact points for 7 international bridges and one international ferry service
• Contacts for 20 New York and 5 Pennsylvania ports of call – 21 with videophones
• Know Before You Go resources and Customs information contacts
• Contacts for applying for a NEXUS ID card
• Boat trailering and boat safety information sources
• How to check bridge crossing wait times
• Great Lakes Seaway Trail, Seaway Trail Pennsylvania and Travel Canada vacation resources.
The Cross-Border Travel Tips for the Great Lakes Seaway Trail are maintained online for easy updating and as-needed printing. The 2009 Cross-Border Travel Tips for Recreational Boaters, RV Owners and Motorists Traveling the Great Lakes Seaway download in 8.5x14-inch pdf format.
2009 Iron Ore Shipments Down
06-10-2009 Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes are down substantially because of the low demand for steel, a report from a trade association of cargo ships said Tuesday.
The Lake Carriers' Association said iron ore shipments in May totaled only 3 million tons, a decrease of nearly 60 percent compared to a year ago. Iron ore trade has fared even worse on a year-to-date basis. Through May, shipments are down 65 percent compared with a year ago.
The Lake Carriers' Association, based in Rocky River, Ohio, represents U.S. vessel operators on the Great Lakes. Its 16 member companies operate 63 lakers and other ships.
Mined iron ore is a primary ingredient in making steel at mills. The slow pace of carrying iron ore to ports on the Great Lakes is off due to the nation's steel industry's production being off by about 40 percent, association spokesman Glen Nekvasil said. The iron ore trade's woes are also complicated by an ongoing need for dredging in some ports and waterways, he said. He cited higher water levels in some areas easing the problem.
Construction of the New Sault Super Lock Continues
Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.06-30-2009 A groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday marked the first step toward construction of a new Great Lakes shipping lock on the St. Marys River, which supporters have sought for more than two decades.
The Soo Locks complex raises and lowers ships on the river linking Lake Superior and Lake Huron, forming a vital gateway for freighters hauling iron ore, coal and other raw materials to port cities such as Detroit and Cleveland. Last year, more than 8,460 vessels hauling a combined 81 million tons of freight passed through the locks.
of four existing locks, just one - the Poe - can accommodate the Great Lakes' largest ships, which can be up to 1,000 feet long. Those super-sized ships carry more than 70 percent of the cargo that goes through the locks.
If the Poe were disabled, Midwestern industries such as steelmaking and electric power generation could be crippled, industry representatives say.
"It would pretty much shut down the lakes," said Glen Nekvasil, spokesman for the Lake Carriers Association, a trade group representing U.S.-flagged shippers. A new Poe-sized lock would replace two others: the Sabin, which has been decommissioned, and the Davis, which is seldom used. The MacArthur, which can handle smaller vessels, will remain in service. "We look forward to completing the project - hopefully ahead of schedule if funding allows us," said John Niemiec, project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees the Soo Locks.
Congress authorized the new lock in 1986, but provided no construction money until placing $17 million into this year's budget. That will pay for two "coffer dams" - steel cells filled with rock that will restrain river waters as the lock is built.
"We take a great deal of satisfaction in seeing actual construction start," said Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, chairman of the Great Lakes Commission.
But finishing the lock is expected to take 10 years and more than $500 million, and officials acknowledged there is no guarantee of future funding. The Army Corps has never considered the new lock a high enough priority to be included in its annual budget proposals. Congressional supporters inserted the money for the coffer dams.
Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said he and Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., pressed the case for the project in a meeting with corps officials after the groundbreaking. It's clearly a challenge to do this, but it's a challenge which we are confident can be met, Levin stated.
In 2009 American Steamship Laid Off Over 200 Employees
06-11-2009 American Steamship Co.has laid off 204 employees. The company notified the New York State Labor Department several months ago that it expeced layoffs during shis shipping season. Most of the workers affected were notified during the last few weeks over themonth of June 2009.
American Steamship owns 18 vessels and has employees living in several Great Lakes cities. Those laid off including all levels of ship workers from captains on down. Last March, (2008) the company reported that due to the recession, the 2009 shipping season might not be productive forcing layoffs for all the hands who normally work the company’s ships. The company, American Steamship Co. is headquartered Amherst, and primarily serves the steel industry.
Legislation exempting Great Lakes ships from EPA rule Passes Senate & House
October 30, 2009 The U.S. House and Senate both passed a measure this week that will exempt some of the Great Lakes freight vessels from a proposed Environmental Protection Agency rule that aims to reduce sulfur emissions.
The exemption — pushed by Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., and Rep. Dave Obey, D-Wis., — was attached to the Interior Appropriations bill.
Shipping groups and members of the Great Lakes delegation have argued that the EPA rule would ruin the Great Lakes economy because a substantial number of ships would not be able to use the new, more expensive fuel.
“Laying up half of the Great Lakes fleet in one fell swoop would have devastating economic consequences at a time when we are only beginning to recover from a deep recession,” Oberstar said in a statement.
