Lakeshore Towing Services Awarded Conneaut Dredging Contract

Lakeshore Towing Services on Friday was awarded a major contract to dredge Conneaut, Ohio's harbor. The project, awarded by the Conneaut Port Authority, expected to keep crews busy for most of the fall, involves the removal of around 30,000 cubic yards of sediment from around the boat launch, marina, municipal pier, and a connecting channel in Conneaut harbor. Dredging of the main shipping channel in Conneaut harbor was just completed in September by Luedtke Engineering.

Lakeshore, which tentatively plans on using tug DON HENRY, towboat TITAN and barge 401 for the project, beat out two other bidders on this project. The company is currently finishing up a project to rehabilitate Erie's water intake cribs for the Erie Waterworks.

---

Lakeshore tug DON HENRY, along with Marine Services of Erie's tug LOW BIDDER, working on the water intakes on Monday, October 13.


Another view. On this day, Lakeshore's barge 501 and Marine Services of Erie's crane barge were also involved, along with tug FLATTOP.


On this beautiful Monday Lakeshore's crews were busy setting concrete blocks.


Tug FLATTOP.


DON HENRY and LOW BIDDER.


Crane starts to lift another block from the deck of the barge 501.


Setting the block into the water.


The block slips under the surface.


LOW BIDDER moves away to shift the barges before setting another block.


Moving the barges.

BOLAND ARRIVES IN PORT

JOHN J. BOLAND arrived in port this evening at 1915, docking at the Mountfort Terminal to unload 5,500 tons of stone from Cedarville. The BOLAND unloaded at the Mountfort Terminal until around 2100 this evening and is currently moving the the Old Ore Dock, where the rest of the cargo of more than 20,000 tons of stone will be unloaded. The BOLAND, if all goes well, should depart at around 0200 Wednesday morning.

---

JOHN J. BOLAND passing the J.S. ST. JOHN off of Beach 10.


Inbound.


Another view.


Close up.


Stern view.


Another view.


Docking at the Mountfort Terminal.


Lakeshore Towing tug DON HENRY and Marine Services of Erie's LOW BIDDER bring Lakeshore's barge 501 inbound after working on the water intake cribs during the day.


Another view.


Stern view.

Harbor Abuzz with Activity

Erie's harborfront, though seeing no vessels in port today, was abuzz with activity this morning and afternoon. This morning Lakeshore Towing tugs FLATTOP and DON HENRY moved barges 501 and 502 to Erie Shipbuilding, where they will load fireworks for the Boom Over the Bay celebration on July 4.

This afternoon, FLATTOP placed buoys marking the course for Saturday's swim across the bay. The swim is celebrating the improvement in the health of Presque Isle Bay over the past 20 years. The buoys were placed on the west side of the course; local boaters will anchor and line the east side of the course from the Vista 3 parking lot on Presque Isle to the Erie Yacht Club.

Chestnut Street Work Continues

Lakeshore Towing Services continued dredging work on the Chestnut Street marina today. Apparently, the width of barge 401 wasn't the problem for crews trying to get the barge into the east side of the marina on Monday; rather, gusting winds were the problem and both barge 401 and 502, along with the company's 20 foot barge, are in the east side of the boat launch serving as the platforms for the work.


Dredging work continues at 0915 hours today.


Another view.


FLATTOP and DON HENRY push barge 501 out to the confined disposal area.

KAREN ANDRIE Due; Dredging Work Continues; Letter to Editor of Erie Times-News Critical of Biofuel Shipment

KAREN ANDRIE and barge A-397 are due in Erie tomorrow at 0800.

Phase II of the dredging of the Old Ore Dock continued on Sunday; however, today's work was made easier by temperatures reaching above 50 degrees that melted much of the ice that Lakeshore Towing's crews battled on Saturday. Crews will continue working seven days per week until finished with the dredging work.

A letter to the editor of the Erie Times News in today's newspaper is critical of the fact that there were no environmental studies done on the impact of a potential spill before the shipment of biofuel through the port last month. This is the response I wrote to the paper today:

I’m writing in response to Tom Hintenberger’s letter questioning the shipment of biofuel through the port of Erie. I watched the loading process daily as it occurred, and can say with certainty that every precaution possible was taken to guard against a spill. Local marine contractor Lakeshore Towing was hired to deploy an oil boom around the tanker Clipper Tobago and provide pollution control in the event of a spill.

The Erie Times-News reported on preliminary discussions regarding the shipment of biofuel through the port of Erie on September 4, 2007. More than three months passed before this shipment was loaded, which would have been ample time for anyone who had a problem with the plans to protest. No one did.

Shipping by rail would have been more dangerous for the environment than shipment via water, as railroad derailments resulting in spills are far more common than waterborne oil spills. And as the biofuel was headed for Europe, it would have been necessary to load the cargo aboard a ship eventually. Lake Erie Biofuels should be applauded for choosing to provide the work to the local port, rather than ship the product via rail to a port on the Eastern Seaboard.

Lake Erie Biofuels and similar companies are the future of well-paying industrial jobs in Erie and should be praised, not criticized, for keeping as much work as possible in the hands of local companies.

---

DON HENRY stands by as FLATTOP returns barge 401 to the Old Ore Dock on Sunday afternoon.


FLATTOP shifts to the 501.


