I read a comment that the Paul R. Tregurtha hauled 400 tons and the Mark W. Barker hauled 4,000 tons. [tonnage comes from some comments on a post]
Since the DTE power plants are scheduled to shutdown, it is important that Interlake Steamship Company find cargos other than coal for their freighters.
The cells along the dock that the crane sets on are recent additions because they don't yet [Sep 2022] show up on a satellite image.
Here we see the construction of those cells. What we can't see is that they also dredged the river to increase the draft by 3'. That dredging had to properly dispose of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminated material. (I could not find a date for this construction.)
These tracks must have also been added recently because they don't show up in a satellite image.
3 of 8 photos posted by the Interlake Steamship Company with the comment:
This view clearly shows the large hatches and flat bottom cargo hold with the self-unloading conveyor running down the middle. The flat bottom holds more bulk cargo as well as making it easier to load secure general cargo. A couple of front loaders and a skid steer parked in a garage under the wheelhouse makes this design efficient for bulk cargo. A comment implied that, because of the square hold, this shorter boat can carry as much cargo as a traditional footer (a freighter that is over 1000' long).
Port of Monroe posted six photos with the comment:
The Port commissioned its new Manitowoc crawler crane in a big way last month! We loaded the "Queen of the Lakes" Paul R. Tregurtha with approximately 400 tons of special bar quality (SBQ) steel manufactured at Gerdau Special Steel's Monroe Mill.Read more about the latest cargo evolution here: https://portofmonroe.com/port-of-monroe-and-partners.../Photo credits: Paul C. LaMarre III & Samuel Hankinson
Bob Haworth: Where is the load going?
Dennis DeBruler: "The Port’s industrial partner and neighbor Gerdau Special Steel was looking for the most economical way to move SBQ manufactured in Monroe to their grinding ball mill in Duluth, Minnesota. The SBQ is used as a feedstock to manufacture grinding balls used in the mining industry."
Dan Kleinhenz: They probably drop it through the hatch and spin it 90 degrees and sit the bars on the cross supports.
Interlake Steamship Company shared
Brian R. Wroblewski: Any idea how they're dealing with the sloped cargo holds for the self-unloader sown there? They must have some sort of temporary framework to hold these or they're laying them down across the bin bottoms or something crazy. They'd have to be creative with the tie downs too for proper securement.
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This "Footer" normally just carries coal from MERC in Superior, WI, to power plants on the Detroit River and then goes back to the Twin Ports empty. The DTE Monroe Power Plant in the background of this photo is one of the destinations for the coal. The Paul R. Tregurtha is the largest ship sailing the Great Lakes, so it has plenty of bouyancy for this cargo. The problem is that it is a self-unloading bulk carrier so its cargo hold has a slanted bottom so that the bulk cargo will slide down to the conveyor belt. I wonder how they load and secure the bars in that hold. The 21st Century Mark W. Barker carries front loaders so that it can have a flat cargo hold but still unload bulk cargo with a conveyor. Thus it can easily carry general cargo as well as bulk cargo. The hatches of the new freighter are also designed to provide more open access to the cargo hold.
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| PortOfMonroe [It is interesting that the alternative they compare with is trucks rather than railcars. (It saves "at least 13,000 highway miles and 275 driving hours in truck resources on America’s congested roadways.") There is a rail loading facility that is even closer to the steel plant than the port's dock. This is a strong statement about how todays Class I railroads avoid fullfilling their charter obligation of providing reasonable rail service. Update: James Torgeson's comment on his share said this cargo typically travels by rail. So the comparison to trucks was probably to get more impressive numbers.] |
Since the DTE power plants are scheduled to shutdown, it is important that Interlake Steamship Company find cargos other than coal for their freighters.
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| safe_image for Port of Monroe and partners strengthen Great Lakes short-sea-shipping network [paywall 2] "Port of Monroe and partners strengthen Great Lakes short-sea-shipping network" |
The cells along the dock that the crane sets on are recent additions because they don't yet [Sep 2022] show up on a satellite image.
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Here we see the construction of those cells. What we can't see is that they also dredged the river to increase the draft by 3'. That dredging had to properly dispose of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminated material. (I could not find a date for this construction.)
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| DLZ |
The dock next to the turning basin can also handle big ships.
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| CrainsDetroit, Port of Monroe A vessel unloads stators at the Port of Monroe while, in the background, the Paul Tregurtha makes a delivery. |
These tracks must have also been added recently because they don't show up in a satellite image.