Under the bill’s language, 13 Great Lakes steamships will be exempt from the new regulations. To comply with the EPA’s proposed rule, these ships would have required engine upgrades costing about $22 million each, according to the industry. Great Lakes diesel ships will also be able to apply for “economic hardship” waivers. The lower sulfur fuel is about 70 percent more expensive than the fuel that the ships currently use.
“This was language that was included at the insistence of the House,” said Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., during a speech on the Senate floor Thursday. “Frankly, it was not my preference to include this language, but I understand Members from the Great Lakes states are very concerned about the economic impact of pending EPA emission control regulations on these 13 older ships.
“After substantial negotiation and discussion with EPA, we have crafted a narrowly tailored compromise that recognizes these concerns in report language but will not impact air quality in California or any other seaboard city, or interfere with the ability of EPA to negotiate international controls on emissions from other oceangoing vessels,” Feinstein said. Clean air groups have countered, however, that the move amounts to a Congressional end run around the EPA.
AS THE SHIPPING SEASON DREW TO A CLOSE SHIPMENTS DOWN 30%
Duluth 12-12-2009 Superior port is one of the busiest on the great lakes. However, like all industries it fell victim to a down economy. “It's been a challenging year for most of our cargos this year. The total tonnage this year is expected to end up at 30 to 32 million tons,” Jim Sharrow of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority said.
That number is almost 1/3 less than last year’s 46 million tons. Superior's Midwest Energy went from a record setting 22 million tons last year to 19 million tons this year. However, company leaders are still optimistic. "Given the pressures on us the lack of demand for our product because of the economy being down, manufacturing etc, lack of generation, electricity needs all in all I think it was a good year," Midwest Energy President Fred Shusterich said.
Shipping of other cargo like iron ore is also down for the year. However, last month was a record high for iron ore shipments in 2009. The only cargo that actually went up this year was grain, according to the Port Authority. The Saint Lawrence Seaway closes December 29th. 2009.
05-23-2010 The last action for the Kaye E. Barker followed her lay–up on January 6, 2008, the econmy stricken Great Lakes Shipping Season kept the Barker sidelined. This Week May 24, 2010 will see the Barker leaving port and starting runs of both Coal and Taconite. Nearly 1.2 million tons of taconite has already been shipped from Duluth–Superior this calendar year. That's more than an 80 percent increase from the 2009, has enabled the Barker and her crew to return to plying the Great Lakes and her Ports.
Executive Director of Minnesota Mining stated that "the shipping industry is tied to the domestic and global economy. "We're seeing this year, probably a gangbuster year." Coal production, another Twins Ports shipping staple, has fallen off slightly so far in 2010 – 500,000 tons off the 2009 statistics.
Adele Yorde, the Public Relations Manager at the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, states that "this has been a great start to the 2010 shipping season," and that "shipments of iron ore are hugely up compared to the dismal shipping season of 2009." Nearly 1.2 million tons of taconite has already been shipped from Duluth–Superior this calendar year. That's more than an 80 percent increase versus this time last year.
Frank Ongaro, Executive Director of Minnesota Mining" stated that "the shipping industry is tied to the domestic and global economies." The Barker has a "full book," which will most likely see the Barker run the remaining 2010 shipping season.
The 767 Foot Kaye E. Barker made 2010 Come Back
Muskegon Based Pro-Med EMS along with Fire First Responders attend to a Patient who suffered a Medical Emergency
Cargo Ship Stops traffic in the Saint Lawrence Seaway
An out-of-control cargo ship became wedged in the Saint Lawrence Seaway early Thursday morning March 31, 2011, blocking shipping from North America's Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. The 453 feet BBC Steinhoelft lost control, drifted sideways and ran aground in Montreal.
The bow of the ship, which is the same length as the width of the canal, is pointing to the north shore of the seaway while the stern is stuck on the south shore. A tugboat was sent to try to pry the vessel free, which was expected to take most of the day. A Canadian transport official was onboard the ship investigating the exact cause of the accident. There were no fuel leaks or injuries, reported.
The grounded ship has caused a least, four freighters to be stopped. News reports that since 1959, over 2.5 billion tons valued in excess of CAN$375 billion has been transported via the seaway's locks and channels. The company that manages the seaway said at the opening of the shipping season last week cargo shipments are expected to rise by about seven percent to 39.1 million tonnes for 2011.
"Projections for the 2011 season foresee continued strength in the traditional staple cargoes of grain and iron ore," Saint Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation president Terence Bowles said. As well, "shipments of road salt are projected to increase to replenish inventories depleted over a challenging winter season" and other cargo is pegged to rise due in part to continued activity in the Alberta oil sands, he said in a statement.
Algoma Central Corporation, Canada Steamship Lines, and the Canadian Wheat Board, have previously announced the building new ships as part of a seaway fleet renewal program.
Soo Locks Animation--Courtesy: Army Corp of Engineers
Soo Locks are vital to shipping throughout the Great Lakes
