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7 hours ago, Dougal said:

Victory Cruise Lines has announced its 2021 Great Lakes season; from late April to early October, they plan 32 port visits to Cleveland.  Next year they are offering two extra cost local tour options, one of movie sites for $79 (the Christmas House, I guess, and what else?).  The second tour is Amish Country in Geauga County for $129. 

 

All this presumably contingent on curing the virus. All those shore excursions in buses sound risky.

 

https://www.victorycruiselines.com/cruises/great-lakes-masterpiece/

 

The boats themselves are risky. Been paying attention to what happens whenever another cruise ship attempts a voyage??

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

12 hours ago, KJP said:

 

The boats themselves are risky. Been paying attention to what happens whenever another cruise ship attempts a voyage??

I have a feeling being able to present an immunization certificate will become important again next year, the way it used to be for international travel.

Remember: It's the Year of the Snake

  • 3 months later...
1 hour ago, gildone said:

 

G, you're two months late to the party and in the wrong houses. This was posted and discussed extensively in the Cleveland Cliffs business thread and Cleveland Cliffs HQ thread.

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

1 hour ago, KJP said:

 

G, you're two months late to the party and in the wrong houses. This was posted and discussed extensively in the Cleveland Cliffs business thread and Cleveland Cliffs HQ thread.

I only read the threads in the transportation forum and didn't see it it here where it seemed to make sense to post.  

  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/19/2020 at 6:44 PM, Cleburger said:

Very cool.  So I count 4 working the port of Cleveland.  There are these two new ones on the old river channel, and two more (Ohio and Illinois) docked further up river just past the Carter Rd Bridge.  

 

I'm not exactly sure of the total count of tugs working the port and river channel but I have counted 4, all docked near Carter somewhat recently.

  • 6 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Victory Cruise Line, which has been calling in Cleveland for the past few years, offers some pleasant (I've been on 2 cruises with them) but ugly duckling ships.  They have a new one coming called the Ocean Victory. I don't know if we'll see it on the Lakes, but it's another unusual one.  It's got what is called an X-bow, sort of submarine-like, which is supposed to offer more stability and less water resistance.

 

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Remember: It's the Year of the Snake

  • 1 month later...

Spending bill includes $350 million for a new Great Lakes icebreaker

Sabrina Eaton - Cleveland.com - Sep. 15, 2021

 

maxresdefault.jpg

 

"A $3.5 trillion budget bill being crafted in Congress includes $350 million to build a new U.S. Coast Guard heavy icebreaking ship to serve the Great Lakes. ... The Westlake-based Lake Carriers’ Association has sought a new ice breaker for years. It estimates that over the past seven years, shipping delays caused by ice cost the Great Lakes economy $2 billion and more than 10,000 jobs. ... According to the Lake Carriers Association, during three of the past six years the Coast Guard has been unable to keep Great Lakes waterways consistently open to commercial navigation when conditions became icy."

 

^That seems outlandishly expensive.  Russians have a bunch of them.  Buy a used one from Russians for $5-10 million and gut and revamp it for $50 million. 

  • 10 months later...
13 hours ago, Luke_S said:

Interesting interview with James Weakley, president of the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, covering a lot of different aspects of great lakes shipping. 

 

Can shipping on the Great Lakes take the next step toward transporting high-value container cargo?

 

Nice to hear that the container service is self-sustaining and no longer requires a subsidy.  That's a gamble that has paid off.

Remember: It's the Year of the Snake

3 hours ago, Dougal said:

 

Nice to hear that the container service is self-sustaining and no longer requires a subsidy.  That's a gamble that has paid off.

Makes me wonder if there shouldn't be some political push with Canada to expand locks on the seaway system so they can fit larger "salties"? 

9 hours ago, Cleburger said:

Makes me wonder if there shouldn't be some political push with Canada to expand locks on the seaway system so they can fit larger "salties"? 

 

A cheaper alternative is being pursued which is to build the huge Novaport in Nova Scotia so that big ocean-going container ships can be broken up into smaller ships and trains for distribution into the Great Lakes and elsewhere in North America, especially after the Arctic Sea becomes navigable year-round.

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

 

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

Anything to increase shipping on the Great Lakes is great for the region. More ships please, less trucks on the highways.

13 minutes ago, cadmen said:

Anything to increase shipping on the Great Lakes is great for the region. More ships please, less trucks on the highways.