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| PortOfMonroe-cargo |
This is the normal job of the Paul R. Tregurtha, unloading coal a couple of thousand feet downstream on River Rasin.
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| Port of Monroe posted The Queen of the Lakes is back! The M/V Paul R. Tregurtha arrived in port this morning for the first time this season with a load of coal from the DTE Monroe Power Plant. Photo credit: Samuel Hankinson |
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| safe_image for A Michigan First: Port of Monroe Gets $16 Million to Become its First Container Port "The funds will be used to dredge for deeper access channels, acquire state-of-the-art handling equipment and reinforce dock areas that were built in the 1930s to handle heavier loads....The port will become the nation’s first to scan every containers for security, according to port director Paul LaMarre." |
Mark W. Barker has also carried rods to the Twin Ports
3 of 8 photos posted by the Interlake Steamship Company with the comment:
Built For This
A historic first load of special bar quality (SBQ) steel in the M/V Mark W. Barker, our 639-foot new build in her maiden season sailing on the Great Lakes. The steel bars were loaded overnight at the Port of Monroe, Michigan’s only port on Lake Erie.Thanks to her large, innovative MacGregor hatch openings and flat-bottomed, square cargo hold, the Mark W. Barker is the ideal vessel to carry this SBQ steel manufactured at Gerdau Special Steel’s Monroe Mill.“This is a wonderful partnership that gives a clear understanding of the benefits of the M/V Mark W. Barker’s design to go beyond the traditional free-flowing cargoes we have historically focused on,” says Brendan P. O’Connor, our Vice President of Marketing and Marine Traffic.O’Connor pointed to the tremendous efforts of Port of Monroe Director Paul LaMarre III, Brian Wolak at Gerdau Special Steel, terminal operator DRM, and Fraser Shipyards to facilitate this successful commerce.“This is a perfect example of how Interlake is able to expand and grow into other markets and commodities with such a versatile new asset in our U.S. flag fleet,” he says.The cargo will be unloaded at Superior, Wis., and ultimately delivered to Gerdau’s grinding ball mill in the Twin Ports. The bars will be melted down into grinding balls that are used in the mining industry, ensuring consistent production of iron ore (taconite pellets) that our commercial fleet delivers to steel mills throughout the region.(: Paul LaMarre III)
Judy Lynne: Nothing short of brilliant and Mark Barker (the CEO-President, not the ship) paying attention to what markets are going to insure Interlake’s place in the future! I’ve owned a very successful engineering corp in my past and I’ve watched him for years when I was a CEO. He is pivotal in the forward thinking and careful strategy Interlake has accomplished and why it continues to adjust in today’s marketplace. Great job Mark! This is why Interlake is so well revered.
David Fischer: Judy Lynne Only mistake they make is putting the pilot house at the wrong end for a Laker!
Judy Lynne: David Fischer I’ve been over this previously with you several times. I acknowledge your opinion once again but it’s misplaced and in the interest of efficiency and aesthetics it has been wise to place the pilot house in the rear of the vessel. It’s also very good looking to most. I employed over 200 design engineers in the corp I just sold on the West Coast and we had several discussions about this when you brought it up a year ago. All said the design on the new build was efficient and for functional reasons, wise. You simply don’t like the way lakers look when they have it in the rear. Progress is healthy, David. I’m 71 and I realized a long time ago from my business that progress in designs is very good for all of us and our businesses. Just imagine if we kept cars looking the same for the last 100 years. I wish you peace.
David Fischer: Judy Lynne Judy, I didn’t mean to upset you, and so far as I know, we’ve never met nor had a go-around about pilot houses forward. I’m just a lake boat fan and a traditionalist. I understand that the days of navigating by foghorns and having lookouts/listeners as far from the noise of stack drafts are long past, and was just teasing a bit.
Dennis DeBruler: David Fischer Thanks for the insight as to what technology changes allowed the pilothouse to be moved aft. In addition to GPS, I suppose that radios and/or cameras is another technology that was needed.
David Fischer: Dennis DeBruler I knew a fellow years ago who had been a Great Lakes sailor during World War Two. He was the one who told us about forward pilot houses isolating stack draft and propellor wash noises. He said the vast majority of Lakers by 1944 had radar, and it was such a relief to have it in fog and rain, rather than all available crew peering over the bow rail, hands cupped to ears.
Jeremy Adair: Do loads like this need to be secured in the hold to keep them from shifting?
Interlake Steamship Company: yes, there are multiple considerations for securing this cargo including banding, dunnage and blocks.
