Carmeuse Lime and Stone, a Pittsburgh-based subsidiary of Belgium's Carmeuse Group, has completed purchase of the Oglebay Norton Company, the Cleveland-based parent of O-N Minerals Erie. Carmeuse announced the completion Wednesday, saying that they were planning on moving 50 Oglebay jobs from Cleveland to Pittsburgh. I have no word yet as to how this may affect the Erie operation.
WOLVERINE, a frequent Erie visitor over the years, and her sisters, EARL W. and DAVID Z., both of which are also frequent Erie visitors, have been purchased outright by Rand Logistics, whose Grand River Navigation subsidiary had been operating them under time charter from Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Company, for $20 million dollars. Rand announced that WOLVERINE would be transferred to their Canadian subsidiary, Lower Lakes Towing, and be reflagged Canadian before the coming season. Therefore, Erie will likely see less and less of this vessel in the future.
Showing posts with label ON Minerals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ON Minerals. Show all posts
Friday, February 15, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
ANOTHER VESSEL ARRIVES FOR LAYUP
Bay ice is unsafe for ice fishermen this afternoon after another vessel arrived for layup last night. The MICHIPICOTEN, after unloading iron ore in Nanticoke, Ontario, sailed across the lake and arrived in Erie last night for winter layup. The steamer is the first member of the Lower Lakes Towing/Grand River Navigation fleet to ever spend a winter in Erie.
MICHIPICOTEN broke through ice a couple of inches thick and slowly made her way through the channel and Presque Isle Bay to the West Slip. This morning the crew was hard at work, pumping ballast off and performing other tasks necessary before they can leave the vessel for the winter. Over the coming winter crews from Erie Shipbuilding will be performing work on the MICHIPICOTEN.
The MICHIPICOTEN's arrival is the vessel's second visit to the port under that name, with the first having been last June. The vessel has wintered in Erie before, however. During the winter of 1994/95, as Interlake Steamship's ELTON HOYT II, the vessel spent part of the winter at the Sassafras Street Dock (now the site of the Bayfront Convention Center) before going into drydock during March. Thanks probably to the weak American dollar, the Nanticoke, Ontario-registered MICHIPICOTEN is also the first Canadian vessel to spend the winter in Erie since the LOUIS R. DESMARAIS spent the winter of 1997/98 at Metro Machine.
Meanwhile, within Erie Shipbuilding, work continues on the KAREN ANDRIE and A-397. East of there, crews from Great Lakes Electrical Services, Erie Shipbuilding and O-N Minerals are hard at work on the Steamer CASON J. CALLAWAY and tug/barge PRESQUE ISLE. Lakeshore Towing's skilled professionals are tentatively scheduled to join them on Saturday, when they sink the cofferdam under the starboard side of the PRESQUE ISLE, exposing the vessel's starboard propeller and rudder for work. Cranes at the Mountfort Terminal will drop Lakeshore's barge 502 into the water to serve as the dive platform for that work.
Lakeshore's barge 401 will also be busy later this winter. Lakeshore Towing in December purchased a CAT excavator and mounted it on 401, and will be using that to replace the bow thruster on the CALLAWAY.
MICHIPICOTEN secured for the winter at the West Slip.
CALLAWAY at the Old Ore Dock.
The view from the parking lot at Erie Shipbuilding, with the J.S. St. JOHN. Note the change in the weather in the five minutes since the photo above this one was taken.
Bow view of the CALLAWAY.
PRESQUE ISLE at the Mountfort Terminal.
MICHIPICOTEN broke through ice a couple of inches thick and slowly made her way through the channel and Presque Isle Bay to the West Slip. This morning the crew was hard at work, pumping ballast off and performing other tasks necessary before they can leave the vessel for the winter. Over the coming winter crews from Erie Shipbuilding will be performing work on the MICHIPICOTEN.
The MICHIPICOTEN's arrival is the vessel's second visit to the port under that name, with the first having been last June. The vessel has wintered in Erie before, however. During the winter of 1994/95, as Interlake Steamship's ELTON HOYT II, the vessel spent part of the winter at the Sassafras Street Dock (now the site of the Bayfront Convention Center) before going into drydock during March. Thanks probably to the weak American dollar, the Nanticoke, Ontario-registered MICHIPICOTEN is also the first Canadian vessel to spend the winter in Erie since the LOUIS R. DESMARAIS spent the winter of 1997/98 at Metro Machine.
