Monday, April 30, 2012

PRESQUE ISLE Arrives; BOOTHE/LAKES CONTENDER Update

PRESQUE ISLE arrived in Erie at noon today and docked at the Mountfort Terminal. The vessel will be in port for several days for shaft seal repairs.

American Steamship Company is advertising for immediate openings for mates on the KEN BOOTHE SR./LAKES CONTENDER. Qualified applicants must possess a minimum 1600 ton USCG license with a TOAR (Towing Officer Assessment Record) or Towing Endorsement, a valid Merchant Mariner Credential and valid Transportation Worker Identification Credential. Qualified candidates must be able to pass a USCG 719K physical, pre-employment DOT 5 panel drug screening (or provide a letter of exemption) and be able to legally enter Canada. Interested parties should call Kathy Elinski at 716-635-1346 or Holly Andrews at 716-635-1349.

KEN BOOTHE SR./LAKES CONTENDER is due to sail next weekend. The vessel's first cargo will be iron ore to Burns Harbor, before shifting to load coal at KCBX in South Chicago on the 12th for a Lake Michigan port. The duo is due back at KCBX on the 14th.




PRESQUE ISLE passing Erie Pierhead Light inbound.


Another view.


Close up of the PRESQUE ISLE.


Tug PRESQUE ISLE.


Stern view.


Docking.

PRESQUE ISLE At Anchor; BRADSHAW MCKEE Due

PRESQUE ISLE is currently at anchor about five miles northeast of Erie. When the vessel gets underway it will be inbound for the Mountfort Terminal for shaft seal repairs.

BRADSHAW McKEE, the new tug for the CLEVELAND ROCKS, departed Muskegon, Michigan this morning bound for Erie. The BRADSHAW McKEE should arrive sometime Wednesday to pick up the ROCKS.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

ALGOSOO, CALUMET Depart; PRESQUE ISLE Due for Repairs

ALGOSOO departed Erie at 0230 this morning bound for Superior, Wisconsin. ALGOSOO is the first Algoma Central Marine vessel to unload in Erie since 2007.

CALUMET departed Donjon Shipbuilding and Repair at 0900 this morning bound for Marblehead, Ohio on its first trip of the 2012 shipping season. CALUMET will load for Cleveland.

PRESQUE ISLE is expected to arrive Erie at 0600 Monday for repairs.



CALUMET backing away from the West Slip and turning in Presque Isle Bay.


CALUMET rounding the Mountfort Terminal.


Another view of CALUMET.


Lining up for the channel.


Close up of the freshly-painted vessel.


Stern view.


Outbound.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

ALGOSOO Inbound

ALGOSOO, with a partial cargo of stone from Bruce Mines, Ontario, is now arriving Erie for the Mountfort Terminal.

FARRELL 256, ST. JOHN DRYDOCKED; CALUMET DUE OUT

FARRELL 256 and J.S. St. JOHN were moved into drydock at Donjon Shipbuilding and Repair this morning. Lakeshore Towing tugs FLATTOP and DON HENRY moved the FARRELL 256 into the west side of the yard, halfway into the building at the south end of the graving dock. J.S. St. JOHN was moved afterward, and the move was complete and the dock gate back in place by 0930.

FARRELL 256 is in the drydock for unspecified work and the St. JOHN is in for her five-year inspection.

CALUMET should be departing today or tomorrow. Tentatively, the vessel is headed for Marblehead, Ohio to load stone for Cleveland, then to load a salt cargo in Cleveland for Milwaukee.




FARRELL 256 being towed into drydock.


Heading into the dock.


Overhead view.


Tugs arrive for the St. JOHN.


Hooking up the towline.


Backing away from the dock.


Backing out of the slip.