Scott Swineford: Going forward I think versatility will be a necessary design element in new mass transport regardless of size of vessel.
Judy Lynne: Scott Swineford Agreed!
Patrick Wardlaw: How much weight can she carry?
Erik Huysken: Patrick Wardlaw listed at 26,000 tons carry capacity.
David LeBrun: I was talking to the guys at Fincantieri Bay Ship in Sturgeon Bay a few years ago and asked how all the huge thick steel plate was delivered. All by truck was the answer. A standard flat bed truck can carry roughly two 2" thick x 8.5' x 48' pieces of steel plate. It's really kind of ridiculous to use trucks to deliver steel to a shipyard when the steel mills are right on the great lakes already to receive raw material. This ship could potentially be a game changer.
[She unloaded these steel bars for the ball mill at the Fraser Shipyard in Superior, WI.]
The Barker Loads Bar!
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This view clearly shows the large hatches and flat bottom cargo hold with the self-unloading conveyor running down the middle. The flat bottom holds more bulk cargo as well as making it easier to load secure general cargo. A couple of front loaders and a skid steer parked in a garage under the wheelhouse makes this design efficient for bulk cargo. A comment implied that, because of the square hold, this shorter boat can carry as much cargo as a traditional footer (a freighter that is over 1000' long).
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Jan 3, 2023: another load of SBQ bars in the Mark W. Barker ready to leave the port.
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| Interlake Steamship Company posted Our M/V Mark W. Barker loading special bar quality steel at Port of Monroe tonight [Jan 3, 2023]. 📸: Paul C. LaMarre IIl Kathy Oberski shared A family friend posted this! Thought I would share |
This is the second photo that was in the above post. I initially skipped it because it was a nighttime photo. But then I noticed that it shows that they used a yellow mobile crane to help their blue crawler crane. It looks like the bars are so heavy that they have to do tandem lifts.
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| Interlake Steamship Company posted, cropped |
A better view of the yellow and blue cranes.
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| Port of Monroe posted Starting our new year with a new ship! The M/V Mark W. Barker was back at our Riverfront dock earlier this week to load finished bar stock produced across the street at the Gerdau Monroe Mill for shipment up north to the twin ports of Duluth/Superior. Photo Credit: Samuel Hankinson |
A few days later this load of SBQ bars was unloaded at the General Cargo Docks in Duluth, MN.
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| Duluth Cargo Connect posted Selected by Maritime Reporter & Engineering News among its Great Ships of 2022, the 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘞. 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳 from Interlake Steamship Company made its first-ever call on our facilities today, delivering a load of special bar quality steel from Monroe, Michigan, on Lake Erie. That’s short-sea shipping at its finest, creating meaningful economic and environmental efficiencies for our region, while also benefitting Twin Ports and Iron Range industry. As always, we’re happy to do the heavy lifting.   : David Schauer |
Interlake Steamship Company posted four photos with the comment:
The long and short of it!Awesome shots of our 1,013.5 foot, M/V Paul R. Tregurtha, the longest vessel on the Great Lakes, and our new 639-foot M/V Mark W. Barker, the shortest boat in our fleet but the most versatile, in Monroe, Michigan tonight!📸: Paul LaMarre III
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| safe_image for Port of Monroe celebrates successful 2022-23 shipping season We're excited to share numbers, photos, and successes from the 2022-23 shipping season, which would not be possible without our partners, stakeholders, and supporters. Check out this link to read about what we did and what's coming in the future! [Note the attachment on the container crane that allows it to handle bundles of Special Bar Quality (SBQ) steel.] "Over the past decade, Gerdau has invested nearly $400 million to transform the Monroe mill into a world class SBQ production facility and recently announced an additional $40.4 million investment at the Monroe mill to upgrade the facility’s rolling mill capabilities." "In total, the new Mark W. Barker visited Monroe three times in its delivery season, loading synthetic gypsum once and bar stock twice. The vessel’s square holds and wide hatch openings make it well-equipped to handle a number of cargoes in and out of Monroe." |
Port of Monroe posted seven photos with the comment:
Port of Monroe posted three photos with the comment:
Recently, a large generator stator was transloaded at the Port of Monroe. The stator was brought from Monroe to Oswego, NY by the Malcolm Marine, Inc. tug Manitou. At Oswego, the barge was transferred to the tug Edna A. and brought through the Erie Canal to Schenectady, NY.The Port was happy to be involved in such a unique cargo move that involved hard work from many partners!Photo Credits: Paul LaMarre, Samuel Hankinson, & Ethan Severson
Andy Mcleroy: Looks like it took every bit of maxer to pick it nicely done
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| Port of Monroe posted Last week, we welcomed the McKeil Marine Limited vessel Florence Spirit. The Florence is the fourth different McKeil vessel to visit the Port so far this season. Photo Credit: Samuel Hankinson [Note the C-hooks hanging from the container cranes. You can see the far crane unloading a coil of steel with a C-hook.] |
I learned from this post that not all shipping on the Great Lakes stops during the Winter.