 

Hmm, the way I've always understood it, ships compete with trains and feed trucks.

 

Shipping to Cleveland rather than Baltimore reduces truck miles overall, but would increase trucks in this area.

cleveland port looks pretty busy this year

2 hours ago, Whipjacka said:

cleveland port looks pretty busy this year

Agreed!  Everytime I drive by there is a couple tied up by the stadium, plus the normal lake freighter operations into the river and whiskey island as normal. 

32 minutes ago, freethink said:

Could the Great Lakes solve US shipping woes?

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62157479

 

Great article. Interesting to think that The Port of Cleveland is only operating at 10% capacity right now. 

  • 1 month later...

Click the link to see what's in it (hint: will lead to year-round shipping on the Great Lakes)...

 

 

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

  • 7 months later...

Although Gordon Lightfoot had many other hits, his best and probably most well-known song is the "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." RIP Mr. Lightfoot and cheers to all the mariners on the tumultuous Great Lakes. Let these bells in Detroit ring in your memory forever more.

 

 

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

  • 3 weeks later...

This looks to be the best thread for this video, it isn't quite right. If anyone knows of a better thread let me know.

 

Interesting video about the Jones Act and its huge impact on US domestic shipping. Definitely food for thought, and a great example of the negative impacts of a poorly thought out (though possibly well intentioned) regulation. 

 

 

I thought we were done with the Cuyahoga catching on fire....

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

2 hours ago, Cleburger said:

Here's something you don't see every day!  

 

A freighter named Cuyahoga caught fire overnight on Lake Erie just north of Pelee Island.

A mayday call was issued by the freighter, and multiple rescue vessels responded to help the cargo ship.

 

https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/freighter-catches-fire-on-lake-erie

 

That's an old boat.  When I worked down in the Flats, it used to smoke everyone off of our patio when it came through.  They must have upgraded the engines since then, though, as I don't see the massive plumes of smoke anymore.

 

It's from 1943:

https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/details/5166392

Alot of the Great Lakes freighters had their keels laid close to 100 years ago. They’ve been recapitalizing their fleets past decade or so due to modern pollution standards

  • 2 months later...
  • 5 months later...
Just now, cadmen said:

Interesting that there's a freighter docked by the stadium. I thought the shipping season ended in December. With climate change maybe we're in for a 10-11 month season. 

 

Now all we need are expanded locks in the St. Lawrence Seaway to allow for larger salties to visit. 

 

 

While this ship docked, it suggests it had business to do in Cleveland. But lots of other ships on Lake Erie headed for the breakwaters of Cleveland, Sandusky, Toledo etc this past weekend due to the seiche and high waves that were forecast and that occurred due to the strong southwest winds.

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

12 hours ago, KJP said:

 

 

While this ship docked, it suggests it had business to do in Cleveland. But lots of other ships on Lake Erie headed for the breakwaters of Cleveland, Sandusky, Toledo etc this past weekend due to the seiche and high waves that were forecast and that occurred due to the strong southwest winds.

Actually if you look closely at this ship, it's a self-discharging bulk carrier, and is at a dock that is seldom used at the Port of Cleveland, except for cruise ships.  So I think the seeking safe-harbor hypothesis is correct. 

  • 2 months later...

Cuyahoga, one of the oldest Great Lakes ships, is on fire in Lake Erie

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7145431

 

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

  • 2 weeks later...

I wonder with the Port of Baltimore out of commission if there will be an increase of container ships at Port of Cleveland?

14 minutes ago, B767PILOT said:

I wonder with the Port of Baltimore out of commission if there will be an increase of container ships at Port of Cleveland?

 

Very little if any, there's a discussion on this in the Cleveland: General Business & Economic News thread.

  • 11 months later...

Great Lakes shipping season to open early to ease vessel traffic

Joe Boomgaard, Crain's Grand Rapids Business

Mar 14th, 2025

 

The 2025 Great Lakes shipping season will kick off four days earlier than expected.

 

That’s because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to open the Soo Locks to shipping traffic on the morning of March 21 in response to a request from the Great Lakes shipping industry.

 

The early opening of the 1,200-foot-long Poe Lock in Sault Ste. Marie is intended to help ease anticipated vessel traffic later this season, according to a statement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District.

 

https://www.crainscleveland.com/manufacturing/great-lakes-shipping-season-open-early

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