Meanwhile, within Erie Shipbuilding, work continues on the KAREN ANDRIE and A-397. East of there, crews from Great Lakes Electrical Services, Erie Shipbuilding and O-N Minerals are hard at work on the Steamer CASON J. CALLAWAY and tug/barge PRESQUE ISLE. Lakeshore Towing's skilled professionals are tentatively scheduled to join them on Saturday, when they sink the cofferdam under the starboard side of the PRESQUE ISLE, exposing the vessel's starboard propeller and rudder for work. Cranes at the Mountfort Terminal will drop Lakeshore's barge 502 into the water to serve as the dive platform for that work.
Lakeshore's barge 401 will also be busy later this winter. Lakeshore Towing in December purchased a CAT excavator and mounted it on 401, and will be using that to replace the bow thruster on the CALLAWAY.
MICHIPICOTEN secured for the winter at the West Slip.
CALLAWAY at the Old Ore Dock.
The view from the parking lot at Erie Shipbuilding, with the J.S. St. JOHN. Note the change in the weather in the five minutes since the photo above this one was taken.
Bow view of the CALLAWAY.
PRESQUE ISLE at the Mountfort Terminal.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
ANDRIE Settles into Drydock; Layup Update; Lakeshore Towing Moves Cofferdam
KAREN ANDRIE and barge A-397 are now drydocked at Erie Shipbuilding. The tug is inside the building covering the southern 150 feet of the drydock, and the barge A-397 is right behind it. Both are pulled in, which is the first time I can think of that any tenant at the shipyard has pulled a vessel into the drydock. Normally the vessels are backed in.
This morning Lakeshore Towing tugs FLATTOP and DON HENRY moved barge 502 to the Mountfort Terminal, where it was lifted out and placed on the dock. This afternoon FLATTOP and DON HENRY moved the cofferdam for the PRESQUE ISLE from Erie Shipbuilding to the Mountfort Terminal.
Both PRESQUE ISLE and CASON J. CALLAWAY are currently expected at 0500 on Friday for winter layup.
DON HENRY pushes the barge 502 up alongside the Mountfort Terminal.
Crews from O-N Minerals and Lakeshore go to work to secure the barge to the crane.
Crane begins to lift the 502 from the water.
In mid-air.
Positioning the barge over the dock.
502 is lowered onto the dock.
This morning Lakeshore Towing tugs FLATTOP and DON HENRY moved barge 502 to the Mountfort Terminal, where it was lifted out and placed on the dock. This afternoon FLATTOP and DON HENRY moved the cofferdam for the PRESQUE ISLE from Erie Shipbuilding to the Mountfort Terminal.
Both PRESQUE ISLE and CASON J. CALLAWAY are currently expected at 0500 on Friday for winter layup.
DON HENRY pushes the barge 502 up alongside the Mountfort Terminal.
Crews from O-N Minerals and Lakeshore go to work to secure the barge to the crane.
Crane begins to lift the 502 from the water.
In mid-air.
Positioning the barge over the dock.
502 is lowered onto the dock.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Erie Shipbuilding, Winter Layup Update
As I have written here in the past, Erie Shipbuilding is nearing completion of a financing deal to begin building a sister tug-barge to the GREAT LAKES TRADER, along with a sister tug to the JOYCE L. VANENKEVORT. The $50 million project is estimated to taken nine months or so to complete, but in reality will probably take much longer.
The last of the six deck barges under construction by the company is to be completed and will be moved from drydock sometime this week. According to Erie Shipbuilding CEO Ned Smith the company has signed a contract for another two deck barges and is negotiating to sign another contrack for an additional two deck barges.
As far as work for this winter, as I have reported already this month, three vessels are expected in port. One, the tug-barge unit KAREN ANDRIE/A-397, is already in port. The PRESQUE ISLE is due in Erie for the Mountfort Terminal on the morning of January 17, and the CASON J. CALLAWAY will follow her that afternoon to the Old Ore Dock. It's also possible that another vessel may winter here, but if that happens it will likely be a Canadian vessel that arrives late this month or in February after running late shuttling coal or salt on the Great Lakes.
Along with Erie Shipbuilding, Great Lakes Electrical Services, O-N Minerals and Lakeshore Towing will be completing work on the vessels this winter. Great Lakes Electrical and O-N Minerals will be working on all of the vessels; Lakeshore Towing will perform any towing work needing completed for any of the vessels in layup. Lakeshore Towing will this week tow the cofferdam built for the PRESQUE ISLE from Erie Shipbuilding to the Mountfort Terminal, and later this winter divers from Lakeshore will sink the cofferdam to install it under the starboard side of the PRESQUE ISLE. Lakeshore's divers will complete any underwater work needing done on the layup fleet as well.
The winter of 2007-08 is looking to be extremely busy in Erie harbor. Keep watching as I will continue to report on the happenings around the harbor.
