ANDRIE, WITTE 1404 Emerge from Drydock; GREAT LAKES TRADER in for repairs

JOYCE L. VANENKEVORT and barge GREAT LAKES TRADER arrived in port sometime this morning and secured at the east dock of Erie Shipbuilding for repairs. I'm not sure what type of work the duo is in for at this time.

This afternoon, Lakeshore Towing tugs FLATTOP and DON HENRY moved the gate from the drydock at Erie Shipbuilding and headed into the drydock to retrieve the next deck barge the company is building for Donjon Marine.

After slowly manouvering the barge in the wind, FLATTOP and DON HENRY slid the barge alongside A-397 and secured the barge next to WITTE 1403.

Safely securing the barge alongside at around 1500, FLATTOP and DON HENRY returned to the drydock and took the tug KAREN ANDRIE in tow and moved the tug out of drydock. The ANDRIE is now secured behind barge A-397 and will be fitting out shortly. Over the winter the ANDRIE was fitted with the Hydraconn articulated tug-barge coupler system, which replaces the tow-line system the barge had used.

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GREAT LAKES TRADER at dock this afternoon.


Another view.


Overhead view.


GREAT LAKES TRADER later in the afternoon. Note that the vessel has been ballasted to take list to port, allowing inspection of part of the hull beneath the waterline.


FLATTOP pulls WITTE 1404 in Erie harbor.


DON HENRY stands by to assist in turning the barge.


Turning the corner into the West Slip.


Another view of the turn.


WITTE 1404.


FLATTOP pulls the barge alongside A-397.


Alongside.


Docking the barge.


About 45 minutes later, FLATTOP and DON HENRY pull KAREN ANDRIE into Erie harbor.


KAREN ANDRIE in Presque Isle Bay.


DON HENRY pushes on the ANDRIE.


Turning the tug.


Another view.


FLATTOP comes around to pull the barge.


DON HENRY docks the ANDRIE.


Side view.


Another job well done by Lakeshore Towing Services, Inc., and the ANDRIE rests at dock.


Side view.


KAREN ANDRIE and A-397.

SAM LAUD, with stone from Cedarville, is due in Erie tomorrow around 0700. About a day behind her, the STELLANOVA is due at 1030 hours on Tuesday.

MORE BIODIESEL TO BE SHIPPED

More biodiesel will be shipped through the port of Erie in May, according to executives with Lake Erie Biofuels. Three million gallons of the cargo will be shipped through the port, which will likely require two ships.

CLIPPER TOBAGO carried the first cargo out last December.

I will continue to monitor this story and update as I get more information.

PORT OPEN FOR SEASON; FIRST FOREIGN VISITOR DUE

ADAM E. CORNELIUS finally arrived in port at 1500 today and docked at the Old Ore Dock with stone from Calcite, Michigan to open Erie's 2008 shipping season. The vessel should be in port for several hours before departing to return to Calcite to load stone.

The second vessel of the young season, and the first foreign-flagged visitor of the season, the STELLANOVA, is due in Erie sometime next Tuesday with 775 tons of steel mill components loaded in Valetta, Malta.

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CORNELIUS in Presque Isle Bay, turning for the Old Ore Dock.


Approaching the Old Ore Dock. The CORNELIUS was drawing 24 feet, which is deeper than the vessel could have loaded before Lakeshore Towing completed dredging late last year.


The first few tons of stone to reach the port in 2008 come off the boom of the CORNELIUS.


Unloading.

SEASON OPENER DUE

ADAM E. CORNELIUS, loaded with stone from Calcite, Michigan, is due to be the first vessel of the season to visit Erie when she arrives shortly after midnight tonight.

Due late on Monday or early Tuesday is heavy-lift vessel STELLANOVA, which is coming from Valetta, Malta. Not sure what she's carrying, but I'm trying to find out. STELLANOVA last visited the port on June 16, 2006 to load locomotives.

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CORNELIUS in Erie on May 22, 2007.


STELLANOVA loads locomotives (to the left of the photo, under tarps) at the Mountfort Terminal on June 16, 2006.

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.

Video from Monday

Below is a video taken yesterday of Lakeshore Towing tugs FLATTOP and DON HENRY moving barge 401 in Erie harbor yesterday. I hope to offer a downloadable version tomorrow.

Dredging Work Begins

Early this afternoon, Lakeshore Towing began setting up to dredge the Chestnut Street marina. Tugs FLATTOP and DON HENRY brought barge 401 the west side of the Chestnut Street ramp and secured it there while the captains of each boat devised a plan to squeeze the 401 through the narrow entrance to the east side of the marina.