Turning. St. JOHN was moved in stern-first.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Drydockings Delayed; PRESQUE ISLE Due for Repairs

Drydocking of the J.S. St. JOHN and FARRELL 256 was delayed due to high winds today. The vessels will be moved by tugs from Lakeshore Towing starting at 0630 on Saturday morning. PRESQUE ISLE is expected in Erie Monday for repairs to a shaft seal on the tug. The PRESQUE ISLE has been diverted to Conneaut and is expected there at 0100 on Sunday.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

CALUMET, CLEVELAND ROCKS MOVED; St. JOHN, FARREL 256 TO BE DRYDOCKED FRIDAY; H. LEE WHITE, KRISTA S. ARRIVE

CALUMET and CLEVELAND ROCKS were moved from drydock on Wednesday afternoon as the final of Donjon Shipbuilding and Repair's winter drydockings. Donjon's graving dock was flooded beginning at around noon on Wednesday, and by 1800 the CALUMET was ready to emerge from drydock. At 1830 MANITOU took the bow of the CALUMET and moved the vessel slowly out of drydock. APALACHEE caught a stern line from the CALUMET to act as the brake on the tow.

MANITOU and APALACHEE towed the CALUMET out and anchored the vessel in Presque Isle Bay. After anchoring the CALUMET, MANITOU and APALACHEE headed back into the shipyard to move the CLEVELAND ROCKS out of drydock. MANITOU backed the ROCKS out of drydock before APALACHEE took a line and assisted in turning the ROCKS around. CLEVELAND ROCKS was moved to the south end of the West Slip before CALUMET was moved in behind her.

When those moves were complete, crane barge FARRELL 256 was moved from the Mountfort Terminal to the east side of Donjon's yard. FARREL 256 and J.S. St. JOHN are due to be drydocked on Friday.

MANITOU and APALACHEE departed shortly after the moves were complete; MANITOU headed back to Port Huron and APALACHEE to Buffalo. CALUMET had been in drydock for about four weeks, and when her paint job is complete is due to sail in a few days. Tentatively the CALUMET is headed to Marblehead to load for Cleveland. CLEVELAND ROCKS had been in drydock since mid-January for installation of new barge wings to fit her new tug, BRADSHAW McKEE. Donjon beat out numerous shipyards around the lakes for this job. At least one bidder, Great Lakes Shipyard in Cleveland, did not account for putting the ROCKS in drydock. Great Lakes Shipyard does not have the drydock facilities necessary for a barge as large as CLEVELAND ROCKS.

Interestingly, Great Lakes Shipyard is a subsidiary of The Great Lakes Towing Company, which bid on the towing work done by the APALACHEE and MANITOU. Great Lakes Towing bid too high on the work and it went to Malcolm Marine and Zink's Marine Towing, as the independent operators are able to tow much cheaper than Great Lakes Towing, whose profit margins require it to charge more than the independent operators on the Great Lakes.

H. LEE WHITE arrived in Erie this morning at 0930 and docked at the Mountfort Terminal to unload stone. WHITE was followed into port by Luedtke tug KRISTA S, pushing an empty dump scow and crane barge. The tug and barge are anchored northeast of the Old Ore Dock.

WHITE departed at 1800 this afternoon.


Donjon moving the drydock gate Wednesday afternoon.


Unpainted CALUMET in drydock .


MANITOU circles in Erie harbor after leaving her dock.


Bow on.


Another view.


APALACHEE and MANITOU.


MANITOU hooks up to CALUMET as APALACHEE stands by.


MANITOU pulls on the CALUMET.


Hooking up the APALACHEE.


The tow moves into Presque Isle Bay.


APALACHEE acting as the brake.


Stern view of the tow.


APALACHEE.


Another view.


Dropping the CALUMET's anchor.


Anchor hits the water behind the MANITOU.


CALUMET at anchor.


Stern view.


Port side stern view. The port side is partially unpainted.


CLEVELAND ROCKS emerging from the drydock with APALACHEE preparing to start pushing.


Another view. The freshly-painted section is new.


APALACHEE pushing.


Angled for the West Slip.


CLEVELAND ROCKS at dock this morning.


Looking down the center of the slip.


H. LEE WHITE inbound.


Another view.


Stern view.


Docking at the Mountfort Terminal.


KRISTA S. inbound pushing two barges. Note that the barges are slightly askew of each other.


The KRISTA S. and barges are bound for Cleveland, where Luedtke will be dredging the Cuyahoga River.


Close up.


Close up of the KRISTA S.


Stern view.


Stern view of the tow.


WHITE outbound.


Stern view.