GREAT LAKES TRADER, which would be a sister to the new barge ESB is in negotiations to build, is shown outbound Erie on January 26, 2007.
JOYCE L. VANENKEVORT is shown pushing the TRADER, January 26, 2007.
Underneath the port propellor of the PRESQUE ISLE, March 12, 2007.
The last of the six deck barges under construction by the company is to be completed and will be moved from drydock sometime this week. According to Erie Shipbuilding CEO Ned Smith the company has signed a contract for another two deck barges and is negotiating to sign another contrack for an additional two deck barges.
As far as work for this winter, as I have reported already this month, three vessels are expected in port. One, the tug-barge unit KAREN ANDRIE/A-397, is already in port. The PRESQUE ISLE is due in Erie for the Mountfort Terminal on the morning of January 17, and the CASON J. CALLAWAY will follow her that afternoon to the Old Ore Dock. It's also possible that another vessel may winter here, but if that happens it will likely be a Canadian vessel that arrives late this month or in February after running late shuttling coal or salt on the Great Lakes.
Along with Erie Shipbuilding, Great Lakes Electrical Services, O-N Minerals and Lakeshore Towing will be completing work on the vessels this winter. Great Lakes Electrical and O-N Minerals will be working on all of the vessels; Lakeshore Towing will perform any towing work needing completed for any of the vessels in layup. Lakeshore Towing will this week tow the cofferdam built for the PRESQUE ISLE from Erie Shipbuilding to the Mountfort Terminal, and later this winter divers from Lakeshore will sink the cofferdam to install it under the starboard side of the PRESQUE ISLE. Lakeshore's divers will complete any underwater work needing done on the layup fleet as well.
The winter of 2007-08 is looking to be extremely busy in Erie harbor. Keep watching as I will continue to report on the happenings around the harbor.
GREAT LAKES TRADER, which would be a sister to the new barge ESB is in negotiations to build, is shown outbound Erie on January 26, 2007.
JOYCE L. VANENKEVORT is shown pushing the TRADER, January 26, 2007.
Underneath the port propellor of the PRESQUE ISLE, March 12, 2007.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Local Fleet Fitout
Work crews have begun preliminary work on the sand dredge J.S. St. JOHN to fit her out for the new season. She should be sailing within the next week or so.
Dinner cruiser VICTORIAN PRINCESS has now been moved from her layup berth back to her dock on the east side of Dobbin's Landing. She will soon begin offering dinner cruises for the new season.
Within the next couple of weeks the Port Authority's water taxis AQUABUS I, AQUABUS II, and CANADIAN SAILOR should be moved from their winter storage at Erie Shipbuilding and placed back in the water. The rest of the local fleet--party fishing boat EDWARD JOHN, sightseeing tour vessel LADY KATE, and Fish & Boat Commission research vessel PERCA, should be back in the water for another season soon as well.
And within the next ten days or so Erie Sand & Gravel should be getting its first load of stone of the season. While out and about yesterday I noticed a 20-car CSX train loaded with stone leaving the Bayfront track and returning to CSX's main line, having left the Mounfort Terminal. I noticed that each car was marked with a load limit of about 72.5 tons. At this rate, the train could load roughly 1450 tons, or less than 10% of a normal load received by Erie Sand. If the port continues to ship product out by rail, this could be a good season for the port of Erie.
Dinner cruiser VICTORIAN PRINCESS has now been moved from her layup berth back to her dock on the east side of Dobbin's Landing. She will soon begin offering dinner cruises for the new season.
Within the next couple of weeks the Port Authority's water taxis AQUABUS I, AQUABUS II, and CANADIAN SAILOR should be moved from their winter storage at Erie Shipbuilding and placed back in the water. The rest of the local fleet--party fishing boat EDWARD JOHN, sightseeing tour vessel LADY KATE, and Fish & Boat Commission research vessel PERCA, should be back in the water for another season soon as well.
And within the next ten days or so Erie Sand & Gravel should be getting its first load of stone of the season. While out and about yesterday I noticed a 20-car CSX train loaded with stone leaving the Bayfront track and returning to CSX's main line, having left the Mounfort Terminal. I noticed that each car was marked with a load limit of about 72.5 tons. At this rate, the train could load roughly 1450 tons, or less than 10% of a normal load received by Erie Sand. If the port continues to ship product out by rail, this could be a good season for the port of Erie.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Calcite's Season Opens
The port of Calcite, Michigan's ON Minerals loading dock will open April 1 with the arrival of the AMERICAN REPUBLIC to load. The dock at Calcite ships the majority of the stone brought to the port of Erie, so Erie will likely be due for a load any time now.
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