A few minutes later, FLATTOP and DON HENRY take loaded barge 501 outbound. As there is no visibility over the barge from the pilothouse of FLATTOP, the crew on the tug relies on the lookout on the bow, GPS, and DON HENRY to stay on course..

And below, click to watch a video of today's action. I hope to incorporate video more and more into the Erie Shipping News in the coming year (Right click on it, click "Save Target as" and save to your computer for best viewing):
Large Version (34 MB)
Small Version (16 MB)

Dredging Begins Again

Lakeshore Towing on Saturday began work on dredging the Old Ore Dock slip. The crews are working hard to get the slip dredged, and are battling ice brought on by recent cold temperatures. However, with warm temperatures forecast for the next several days the ice will hopefully disappear, making the job much easier.

The same equipment is involved in the project now that was in December: tug FLATTOP, towboat DON HENRY and barges 401, 501 and 502.

Harbor Quiet; PILGRIM Not Yet Razorblades

Erie's harbor is quiet, as is normal for this time of year. Lakeshore Towing has completed dredging of the Old Ore Dock and all of their equipment is now back at their base at Wolverine Marina. FLATTOP and DON HENRY, along with barges 501 and 401 are moored at the marina, and barge 502 is moored immediately west of there at Presque Isle Yacht Club.

PILGRIM, meanwhile, has not yet been sent to a scrapyard. The vessel is currently high and dry inside the boat yard south of Liberty Park.


PILGRIM high and dry.


Another view.

Dredging Continues; TOBAGO waits for cargo

Dredging continues at the Old Ore Dock, and Lakeshore Towing is really making progress removing the shoaling that has occured within the slip.

Meanwhile, CLIPPER TOBAGO is expected to begin loading late this week.

A U.S. Coast Guard buoy tender should be arriving soon to replace the summer buoys in the harbor with unlighted winter markers.

---

CLIPPER TOBAGO at dock on Wednesday.


Another view.


The "island" created by the offloading of dredged material gets bigger with every load of sediment.


FLATTOP and DON HENRY push Lakeshore Towing's barge 501 through the channel, toward the South Pier.


Tug FLATTOP glistens in the late afternoon sun.


Stern view as the trio approaches the Pier.


Barge 501 holds the dredged material.

Dredging continues; CLIPPER TOBAGO arrives

Lakeshore Towing continues to dredge the Old Ore Dock, making several trips to the confined disposal site at the South Pier with dredged sediment each day.

CLIPPER TOBAGO arrived in port at 1950 this evening, turned in Erie harbor and docked at the Mountfort Terminal to await the loading of a cargo of biofuel. The Nassau, Bahamas-registered TOBAGO is the first foreign-flagged chemical tanker to visit the port since the German flagged WIDAN docked in Erie at Erie Sand & Gravel's Sassafras Street slip on September 24, 1963. On that voyage, the WIDAN loaded 350,000 gallons of white crude scale wax for Le Havre, France.


FLATTOP and DON HENRY push the barge 501 inbound the channel on Friday afternoon.


FLATTOP.


DON HENRY.


Stern view as the convoy heads for the Old Ore Dock Slip.


Inbound the Old Ore Dock.


Turning to dock alongside 502.


Still turning.


Coming alongside to dock.


Two hours later finds DON HENRY, FLATTOP and 501 back at the disposal site offloading dredged sediment.

Dredging begins in port; Biofuel to be shipped from port; TENACIOUS due to return

Lakeshore Towing began dredging the Old Ore Dock slip on Wednesday. Skilled crews will be working 7 days per week with tugs FLATTOP and DON HENRY and barges 501 and 502. They expect to be hauling two or three loads of dredged material per day to the disposal site near the South Pier.

CLIPPER TOBAGO is due in Erie at 1700 tomorrow, in ballast from Becancour, Quebec. TOBAGO will be loading the first load of biodiesel to be shipped from the port.

Tug TENACIOUS has completed delivery of the WITTE 4003 to Quebec and is currently laying over in Clayton Harbor, New York, in the 1000 Islands of the St. Lawrence River, before proceeding back to Erie. No ETA for her yet.


Dredging operations on Wednesday.

RESERVE in Port

RESERVE arrived in port at about 0130 on Monday morning, securing bow-in at the Mountfort Terminal to unload stone from Calcite. At around 0800 the vessel shifted to the Old Ore Dock to finish the unload. Lakeshore Towing's barges 501 and 502, which had hosted the fireworks for last week's Boom on the Bay July 4 celebration, are moored together at the east face of Erie Shipbuilding across from the Old Ore Dock, which caused some concern to the captain of the RESERVE, who worried about getting into the dock alongside of them. This proved to be no problem as the RESERVE easily slid up alongside the Old Ore Dock to complete the unload.



RESERVE prepares to leave the Mountfort Terminal.


In Erie harbor approaching the Old Ore Dock.


A push from the bow thruster as the RESERVE approaches the dock.


Lakeshore Towing's 501 and 502 at Erie Shipbuilding.


RESERVE closes in on the Old Ore Dock.


Close up of the bow of the RESERVE. Note the freshly painted pilothouse.


RESERVE crew member Scott Tomlinson prepares a line.


Alongside the Old Ore Dock..


Secured next to Lakeshore Towing's 501 and 502.