Two attempts were made at around 1230 hours today to get the barge through, but failed by inches as the barge was found to be a little too wide. Strong wind gusts didn't help the tugs either, as the wind was causing the barge to drift.

The barge 401 was then moved back to west side of the Chestnut Street ramp and secured there.

Dredging is expected to continue all week. After completion of this dredging Lakeshore Towing will start to dredge the East Avenue boat launch.

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FLATTOP pushes the 401 in Erie harbor, approaching the west side of the boat launch.


Closer view.


A few moments later, FLATTOP lines the barge up for the narrow entrance to the east side of the boat ramp.


The wind screwed this attempt up.


DON HENRY pushes to keep the barge in line.


A tight squeeze into the marina.


Another view.


After another unsuccessful attempt, FLATTOP backs the barge away.


Tieing up along the west side, for the second time.

Dredging of Chestnut Street Boat Ramp to begin

Lakeshore Towing this week will be dredging at the Chestnut Street boat launch to remove shoaling from the area. FLATTOP, DON HENRY, and barges 501 and 502 will be involved in the operation.

I will update this as more develops on the story.

BRISTOL BAY Returns; J.S. ST. JOHN Fit Out Work Begins

BRISTOL BAY returned to port this morning, arriving at 1030, turning in the channel and docking once again at Coast Guard Station Erie. The 140-foot incebreaker stopped within her own length before turning.

In other news, crews have begun fit-out work on the J.S. ST. JOHN, which is marking forty years of service as a sand dredge in Erie this season. Carmeuse Lime and Stone crews were busy working on the vessel yesterday morning and had it ballasted and listing to starboard to facilitate work on the port side of the vessel.

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BRISTOL BAY inbound.


Another view.


Stern view.


Stopping.


Turning.


Starboard side view.


Side view in the channel.


Approaching the dock.


Stern view as the vessel ties up.


Alongside.

LANSDOWNE SCRAPPING UPDATE

An article in Thursday's Buffalo News highlights the LANSDOWNE's scrapping, which I first reported here on March 26. Apparently, demolition work on the vessel will be completed by May 1, leaving the 124-year-old vessel to be just another memory.

Certainly some will cheer at the dilapadated vessel's demise; however, I am not one of them. The LANSDOWNE represents a lot of Great Lakes history, and its present state of disrepair was one caused solely by neglect on the part of Specialty Restaurants, the vessel's last owner. With the vessel's loss another priceless piece of maritime and railroad history is gone forever.

I will continue to follow this story and will hopefully within the next couple of weeks have photos to post of the vessel's scrapping.

Historical: April 3

Historical arrivals and departures for April 3:

1974: Cleveland Tankers' POLARIS arrives at the United Oil Company dock with a cargo of gasoline, becoming the first ship of the season.

1993: J.L. MAUTHE departs winter layup at Erie Marine Enterprises, bound for Superior to load wheat for Buffalo. This is the vessel's last season of operating as a steam-powered ship; MAUTHE lays up in Superior at the end of the season and is converted to the barge PATHFINDER three years later.

BRISTOL BAY arrives in port

Only about a half-hour after I posted earlier today that the Coast Guard icebreaker BRISTOL BAY was working in Lake Erie, the vessel arrived in Erie and secured at the Coast Guard station for supplies. The 140-foot "Bay Class" U.S. Coast Guard icebreaking tug was inbound at 1045 hours this morning and secured at the North Pier along the Coast Guard property.

The last time BRISTOL BAY was in Erie was May 4, 2007, when the vessel brought its buoy barge into port to replace the winter markers with the summer aids to navigation.


BRISTOL BAY at the Coast Guard Station at 1230 this afternoon.


Another view.


Stern view.


BRISTOL BAY at dock.

Wind Complicates Ice

Yesterday's high winds seriously complicated efforts to ease the burden of an ice-covered Lake Erie.

After warm temperatures over the past few days had moved the ice off-shore and weakened it, the wind gusts of 40 miles per hour or more on Tuesday moved most of the ice to the south shore again, clogging up the approaches to harbors and making the movement of commercial traffic harder.

Currently, the USCGC BRISTOL BAY is working on Lake Erie to assist shipping. Yesterday the vessel was working with the CANADIAN ENTERPRISE on its trip across the Lake.

Historical Season Openings: April 1

Historical arrivals for April 1:

1998- DAVID Z. NORTON arrives with stone for the Old Ore Dock, becoming the first vessel of the 1998 season. The vessel is in service today for Lower Lakes Transportation as CALUMET.