Port of Monroe posted two photos with the comment:
A full house in February at the Port of Monroe!
The tug/barge New York/DS-509A has spent the last few days at our riverfront dock, and on Friday the Iver Bright called on the turning basin dock to discharge a load of liquid asphalt. The Iver Bright departed Saturday morning and was assisted by the Great Lakes Towing tug Georgia. This tug, along with the United States Coast Guard, has kept the shipping lanes in Monroe open this winter!
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Port of Monroe posted three photos with the comment:
The M/V Florence Spirit of McKeil Marine Limited was in town last week with a cargo of steel coils from Nanticoke, Ontario. The vessel is shown using the port's turning basin to head out bow first into Lake Erie.In the background, you can see vessels of the King Company at our Turning Basin dock. King is in the process of dredging the River Raisin.Photo Credit: Samuel Hankinson
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| 3 [Note the propwash from the bow thruster.] |
Marine Historical Society of Detroit posted three photos with the comment: "Five vessels of the Pittsburgh Steamship Co. (USS) fleet laid up in Monroe in March 1952. D.M. Clemson, B.F. Affleck, William A. Irvin, Robert C. Stanley and the Governor Miller. John Poole/MHSD collection."
Michigan Film Photographer Karl Wertanen: There’s actually 6 there. One on the far left just barely visible and peeking out behind the Clemson.
Justin Sandlin: The Irvin is now a museum in Duluth!
Danny Thompson shared
Marine Historical Society of Detroit shared
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| 1 March 16, 1952. John Poole/MHSD collection. The negative is double exposed (one of many conundrums faced by pre-digital photographers.) |
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| 2 A few days later on March 22, 1952. John Poole/MHSD collection. |
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| 3 "What the Port of Monroe looked like from above about a year earlier, on April 27, 1951. No vessels in view. Cropped U.S. Geological Survey aerial photo downloaded from their Earth Explorer website." [I never realized that the DTE Power Plant was built mostly on landfill.] |
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1 of 5 photos posted by the Port of Monroe Yesterday we welcomed the M/V Happy Ranger to our Turning Basin dock. The specialized heavy-lift vessel was assisted into port by the Great Lakes Towing Tug Georgia. The Happy Ranger discharged a 370-ton transformer directly to a railcar. The component is bound for the Fermi II Nuclear Plant. The Port is proud to work with our partners that made this cargo move possible. Watch our page in for more content from this operation! Photo Credits: Samuel Hankinson Gerald Winski: Schnabel special flatcar. Dennis DeBruler shared The caboose travels with the Schnabel car. The Schnabel car can raise and lower its load to get under bridges, and it can move the load from side to side to get around curves. So the caboose carries the crew that controls the car. Richard Cramer: Someone knows their railroad cars. Moved many of them in my 42 years at the throttle. Westinghouse transformers from Muncie Indiana on the old NicklePlate. |
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| Port of Monroe posted The King Company of Holland, MI has spent the last few weeks conducting dredging operations on the River Raisin. This ensures our channel is navigable for current and future vessel operations, like the loading of synthetic gypsum. The articulated tug/barge Undaunted/Pere Marquette 41 were in port twice in the last week to load syngyp. Photo Credit: Samuel Hankinson |
Apr 2023: State and Federal money is being used to add an intermodal dock to this port. [ClickOnDetroit]
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| Port of Monroe posted Roll off and Heavy Lift: Two unique cargo transfers were recently handled at the Port's turning basin dock, and infrastructure improvements will strengthen our capabilities at this critical operating area. More here: https://portofmonroe.com/heavy-cargo-transfers-happening.../ |
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| PortOfMonroe The 390-ton stator was moved from Schenectady, NY, to Oswego, NY, using the NYS Canal System and then barged on the Great Lakes to this port. "The stator is the same piece that was imported through the Port onboard the heavy-lift vessel Happy Ranger in 2019 and exported from the Port in 2022 for reconditioning. The Port has now been the site of three transfers involving the same component, with each operation being unique." [Is the stator used by the DTE Monroe Power Plant, which is just east of this port?] |
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